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The Blues are pursuing a sixth successive league title and they are in an early pole position to achieve as much after a huge win at Stamford Bridge

When Emma Hayes left Chelsea in the summer, and in came Sonia Bompastor, some thought the winners of the last five Women's Super League titles would be set for something of a transition season. Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester City, which maintained their 100 per cent record in the league this term through seven games, made that suggestion look particularly silly.

The Blues might have a different manager in the dugout and a few different players out there on the pitch, but they look as inevitable as ever at the moment. They look like the same winning machine that has emerged as the dominant force in English women's football over the last five years and, now, they are in the driving seat to keep that status after taking top spot from the Cityzens.

Every year, the feeling is that Chelsea's dominant spell has to come to an end. Can they really win yet another league title? Last year, Man City looked set to end their reign at the top, going into the final two games of the season in pole position and seeming unlikely to slip up. But stumble they did and Chelsea were right there to pick up the pieces. Give them an opportunity, and they'll take it.

How things will look in this title race come April, only time will tell, but Chelsea were certainly opportunistic on Saturday. City had their chances, and they had them fall to their star striker Khadija Shaw too, but it was the Blues who really capitalised in the big moments and showed the ruthlessness that characterises champions.

It will be another six months or so until this WSL title race is properly decided but, despite some huge summer changes, the holders are doing everything right at the moment as they bid to keep that trophy in the capital for a sixth successive season.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Stamford Bridge…

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  WINNER: Maika Hamano

  It's never easy to break into a team like Chelsea's as a young player so when the Blues signed Maika Hamano last January, it was understandable that some questioned whether there was a path into the first team for her. However, since being granted big opportunities in the second half of last season by Emma Hayes, the 20-year-old has not looked back, repeatedly shining in vital moments for England's dominant side.

  That continued on Saturday, when Hamano consistently looked the most likely source of a goal for Chelsea, either by finding the back of the net herself or setting up someone else to add the finishing touches. It ultimately ended up being the latter, with her perfectly weighted pass putting Ramirez in behind the Man City defence, with there only one outcome from that point on.

  At the start of 2024, Hamano had played just one WSL game for Chelsea and hadn't started in the competition. As the year nears its close, she's now a game-changing player who must start for the English champions and on Saturday, she underlined why.

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  LOSER: Khadija Shaw

  This game was a tough one for Khadija Shaw, for a number of reasons. Firstly, there was the lack of service she received, especially with no Lauren Hemp out wide to deliver those deadly crosses she so often turns into goals. When she did get the ball in good positions, thanks to errors from Chelsea, she was wasteful, too. There were two gifts presented to her in the first half by the Blues and neither mistake was punished by last season's WSL Golden Boot winner.

  Then there was the fact that Shaw probably should've had a penalty just before Chelsea broke the deadlock. Aiming to attack a cross, the Jamaica international was wrestled to the ground by Ramirez and then, to only add to her woes, got caught underneath a jumping Chelsea defender as she fell and got a painful, albeit accidental, stamp for her troubles.

  When City visited Chelsea in this fixture last season, it was Shaw's goal that decided the encounter. On this occasion, it just was not her day.

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  WINNER: Chelsea

  Chelsea already went into this game with a marginal edge in the title race, as they still had a game in hand over Man City despite being a point behind them. However, especially for those that believe in points on the board being more important, that edge became even greater as they usurped their title rivals at the top of the WSL table with this win.

  To be crowned champions of England, teams just cannot drop many points. Over the last few seasons, more than 10 over the course of a campaign has often been fatal for most competing for the trophy. By getting three in this game though, and maintaining their 100 per cent start to the season through seven matches, Chelsea continue to leave themselves with a little more margin for error, particularly given City have now dropped five already. It's only November, but the Blues are in the driving seat.

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  LOSER: Lauren Hemp

  When the team news came out for this fixture, it felt like Chelsea were handed an immediate advantage by the absence of Hemp. The England winger has arguably been the best player in the WSL through the first two months of the campaign, producing electric form and match-winning moments to put Man City at the top of the table. With Lucy Bronze, who would have been tasked with marking her, often leaving space in behind her to attack as well, had Hemp started, it could've been a situation for her to really thrive in.

