Nov 14, 2024, 05:00 AM ETHammarby’s fans were in full voice despite their loss. James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Matchday three of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League saw a lot of one-sided big wins: Real Madrid beat FC Twente 7-0, while Barcelona also put seven past St. Pölten. Arsenal took down Serie A leaders Juventus 4-0, Lyon went to Roma and came away with a 3-0 win, Bayern Munich saw off Vålerenga 3-0, and Wolfsburg won 5-0 over Galatasaray.
The only two games that were remotely close were Manchester City‘s 2-0 win over Hammarby, and Chelsea having to come from behind to overcome Celtic 2-1.
We asked our writers Emily Keogh, Beth Lindop and Connor O’Halloran to answer some of our burning questions.
Chelsea and Manchester City struggled a bit in their games, so what do they need to do to get to the next level? And who is the favourite for their WSL clash this weekend?
Keogh: Chelsea and City remain strong favourites to qualify for the knockout stage, but both faced challenges this week. With the demands of a competitive league schedule, it’s no surprise that signs of fatigue are beginning to show. Chelsea faced back-to-back trips: first to Liverpool and then to Scotland for their clash with Celtic. This stretch, combined with manager Sonia Bompastor’s decision to rest four key players including Millie Bright and Mayra Ramírez, added an extra layer of difficulty.
City, meanwhile, often struggle against teams with aggressive high turnovers. But their strength lies in their adaptability and patience to adjust during the game. As manager Gareth Taylor noted afterwards, they were “just a bit off in our final action… a little bit reactive and a little bit late.”
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Both teams demonstrated their resilience and experience in these matches. Chelsea responded quickly, equalising and then taking the lead within minutes; City stayed calm, relying on patience to secure their victory. This mentality is a defining feature that separates them from less-experienced sides who are prone to panic and more vulnerable to counterattacks.
Chelsea may be the favourites this Saturday (stream LIVE at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+), but with City’s deep lineup of scoring options, including top scorer Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, they’ll be eager to test how long the Blues’ unbeaten streak can last.
Lindop: Chelsea and City are undoubtedly the two best teams in the WSL right now, but being successful in Europe requires an even greater level of quality and experience. Both teams looked some way shy of their best in the Champions League but that isn’t necessarily a huge cause for concern. Navigating multiple fixtures in the space of a week is a challenge for any club, even if they have well-stocked squads at their disposal, and sometimes it is simply about finding a way to win. It is a credit to the mentality of both clubs that they managed to do so.
Against Swedish side Hammarby, City were without their most creative force in Lauren Hemp, unavailable with an unspecified injury. Hemp is one of the most in-form players in Europe right now, having created more chances (26) than any other WSL player this term, and her absence was keenly felt.
Chelsea, too, started the game without many of their top talents, with Bompastor making eight changes from the 3-0 win over Liverpool. That is always going to affect a team’s equilibrium and Bompastor may be wary of doing so again.
As for the weekend’s big WSL meeting, while I think City have been tremendous this season, the fact that Chelsea are at Stamford Bridge could give them the edge.
O’Halloran: Let’s not sound the alarm on Chelsea. They took a punch to the nose when Celtic scored midway through the first half, but rebounded and found themselves leading 10 minutes later. Yes, Bompastor made a host of changes, but if her players are fresher for this weekend’s clash with City then it will be a risk that paid off.
City still dominated on Tuesday, despite an underwhelming performance, the main concern being how much they missed Hemp. It will be an even tougher test to take on Chelsea without her, so Chelsea enter as favourites due to having a flawless league record and a rested squad. But City have it in them to take them down.
Chelsea took some time to get going before eventually beating Celtic. Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images
The Hammarby fans were amazing … so how do other UWCL clubs increase their support for away games?
Lindop: Nobody is doing away support in the women’s game like Hammarby at the moment. Nearly 400 fans made the trip to Manchester and, despite their side being under the cosh for most of the game, the travelling support remained undeterred.
The growth of Hammarby’s women’s fanbase has taken time and concerted effort. An official supporters’ group was established nearly a decade ago and they have been working to build an atmosphere both at home and on the road, with the introduction of drums, ‘tifos’ and prematch meetups all playing their part.
