As the top leagues across the continent draw to a close for another season, we take one final look through the talking points from the weekend’s matches.
In the Women’s Super League, Chelsea made league history completing the WSL’s first unbeaten 22-match season with their 1-0 victory over Liverpool. Arsenal and Manchester United had a straight shootout for second place, with the Gunners coming out on the right side of a 4-3 scoreline. Manchester City came from behind to best already relegated Crystal Palace 5-2 on the same afternoon that Aston Villa made it five wins from five with a 3-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Elsewhere, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur had to settle for a point apiece after a 1-1 draw as Leicester City found a clinical touch in their 4-2 win over West Ham United.
In Italy, Internazionale pulled off something of a shock with a 1-0 win away to Juventus after Roma won at Fiorentina by a lone goal, while in the French Première Ligue playoff semifinals there were no surprises to be had as Lyon beat Dijon 4-1 then Paris Saint-Germain ran out 3-0 winners against Paris FC.
Sunday marked the last day of the Frauen-Bundesliga season with fond farewells the order of the day across Germany, with Wolfsburg’s 3-1 win over Leverkusen confirming a second-place finish.
And on the penultimate day of the season in Spain, Barcelona confirmed their sixth Liga F title as they dismantled Real Betis, relegating the Verdiblancas in the process, as Barcelona’s nearest chasers, Real Madrid suffered an unexpected 1-1 draw at home to Tenerife. Valencia ,who could only manage a draw against Levante Las Planas, also went down.
Bompastor makes history for Chelsea
At the start of the WSL season, the question on everyone’s lips was could anyone break Chelsea’s stranglehold on the title? Following the departure of legendary manager Emma Hayes last summer, it seemed inevitable there would be some kind of drop off.
But the champions have gone from strength to strength domestically under new boss Sonia Bompastor and made history this weekend by becoming the first WSL side to go a whole 22-game league season unbeaten. It is a testament to the fine work the Frenchwoman has done since her arrival in west London, and the fact that Saturday’s winning goal against Liverpool was delivered by academy graduate Aggie Beever-Jones provided the icing on the cake.
Of course, the Champions League remains the holy grail for Chelsea and, after last month’s chastening semifinal exit at the hands of Barcelona, the pressure will be on next season to progress on the European stage. But, with the WSL title and the League Cup already in the bag — plus an FA Cup final to come — Bompastor’s first campaign in charge has been one to remember. — Beth Lindop
Arsenal, Man United need more depth
Arsenal’s 4-3 win over Manchester United didn’t just secure a second-placed finish in the WSL, it won them a couple of extra weeks of rest in the summer. The Gunners avoided the second qualification round for next season’s Champions League group stage, which begins at end of August., and will start their campaign in the second week of September instead.
In a summer where a host of players from both sides will be involved at Euro 2025, the value of that extra recovery period can’t be underestimated. Especially considering that their current seasons aren’t done yet. Marc Skinner’s side face Chelsea in their third successive FA Cup final next Sunday, while Arsenal face Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 24.
The toll these deep cup runs have taken on their respective squads has been borne out in their recent league form. Arsenal went into Saturday’s clash on the back of conceding nine goals in their previous two WSL games, while United ended their campaign with just one league win in their final five matches.
The lapses in concentration on Saturday — from United’s goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce‘s spill to gift Chloe Kelly the opener, to Katie McCabe‘s role in United’s late goals — felt indicative of fatigue.
Seven United players and six from Arsenal have made at least 18 starts in the WSL this season; in contract, champions Chelsea have a much deeper squad as only three players are over that mark. That really shows that to properly challenge for the title next season, both Arsenal and United need to significantly bolster their squad over the summer. — Shubi Arun
Tottenham slump to second from bottom
There were high hopes for Tottenham coming into the new season. Having made history by reaching a first ever FA Cup final last term, Spurs looked poised for success under manager Robert Vilahamn. But from the outset, it’s been a difficult campaign at Brisbane Road, with Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday — coupled with Leicester City’s entertaining victory over West Ham — consigning them to an 11th-place finish.