  However, a knee injury restricted her to a place in the stands as a supporter, not a star player, and not only will that have been difficult for her to come to terms with, it was also tough for her team. The Cityzens lacked real top quality wide play in this game and couldn't really get at Chelsea as a result.

Manoj Tiwary has had to wait for his chances. But with contributions in two consecutive games, has he done enough to deserve an extended run?

Abhishek Purohit in Pallekele04-Aug-2012Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma seem to demand a joint narrative. Rohit was at the crease when Tiwary walked in to bat on India debut in February 2008. Rohit broke his finger last year in England and Tiwary was flown in as replacement. The Rohit v Tiwary debate has played on and on this series in the media. At almost every press conference, the team management has made it clear who it prefers. Gautam Gambhir has raved about Rohit’s talent and has said that Tiwary should be prepared to grab any opportunity that comes his way. Tiwary did just that today with a busy fifty in only his seventh game in 14 months since his comeback in the West Indies. And yes, on his way to the middle, he passed Rohit, who was on his way back after a miserable run of 5, 0, 0, 4 and 4 in the series.Just put yourself in Tiwary’s shoes for a moment. After making 104* against West Indies in December 2011, he was on the bench for 14 consecutive games in three different countries. In that period, Rohit averaged 14.54 in 11 innings. Gambhir said that getting dropped would dent Rohit’s confidence. Nobody talked about Tiwary’s confidence. It was almost as if he didn’t exist. Tiwary-on-the-bench jokes had become common on Twitter. The man himself gave nothing away. He would carry his kitbag to the ground and dutifully go through practice with a blank expression. Probably the most emotion he showed was when he grinned after effortlessly dribbling the ball past his young peers such as Rohit and Virat Kohli during a game of football.As far as attractiveness of play, or what is known as “looking good”, goes, Tiwary pales before Rohit. Rohit makes even getting beaten look beautiful. Even when he edges a fast bowler in nets, you end up looking at the graceful arc of the bat his attempted drive makes. Tiwary does not have such luxury. Even when he is in control in the middle, he can look tentative.His instinct initially appears to be to go leg side. He walks across to nudge to square leg, he plays that flick extravagantly in the air from outside off through square leg, he chips over midwicket, he paddles fine from the stumps. That last stroke led to his dismissal in the fourth game. He appears to take too many risks too soon, but he is a busy kind of batsman.In the end, Tiwary made more runs on the off side today than on the leg. He stepped out to loft the offspinner Sachithra Senanayake over mid-off for a couple of fours. He drove the legspinner Jeevan Mendis between sweeper cover and long-off. His best stroke was when he charged out to thump the fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep – who had troubled him before with pace and bounce – between extra cover and mid-off. There were two close caught-behind appeals against him but he was on 46 by then, and had already proved his point.Duncan Fletcher, the India coach, said Tiwary had produced the results under pressure. “His temperament has shown that he is up for the big occasion,” Fletcher said. “He’s basically made people stand up and look at him. He is a serious contender for a regular place in the one-day side.”In both games he got this series, Tiwary didn’t let the innings get bogged down despite coming in at 60 for 3 and 87 for 3. Despite knowing that one failure could mean another prolonged spell on the bench. Despite knowing that his seems to be a thankless task; that even success could mean another prolonged spell on the bench. India’s next ODI series is against Pakistan in December. That is too far away. Don’t bet on Tiwary getting consecutive ODIs after this half-century. After all, he had to wait 14 games on the bench after a century.

New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will have his work cut out this summer, making decisions on his preferred squad, and drilling his system into the new players ahead of their 2024/25 Premier League campaign, with the aim of returning to Champions League football.

The Blues have already seen the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, and Marc Guiu join the club, whilst also seeing the likes of Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson, and legendary defender Thiago Silva leave the club.

But rumours continue to circulate, as Chelsea look to complete their transfer business ready for pre-season, and it appears the attacking reinforcements could be next to come, with plenty of links to wingers and strikers.

Chelsea looking at Bundesliga forward

According to reports from Italian outlet Calciomercato, Chelsea are interested in Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, but could face competition from Juventus and Thiago Motta who are also interested in the young attacker.

Juventus are reportedly also interested in Manchester United's Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood, which could leave Chelsea with a free run at Adeyemi if Dortmund are willing to negotiate for the 22-year-old.

