Leah Williamson admitted she is happy to be back with the national team having endured a "different" start to the season with Arsenal.
The Gunners have made a poor start to 2024-25, and are currently without a full-time manager after Jonas Eidevall left his position last week.
He left Arsenal when they were sixth in the Women's Super League table, having won just one of their first four matches in the competition.
In his final week, they were beaten 5-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League before suffering a 2-1 loss to reigning champions Chelsea in the league.
Interim boss Renee Slegers has since won both of her games in charge to somewhat steady the ship, and it is rumoured that New York City FC's head coach Nick Cushing is currently the favourite to take the full-time job.
For now, Williamson is enjoying the change of environment.
"It's been a different start to the season. We've obviously been at our clubs for a long time," Williamson said.
"Normally we'd have an international window before this. So, it's been different in that sense of being there for so long and being in one place. We're not used to that.
"I think results tell a story, but I think the work that I've seen going on, especially from my club, I can only speak for that, I think you can see again that the level of the whole world of football has gone up, and everyone’s enjoying that challenge, and things change every year.
"But this is a Euros year now and everyone will have a plan for the weekend and a plan for the next year. You'll see that sort of iron out over the next couple of months.
"Our job is to win games and that hasn't happened so smoothly. Like I said, results tell a story.
"Performance is another thing that you can actually change and affect on a day-to-day basis. And to be honest, I'm happy to be here in a different environment.
"I think sometimes that comes at the right time and, since I've been here, I've had no contact with the club."
England face Germany in the first of two international friendlies, a replay of the Euro 2022 final, at Wembley on Friday, before facing South Africa on Tuesday.
Alessia Russo has been named England's Women's Player of the Year for 2023-24.
The Arsenal forward played a key role for the Lionesses during their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign to help them book a spot in the tournament.
She scored three goals in six starts, a team-high, and had the joint-most shots on target with Beth Mead (five), having 14 attempts overall.
Overall, she played 11 times in the 2023-24 season, with her six-goal haul also earning her the team's top goalscorer award.
Russo is the fourth Arsenal player to win the award in the past decade, following in Mead's footsteps after she won it in 2021-22.
The 25-year-old was voted the stand-out player for England, ahead of Lauren James and Lucy Bronze, who finished second and third respectively.
England face Germany at Wembley in their next game on Friday, in their first meeting since the Lionesses beat them in the Euro 2022 final.
In just five weeks, there have already been unexpected major twists and turns in the Women's Super League.
Arsenal, tipped to be title contenders, are in search of a new manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure and sit in fifth, while Chelsea are breathing down Manchester City's neck at the top.
Manchester United and, perhaps unexpectedly, Brighton are pushing them, while it is also tight at the bottom, with three sides yet to earn their first win.
But what, or who, have been the biggest stories so far? We take a look at the Opta data to find out.
The surprise package
Before the season began, Brighton, under new manager Dario Vidosic, were the favourites to be relegated, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 26.4% chance of finishing bottom of the table.
Instead, the Seagulls have blown away the competition, occupying fourth spot heading into the international break. They are unbeaten in three, with Nikita Parris haunting her old club to earn a 1-1 draw with Man United before the break.
Brighton have scored the second-most goals in the WSL (10, level with Tottenham), but from the fifth-fewest shots (48), proving just how clinical they have been by outperforming their 8.48 expected goals (xG).
Only Manchester City (3,273) and Arsenal (2,792) have completed more passes in the WSL this season than Brighton’s total of 2,467. This average of 493 passes completed per game is comfortably their most in a single campaign (their previous best was 296 per game last season).
Unsurprisingly, their chances of being relegated have now dropped to just 0.7%, and Vidosic will be eager to kick on.
Revitalised United not missing Earps
Lots of talk in pre-season centred around United's high-profile departures, including club captain Katie Zelem, Lucia Garcia, Parris and, perhaps most importantly, goalkeeper Mary Earps.
After a disappointing 2023-24, in which they finished fifth and conceded 20 goals more than in the season prior, it looked like the Red Devils might endure another campaign without a title fight.