Crystal Palace’s struggles this season means Tottenham have never been in real danger of relegation but for a club of their stature to finish second from bottom — 11 points worse off than last term — is a huge disappointment.
“Losing key players and staff made us lose games,” Vilahamn said in a news conference ahead of the game on Friday. “We need to take the next step now, and be sharper in game management. We know what we need to work on.”
Certainly, if Tottenham want to improve next season, there is plenty of work to do this summer. — BL
Barcelona: Més que un campió
Before a ball had been kicked in Spain this season, Barcelona were the nailed-on favourites to lift the title for a sixth successive year. It’s hasn’t quite been the canter to glory that many expected, but they have once again delivered.
Having scored over 120 goals in 29 games and suffering just two losses, Barcelona finally confirmed the title with a 9-0 win at a sorry Real Betis side on Sunday. Las Béticas in turn sealed their own relegation after nine years in the top tier. Two goals down after just six minutes in Seville, the hosts were reduced to 10 when goalkeeper Paula Vizoso was shown a straight red. Back-up goalkeeper Noelia Gil then had to pluck the ball from her own net seven times over the following hour. Barça and Madrid have pulled away this season, leaving a 20-point gap down to third and beyond, it’s been impossible to ignore how hard any long-term fight is from those around them in Liga F. Even though most of the teams in the league represent the women’s section of established LaLiga clubs, the investment and want for success is still lacking and most teams find their hands tied.
It’s true not every club can build what Barcelona has, and with one team running away with the title season after season, the motivation to do the groundwork to even begin to challenge their dominance is lacking from most. The problem, of course, is far from unique to Spain but rather something seen across the continent. But when Barcelona show up and play their particular brand of football, it’s hard to see how anyone can challenge them.
Against Betis, there was only ever going to be one outcome but with the goals coming from Ewa Pajor (2), Clàudia Pina (3), Esmee Brugts, Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas (2) — who all started — the question is, regrettably, what hope is there for anyone else. — Sophie Lawson
QUICK HITS
EIGHT. Villa impress once again. All too late the pieces came together for Aston Villa this season, the team looking almost a different side since the end of March. A shift to a back three allowed the team to thrive collectively and individually, with Chasity Grant and Ebony Salmon two who’ve flourished over their last five outings. From fearing relegation to finishing in sixth, it’s been a breathless six weeks for Villa. They will need to bottle the good feelings from April to use for momentum next season. But, like their opposition on Saturday, the changes and improvements don’t need to be wholesale, with Brighton similarly needing to simply follow the upward curve they’ve been on.
SEVEN. Inter finish on a high. No team in Serie A has been perfect this season. That’s maybe what’s made it so enjoyable to follow the league this year and what has kept some of the gaps between teams smaller. Having already confirmed their European debut for next season, Inter took to the Allianz Stadium ready to take the fight to the champions. The lone goal, scored by Haley Bugeja, was a nicely worked move from an Inter team that can boast balance from top to bottom. It hammered home how exciting Gianpiero Piovani’s team can be going forward and how, if they hold their nerve, they could surprise a fair few teams in the Champions League next season.
SIX. Tenerife, a Real pain. In their 10th season in the Spanish top flight, Tenerife continue to impress, the independent team from the Canary Islands one that consistently mixes it with Spain’s best. Tenerife’s home in Adeje is the clichéd “tough place to visit” for any opposing team, with seven of their wins coming at home. But, as shown in Madrid on Sunday afternoon, they can have success on the mainland too. Even having lost Gift Monday to the Washington Spirit, her Nigeria international teammate Rinsola Babajide stepped up for the fourth consecutive game against Las Blancas to open the scoring in the capital. Just when it looked like one of Liga F’s few independent sides would cause the shock of the weekend, Caroline Møller found an equaliser to spare Real’s blushes as the Spanish runners-up once again found a vital goal late in the day.