Further reports from Italy suggest Chelsea are in 'constant contact' with the player's entourage and they now view him as their 'main target'.

Adeyemi made 34 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions last season, scoring five goals, providing two assists, and totalling 1,710 minutes for the German outfit. He was predominantly deployed off the left but did also make eight appearances from the right and two appearances through the middle.

How Adeyemi compares to Mudryk

From a G/A perspective, Mudryk is quite similar to Adeyemi, making 41 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring seven goals, and providing two assists in 2,015 minutes.

Both players also possess frightening levels of speed, clocking speeds in the top 15 of fastest players in the world. Mudryk comes in at 10th, whilst Adeyemi ranks 13th in this list.

And the comparisons don't stop there, as Fbref has them down as the number one "similar player" to each other in their compare players feature.

Mudryk thrives when he has space to drive into, whether that's coming inside or down the touchline. The Ukrainian averages 5.25 progressive carries per 90, and 2.23 successful take-ons per 90, and these are two of his most impressive metrics.

Adeyemi's best stats also come in this area, averaging 4.33 progressive carries per 90, and 1.72 successful take-ons per 90. However, the German has a better understanding of using his speed, the timing of his runs to get in behind, and making that physical asset one of his biggest strengths.

This has been a weakness of Mudryk in recent seasons, struggling to harness that pace, gain control, and time his runs to help his team. His movement feels less natural, and he is much more comfortable coming to feet, than using that pace to stretch defences in behind.

Where Adeyemi would need to improve is his final ball and decision-making, in order to make him a more creative asset than just an "electric" winger, as he was coined by analyst Ben Mattinson.

The Dortmund star averages 1.28 key passes per 90, 0.78 passes into the final third, and only 2.17 crosses per 90. Compared to Mudryk, who makes 1.83 key passes per 90, 1.37 passes into the final third, and 4.45 crosses per 90.

Whilst it wouldn't make any sense for Chelsea to have both Mudryk and Adeyemi on the books, in the case that Mudryk was moved on, Adeyemi could be a similar asset, with the potential to mold him into far more.

Maresca eyeing deal for £35m titan who'd ignite Mudryk's Chelsea career

It’s about time that the Ukrainian demonstrated his talents at Stamford Bridge.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jul 6, 2024

After his playing days, which brought 132 Test wickets, Mallett became a prolific writer

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2021Australia spin-bowling great Ashley Mallett has died at age 76 after a long battle with cancer.Mallett played 38 Tests from his debut against England in 1968 and took 132 wickets at an average of 29.84, also finishing his Test career against England in 1980.Quietly-spoken Mallett is behind only Nathan Lyon (399 wickets) and Hugh Trumble (141) as Australia’s most successful Test offspinners.Mallett’s 8 for 59 against Pakistan in 1972 was the eighth-best bowling performance by an Australian in a Test innings.He earned the ironic nickname Rowdy due to his quietly-spoken nature. Mallett rocketed to fame during his second overseas tour for Australia as Bill Lawry’s team secured a 3-1 series victory over India. During that series, Mallett snared 28 wickets at an average of 19.10, including a match haul of 10 wickets in the fifth and final Test.”Ashley Mallett was a wonderful player, admired journalist and highly acclaimed author,” Richard Freudenstein, chair of Cricket Australia, said: “He played a significant part in Australian cricket not only as a player but as a prolific storyteller who has preserved the memories of some of the game’s greatest and moments in time for people to enjoy through the ages.”Ashley was a humble man whose deeds outweighed his reserved personality. He will be missed within the Australian cricketing landscape and we offer our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues across all industries and team-mates.”Mallett started his career in Western Australia, but with spinners Tony Lock and Tony Mann ahead of him in the pecking order, he made the switch to South Australia. The move proved to be a masterstroke, with Mallett flourishing in a first-class career that would eventually span 183 matches in which he claimed 693 wickets at 26.27.Mallett scored a legion of fans after his playing career finished through his writing. He was active in that sense up until recently, co-authoring Neil Harvey’s biography , which was released in June.