However, those worries may have been for nought, with United making an unbeaten start and only dropping their first points in last weekend's draw with Brighton.
Parris' goal was the first they had conceded this season, as Phallon Tullis-Joyce has seamlessly filled Earps’ place between the sticks. She has faced 15 shots on target and has prevented 2.7 goals, according to Opta's expected goals on target model (xGoT).
With Maya Le Tissier and Millie Turner forming a strong partnership in front of her, they have conceded the second-fewest shots in the WSL (41) and with Grace Clinton firing up top, Marc Skinner looks to have found a solid balance in his team.
Rytting Kaneryd propels Chelsea forward
Sonia Bompastor has picked up where Emma Hayes left off with Chelsea, but she already knows she is in a title battle, even after Arsenal's surprisingly slow start.
With the likes of Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema in strong form, City currently have the advantage, sitting top of the pile, though they have played a game more.
But the Blues have a driving force of their own in Johanna Rytting Kaneryd – she scored the first goal of the Bompastor era and was also the star of the show in their 5-2 win over Tottenham last time out.
She has already racked up a league-high five goal contributions, half of what she managed across the whole of last season. Her six chances created are the second-most in the Chelsea team, making 1.7 per 90 minutes, and she will be key to their title hopes if she can maintain this level.
Lower table struggles
There is also an intriguing look to the foot of the table, with West Ham, Aston Villa and Everton all sitting level on two points.
The Hammers have not been able to put last season's struggles behind them yet and have netted just twice, underperforming their 3.51 xG – the lowest total accumulated by any team so far.
Villa will feel the most hopeful of the group, with Rachel Daly seemingly back to her best with three goals so far, but they need to start seeing out wins – they have dropped eight points from winning positions after being pegged back by City last time out, more than any team.
Everton's season, meanwhile, has been hampered by fitness woes, with Inma Gabarro and Aurora Galli suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in the first two games.
They have scored just once, an own goal by Camila Saez against West Ham, meaning they have the biggest xG underperformance, having created 4.42.
Can Liverpool or Spurs put themselves in the fight?
At the moment, the middle of the table is tight, with Leicester City and Crystal Palace recording one win apiece, with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham unable to make a statement start despite promising ends to last season.
The Reds did beat Spurs, only to drop points against West Ham and Palace to make life tricky. They have also conceded as many goals as they have scored (seven), leaving Matt Beard with questions to ponder over the break.
Spurs have a similar problem, having conceded 11 times in their last three outings alone.
They are scoring goals though, outperforming their xG of 7.74 with 10 goals, but Robert Vilahamn knows they need to shore up their defence if they want to challenge the sides above them.
England confirmed that Lauren James has withdrawn from the squad for their upcoming friendlies against Germany and South Africa.
James was named in Chelsea's starting line-up for their Women's Champions League win over FC Twente, but was replaced by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd after the warm-up after sustaining a calf injury.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor revealed ahead of the Blues' 5-2 victory over Tottenham that the 23-year-old is expected to be out of action for the next five to six weeks.
It serves as a bitter blow to both Chelsea and England, with James having been in fine form since the beginning of last season.
Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, only Manchester City duo Khadija Shaw (28) and Lauren Hemp (27) have registered more Women's Super League goal involvements than James (17 - level with Alessia Russo).
James' influence on games goes beyond goals and assists in the WSL, with her 36 completed dribbles since the start of last season a total only bettered by Rytting Kaneryd (37) among her team-mates.
However, England manager Sarina Wiegman does not plan on calling up a replacement for James, with the Lionesses boasting several replacements already in their ranks.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has called for goalline technology to be introduced in the women's game following a controversial incident in Sunday's win over Tottenham.
The Blues continued their fantastic start under Bompastor with a 5-2 Women's Super League victory at Kingsmeadow.
However, the match was not without incident, as Spurs' first goal, which cancelled out Maika Hamano's opener, came in contentious fashion.
Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was adjudged to have bundled the ball over her own goal-line from Amanda Nilden's wayward pass.