FIVE. The good, the bad and the City. Heading into their final match of the 2023-24 season Manchester City still had a chance at scooping the WSL title after seven years away from the summit, only to miss out on goal-difference as Chelsea hammered Manchester United. Fast-forward 12 months, and City stepped out onto the Joie pitch already having confirmed a fourth-place finish with no European football on the horizon. It’s not just the injuries that have blighted their season and knocked them off track at key moments. Their clash against Crystal Palace was a microcosm of their whole campaign, with chances squandered and the team a little too prone at the back. Not to mention the club shifting from Gareth Taylor to Nick Cushing before a four-match slug fest with Chelsea, highlighting the frailties in Taylor’s favoured one-plan approach. It would be easy enough to point at City failing to get over the line at Old Trafford last week to where their season ended prematurely but, for a side that came so close last year, it’s hard to ignore the overall regression of this failed campaign.
FOUR. Cerci makes her case. It was a long road back for Selina Cerci when she tore her ACL in March 2022. Sidelined for a year, she spent the next season-and-a-half grappling with knocks and niggles. But a move to Hoffenheim for this season has seen the 24-year-old attacker dig out the form she was boasting before injuring her knee three years ago. Against Jena on Sunday, she netted her first hat trick since February 2022 (also against Jena), rounding off her first-half treble out with a curler from outside the box. That haul vaulted the German up the goal-scoring charts, ultimately finishing one strike shy of Lineth Beerensteyn‘s golden boot-winning 17. With the Euros on the horizon, Cerci’s return to pre-injury form has more than made a case for her inclusion in Christian Wück’s 23-woman squad for this summer, although she faces stiff competition from the likes of Giovanna Hoffmann, Cora Zicai, Nicole Anyomi and Lea Schüller, who is similarly enjoying an up-tick in form.
THREE. Lyon vs. PSG, of course. Following Lyon’s comfortable win over Dijon, Sakina Karchaoui‘s belter just before the hour to make it 2-0 at the Parc des Princes all but confirmed the most obvious of playoff final matchups as Paris FC sagged against their cross-town rivals. After what had been a composed performance in the Coupe de France final the previous weekend, Paris started their semifinal by gifting the hosts an opener in the second minute. Even when they fought back, they did little with the chances they created, allowing PSG — under the interim stewardship of Paulo César — to ease through to the final. With the Première Ligue having switched to a playoff format last season, in hopes of making one of the most polarised top leagues in Europe a little more interesting, fans are yet to see an upset with the same final as last season scheduled for Friday. Having already beaten PSG twice this season — Lyon’s only dropped points this year coming via two draws against PFC — PSG have to cast their memory back to 2022, to their last victory over Les Fenottes.
TWO. Four for the Foxes. Believe me when I say this: Leicester City are a good team. They may have laboured and languished near the foot of the table all season but so many of the pieces are there for coach Amandine Miquel, as they showed against West Ham on Saturday. The biggest grievance for the Foxes this year istheir inability to score (their total of 21 goals is the second-lowest in the league, behind relegated Crystal Palace) — but as they showed against the Hammers, the goals are there to be scored when the squad is balanced. Compare that with the 37 they’ve conceded (the second-lowest outside of the top four) and their standing begins to make a little more sense. Injuries have left the Foxes hamstrung throughout the year, dampening the team’s ability to build momentum but the good news, looking ahead to next season, is the club only need to keep building on what’s already there and growing together.
ONE. Roma bag last European berth. The Serie A season is over and I can finally stop complaining about Roma who, following their 1-0 win on Saturday, have now gone 20 games without defeat against Fiorentina. Just needing a draw to snag the last available Champions League berth, and deny Fiorentina a return to European competition, the visitors had the better of it in Florence although both sides did hit the woodwork three times each throughout the course of the match. For Fiorentina, the path into next season looks to be a more straightforward one that’s about building on what they’ve done this season. But for the Giallorosse, who will be thrust into the qualifying stages in August, the need to address their fractured style and form is far more pressing with a return to the drawing board on the table. — SL
