Are Manchester United being left behind? Eidevall’s plans pay off for Arsenal while Brighton’s brief tenure at the top is over
Manchester United’s 6-1 home defeat to Chelsea was a stark reminder that there is no scope to coast for clubs in the Women’s Super League. United landed on the scene with big promises and big ambitions in 2018, they launched with a statement and no-nonsense manager in Casey Stoney and last year recruited the services of US forwards Christen Press and Tobin Heath to aid the team’s bid to break the stranglehold of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal. Stoney is gone, frustrated by United talking the talk more than they walked the walk when it came to facilities and support, Heath and Press have left without like-for-like quality or numbers replacing them, and, ultimately, United have stood still. Victories over Reading and Leicester under new manager Marc Skinner masked the cracks that Chelsea blew apart and with teams around United having upped their investments and recruited with intent, the club’s more frugal approach could see them left behind. Suzanne Wrack