Many of the bigger women’s teams already have supporters’ groups who are starting to employ similar initiatives and Arsenal, in particular, are leading the way. Ensuring there is regular dialogue with fans is key. In the men’s game, many supporters are in the habit of following their team across the continent. Tips and tricks for travelling around Europe have been passed down through generations, which is not necessarily the case for the women’s side of things. Therefore, having clubs liaise directly with supporters’ clubs to help arrange away trips could be one way of boosting their numbers.
O’Halloran: What an addition Hammarby fans have been to the tournament this season. The results may not have been kind, but that hasn’t dampened their spirits.
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The tifos, drums and flags display all the hallmarks of a great European away day, and those kind of scenes started at Hammarby around a decade ago when fan Simon Sandstrom was asked by his daughter why the crowd was being “so boring.”
“My daughter looked at me with sad eyes and asked: ‘Dad, why isn’t anyone singing? Why isn’t there any drums?” he told BBC Sport. Sandstrom responded by starting a supporters’ group and jumping on a fence at the next game to get chants going. It’s fan culture at its finest.
UEFA has pledged a €1 billion investment of “competition revenue” into women’s football over the next six years, which it says will take the sport to the next level. It would be nice to see some of that money dedicated to growing and supporting fanbases. Accessibility into grassroots football is important, but so is allowing general fans to see the professional game for themselves. Maybe radical ideas are needed — can UEFA make it cheaper for fans to travel to away games through supporter clubs? Could clubs organise more fan events in foreign cities?
There is already a buoyant home support in women’s football, but there is something special about making away trips with your club, and there are ways of making that accessible.
Keogh: It’s exciting to see more clubs fostering a loyal travelling fanbase. Hammarby’s fans are some of the most devoted around and have proven this dedication by showing up in numbers from Catalonia to Manchester, to cheer on their team’s debut season.
In Manchester they were loud, dedicated, fun, and respectful, even thanking City on social media for allowing them to bring their signature drum into the stadium.
As the others say, growing fan engagement and supporting official fan clubs are essential to building a dedicated following. The success of Barcelona‘s fan culture is a prime example: last year, droves descended on Bilbao for the UWCL final, transforming the atmosphere. Clubs that partner with supporter groups to arrange travel, organise coaches, and ensure ticket availability are making a vital investment in their teams’ success. After all, cost and logistics are often the biggest hurdles for fans, and alleviating that burden to a degree can make all the difference.
The impact of loyal fans can be game-changing, especially when the team’s back is against the wall. With the new format on the horizon, let’s hope this incredible energy and commitment from fans only continues to grow.
Real Madrid scored seven goals against Twente this week. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images
There have been some big scorelines, does this suggest the UWCL isn’t growing?
O’Halloran: This week’s results certainly raise an eyebrow when taken as a whole. Only one of the eight games produced a goal for both sides, but Celtic’s 22nd-minute opener from Murphy Agnew was soon nullified by a pair of Chelsea strikes. Though that shouldn’t come as too much of a shock when you look at the matchups, with only one game (Roma vs. Lyon) being played between first and second-placed sides in their groups.
UEFA knows that the Champions League works better when the best sides go head-to-head. There are downsides to that — it has led UEFA to removing the jeopardy from competitions, and often increasing wealth disparity among clubs, making the issue somewhat worse — but the plus is the product on the field.
This week, for the most part, just didn’t see the best against the best. That issue might not correct itself next time either, with Gameweek 4 a repeat of this week’s fixtures. There is no need to panic though. It’s the knockout stages of the Champions League that always provides the most enthralling action. The best is still yet to come.
Keogh: The disparity between clubs like Chelsea and Barcelona and debutants Galatasaray and Celtic is vast. The tough qualification process only adds to the challenge for newer teams, making it difficult to close the gap.
Each season, the progression of certain teams feels almost predetermined. Surprises in games are still possible — like when Celtic shocked Chelsea with an early goal — and some groups (namely Group C, with Arsenal, Juventus and Bayern Munich) are more competitive, but overall the Champions League has become predictable at this stage.