Hampton received a yellow card for her protests, with replays showing the ball had not crossed the line, and Bompastor believes the introduction of goal-line technology must be forthcoming.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Bompastor said: "I just think in this type of situation we just need to help the referees. From what I was watching the game it's difficult to say if the ball was in or out. I just feel like if the technology is in for the men's game why don't we have the same?
"I think it will help the referees and for the assistant referee I think that's a hard call to make. If you're unsure it's really difficult but that's the way it is. The referee takes some decisions, and we have to accept that.
"If the technology is here we should use it. It's about having a budget - it costs money. If we want to look professional we just have to have the same thing as the men's game."
Chelsea regained the lead when Nilden put through her own net just before half-time, and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's magnificent volley put them two goals to the good in the 70th minute.
Sandy Baltimore made it 4-1 four minutes later, slotting home a rebound after Guro Reiten's penalty came back off the post, with Rytting Kaneryd having the final say in stoppage time after Eveliina Summanen had pulled one back for Spurs.
Rytting Kaneryd got all three of her shots on target, while she also laid on the assist for Chelsea's opener.
"I hope she's going to grow again," Bompastor said of Rytting Kaneryd, whose first goal came from an expected goals (xG) value of 0.04.
"She scored some great goals and her performance was really high. I think she's confident right now on the pitch, understands exactly what I expect from her, has good chemistry with her team-mates and I think she's really helping the team to perform and get the good results."
Asked if it was the best performance of her career, Rytting Kaneryd told Sky Sports: "I feel like I keep on taking steps every day, every game. I feel like I'm in a good shape right now so maybe it was, who knows."
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd scored twice as Chelsea overcame Tottenham 5-2 at Kingsmeadow to make it four wins from four in the Women's Super League.
Maika Hamano and Sandy Baltimore were also on target for Sonia Bompastor's side, who maintained their perfect start to the league season and moved to within a point of leaders Manchester City.
Rytting Kaneryd was involved as the Blues broke through in the 10th minute, racing into the area before pulling the ball back for Hamano to tuck away.
Spurs levelled in controversial fashion 11 minutes later when Hannah Hampton was adjudged to have palmed the ball over her own goal-line while attempting to retrieve Amanda Nilden's wayward cross.
The hosts regained the lead when Nilden put through her own net just before half-time, while Rytting Kaneryd's magnificent volley put them two goals to the good in the 70th minute.
Baltimore made it 4-1 four minutes later, slotting home a rebound after Guro Reiten's penalty came back off the post following a Clare Hunt handball.
Spurs pulled one back through Eveliina Summanen's neat free-kick, but Rytting Kaneryd had the final say with a wonderful individual goal in stoppage time, putting the icing on the cake.
Data Debrief: Bompastor continues perfect start
Bompastor appears to have made a seamless transition into the Chelsea dugout since taking over the reins from Emma Hayes.
The Frenchwoman has become only the third manager to win her first four WSL matches in charge, along with David Parker (with Birmingham City in 2011) and Jonas Eidevall (in 2021 with Arsenal).
Tottenham, meanwhile, are without a win since the opening day of the season and have now conceded a league-high three penalties in five games.
Arsenal left it late but secured a 2-0 victory over West Ham in their first Women's Super League match since Jonas Eidevall resigned.
Interim boss Renee Slegers made it two wins from two in charge thanks to goals from Mariona Caldentey and Rosa Kafaji, despite the Gunners underwhelming for large parts of the game.
They eventually found a breakthrough with 20 minutes to play as Amber Tysiak brought down Stina Blackstenius in the box.
Caldentey neatly tucked away the spot-kick before Blackstenius created their second in the 89th minute as she picked out Kafaji, who finished first-time.
Slegers' first three points sees Arsenal go back to fifth, but West Ham are one of three teams still yet to win in the WSL so far this season as they prop up the table.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace nearly pulled off another big shock but were instead held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool.
The Eagles impressed at St Helen's Stadium as former Reds striker Katie Stengel opened the scoring after 14 minutes, prodding home from close range.