has a new editor and Lawrence Booth has set the tone with an that thunders out

Duncan Hamilton11-Apr-2012The editor of has an Orwell-like duty to be so strongly individual that his face can be imagined on the pages he’s written. His Notes need to celebrate, explain, chivvy, rebuke and, if necessary, express uncomfortable truths. The rest of what constitutes a “good” must be the joint creation of poets and manual workers: a judicious, lyrical mix of contemporary issues, historical reflection and cold statistics. The ‘s 149th edition – the first under the stewardship of Lawrence Booth – fulfils these criteria. There is an enormous amount to commend it; not least the force of Booth’s opinions, which are muscularly robust and lucid. This thunders out.The themes he chooses – and the tone in which he expresses himself – will chime with the core readership; principally those who constantly fret that some summer soon cricket’s calendar will comprise only Twenty20 gaudiness punctuated by an occasional Test and a scaled-down Championship.If Booth’s prognosis for cricket is gloomy in places, it is because there are things to be gloomy about. Too many Tests outside England are watched by crowds disguised as empty seats, and a stroll around any county ground will reveal the average age of a Championship audience as pensionable. Booth describes the Championship as barely “tolerated” nowadays by those who see it as hopelessly anachronistic – “analogue cricket in a digital age”. He foresees the competition altering its format again in futile pursuit of a level of popularity it can never attain because, shorn of England’s Test team, it lacks sufficient glamour. Crucially Booth also believes the accepted aims of domestic cricket – to both exist in its own right and to supply players for England – are “out of kilter”. Nor is he optimistic about the prospects of correction.The guilty men, he stresses, are cricket administrators glad to rake in the money T20 generates but who shut both eyes to the damage it causes. He criticises them for insincerity: talking up the primacy of Tests – “stated so often as to have lost any meaning”, he says – while simultaneously scheduling more meaningless T20 fixtures to undermine it still further. “The sport stands on a precipice,” he insists. “It is there because of cricket itself. More specifically, it is because of Twenty20, a Pandora’s Box masquerading as a panacea.”In this regard Booth gives India a slap around the chops, too. “The skewing of Indian sensibilities away from Tests would cause less alarm if their powerbrokers were on top of their brief,” he argues, making the statistical point that the IPL and the Champions League swallow up almost a fifth of the year – “giving rise,” he continues “to the malaise known as cricket fatigue”. He adds bluntly: “India have ended up with a special gift; the clout to shape an entire sport… But too often their game appears driven by the self-interest of the few… Other countries run the game along self-serving lines too; cricket’s boardrooms are not awash with altruism. But none wields the BCCI’s power, nor shares their responsibility. The disintegration of India’s feted batting line-up has coincided with the rise of a Twenty20-based nationalism, the growth of private marketeers and high-level conflicts of interest. It is a perfect storm. And the global game sits unsteadily in the eye. India, your sport needs you.”Elsewhere Booth has commissioned well. Gideon Haigh’s “Fear and Loathing in Dubai”, exploring the political, commercial and organisational machinations of the ICC, is fine enough to be published as a standalone essay. Mike Brearley, Michael Yardy and Dr Kamran Abbasi perceptively offer insights on cricketers and the demon of depression. Simon Hughes examines the science – data collection and electronic gadgetry – that contributed to England topping the world. Michael Henderson reminiscences beautifully on his boyhood and the end of his beloved Lancashire’s 77-year wait for a title outright.To mark the 50th anniversary of the abolition of the distinction between amateur gentleman and professional, Colin Shindler explains why class division was unsustainable. Peter Gibbs* mines the same era in recalling “A Day with SF Barnes”.It is 1964. The Great Man is 91 and not known for cordiality. Barnes is told Gibbs is an Oxford Blue and an opening batsman. “The old boy reacted as if he’d been asked to accommodate a scorpion in his pants,” writes Gibbs. This is my second-favourite phrase in 1500-plus pages. My first is Tanya Aldred’s description of the broad, yeoman figure of Tim Bresnan, one of the Five Cricketers of the Year, alongside Kumar Sangakkara (who is also named international cricketer of the year), Glen Chapple, Alastair Cook and Alan Richardson. Of Bresnan, Aldred writes: “He still has the air of a man with an emergency cheese sandwich in his back pocket.” Quite brilliant.Wisden, 149th edition
edited by Lawrence Booth
Hardback and softcover, £50
Large format £60
Abridged ebook £12.99*11.45 GMT, April 11, 2012: This article was amended. Paul Gibbs was changed to Peter Gibbs