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Right now, the standings across all four groups are identical: each has one team with three wins, another with two, a third with one, and a team yet to secure a victory. This pattern shows both the gap in quality and predictability of the competition so far.
Closing the gap remains a significant challenge. Achieving a more balanced competition would require substantial financial investment across various clubs and nations to boost individual resources and overall coefficients. This would help level the playing field over time, but it’s a slow process.
The new format next season may take a step toward, as it will allow lower-ranked teams to host higher-ranked teams in single fixtures rather than home-and-away matchups. This setup might give underdogs a better chance to compete on their terms, potentially leading to a more competitive and unpredictable tournament.
Lindop: The UWCL is at a bit of a crossroads. There has long been a clamour in some quarters for the competition to be expanded but the latest round of fixtures shows there is still an enormous disparity in the quality of the teams competing in the competition.
Norwegian champions Valerenga were beaten 3-0 by Bayern, meaning their goal difference after three games played stands at -7. It is a similar story for Turkish champions Galatasaray, whose goal difference is currently -13 after heavy defeats to Lyon, Roma and Wolfsburg.
Manchester United boss Marc Skinner drew plenty of criticism last season for suggesting that some of the teams who progressed through the qualifying stages “weren’t good enough” to be in the competition. While his argument was clumsy, it is hard to argue that it was entirely unfounded. That said, the brilliance of the Champions League is the chance to watch teams who would never normally play each other facing off, and there is still scope for fairytales.
Arsenal boss Renée Slegers has brought renewed confidence. Chris Ricco – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Group C is more competitive, but Juventus are top of Serie A and Arsenal beat them easily. Was anyone expecting that?
Lindop: Arsenal have enjoyed some impressive results since Renée Slegers took over as interim coach, but Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Juventus has to be the best of the lot. Max Canzi’s side are unbeaten in Serie A this season, having won eight of their first nine league games, and are also the division’s top scorers, averaging 2.9 goals per game in the Italian top flight.
For Arsenal to shut Juventus out at their home stadium, while also scoring four goals, is a big statement. It is also worth noting that the visitors could have had more, with only the heroics of Arsenal alum Pauline Peyraud-Magnin in the Juventus goal denying them an even more convincing victory.
The quality in this Arsenal team has never been in doubt; all but two of their 23-player squad have been capped at senior international level and they boast admirable depth in most positions. But by the end of Jonas Eidevall’s tenure, it seemed as if many of the club’s top stars were playing within themselves, resulting in lacklustre displays across the pitch. Now, under Slegers, Arsenal seem to have rediscovered their confidence and now are well positioned to progress from Group C.
Keogh: Arsenal’s win over Juve is a testament to their exceptional quality, which had been buried during their recent struggles. With Slegers at the helm, confidence and freedom are flowing back into the squad, and it shows. It’s clear that momentum is building and, after a slow start to the season and the resignation of Eidevall, this is exactly the boost Arsenal need to keep moving forward.
For Juventus, however, this was a stark contrast from their usual form. Despite being unbeaten in Serie A, the defeat exposed the gap between the WSL and the Italian league. Juventus struggled to keep up with Arsenal’s pace and intensity and too much faith was put in Juve’s younger players, as they left top players like Cristiana Girelli and Barbara Bonansea on the bench. There were a lot of opportunities for Juventus to exploit, but they squandered their chances.
O’Halloran: There was a lot to love about this Arsenal performance. The first goal was the highlight as a beautiful passage of play saw them seamlessly bypass the Italians with a series of one-touch passes, before it was finished off in style by Frida Maanum.
Yet the 4-0 scoreline is slightly deceiving. Juventus’ Sofia Cantore squandered a one-vs.-one inside three minutes, and Amalie Vangsgaard had a chance to equalise as late as the 66th minute before the Gunners’ ruthlessness in the final 15 minutes took over.
“Juventus had an early chance and big events in games always give them direction,” Slegers said afterwards. “Scoring the second goal was a release … that made us feel comfortable.”
There is no question that the interim boss has injected confidence into this talented Arsenal side, and she is making the case to stay in the job until at least the end of the season. This result was a shock, but after beating Brighton 5-0 last time out, Arsenal’s next opponents, arch-rivals Tottenham, should be feeling a little nervous.