Cornelia Kapocs pulled the hosts level shortly before half-time, but they had to settle for a share of the points as both sides missed big chances for a winner in the second half.
Leicester City, meanwhile, claimed their first win of the season, edging past struggling Everton 1-0 thanks to Nicole Momiki's superb solo strike after just eight minutes.
It is the first victory for Amandine Miquel since joining the Foxes, while Everton sit 11th in the table, still searching for their first three points of the campaign.
Manchester City returned to the top of the Women's Super League table by fighting back for a 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the Joie Stadium.
City were knocked off the summit on goal difference when Manchester United and Brighton played out a 1-1 draw on Saturday, and they had to do things the hard way to restore their three-point lead.
Gabi Nunes' flick handed winless Villa the lead against the run of play after 20 minutes, with the visitors then sitting deep and daring City to break them down.
Gareth Taylor's team were frustrated until the 62nd minute when Lauren Hemp spotted Sabrina D'Angelo off her line and came up with a fine lob to level.
Hemp then turned provider as City completed the turnaround eight minutes later, jinking down the left-hand side to tee up Roord for her first goal since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Villa remain 10th in the table with just two points from five matches, while City could see Chelsea pull within one point of them when they host Tottenham later on Sunday.
Data Debrief: City comeback queens again
City have now collected seven of their 13 points in the WSL this season from losing positions – the most of any team in the competition.
This was their first home win when trailing at half-time since beating Villa last December, and Robert de Pauw's team have already dropped eight points from winning positions this term – the most in the division.
Nikita Parris’ equaliser earned Brighton a 1-1 draw against her former club Manchester United at the Amex Stadium in the Women’s Super League.
Grace Clinton got the visitors off to the perfect start after 10 minutes when she latched onto the end of Celin Bizet Ildhusoy’s cross from the right to turn home at the near post.
Substitute Madison Haley had a prime opportunity to equalise on the stroke of half-time but placed her shot just wide after Fran Kirby had cut back for her in the centre.
After a spell of pressure, Brighton eventually drew level after half-time through ex-United player Parris. The forward got a glancing touch from a diving header on a strike from range by Maria Thorisdottir to score.
Parris' goal was the first time United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce has conceded this season.
The scriptwriters would surely have had the returning Elisabeth Terland scoring a winner against her former club, but she found herself twice denied by Sophie Baggaley in the closing 10 minutes.
The result moves Manchester United top of the WSL, above their opponents on goal difference as Brighton continue to impress and move into second place. Both sides now sit level on 10 points with Manchester City, who play Aston Villa on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Goals galore
United have now scored in all four of their WSL games played so far this season, scoring eight goals in that run, while Brighton have scored in four out of their five matches played.
Clinton now has three goals to her name in the WSL this season, making her the joint-top scorer in the league. Team-mate Bizet Ildhusoy, who moved with her from Tottenham, now also tops the assists chart with three.
At the other end of the pitch, United captain Maya Le Tissier became the youngest player in the WSL (22 years, 184 days), to make 100 starts in the WSL. Fittingly, she has represented both United and Brighton during that time.
Manchester City are the team leading the way in the Women's Super League standings with 10 points from four games, ahead of Sunday's home clash with Aston Villa.
However, it is Chelsea and Manchester United – who saw their scheduled matchday three meeting postponed – who boast the only two perfect records in the division.
Both sides have recorded three wins from as many games ahead of potentially testing fixtures this weekend.
While Marc Skinner's United go to Brighton, who have taken nine points from four matches in a fine start, Chelsea host Tottenham in a big London derby.
Elsewhere, Renee Slegers takes charge of Arsenal for the first time in the WSL following the exit of Jonas Eidevall, with a trip to West Ham marking her first league assignment following Wednesday's 4-1 Women's Champions League victory over Valerenga.
But which way will those games – and the three other contests taking place on matchday five – go? We turned to the Opta supercomputer to get its latest set of WSL predictions.
BRIGHTON V MANCHESTER UNITED
The weekend's action begins at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, with both Brighton and United having a chance to go top of the table ahead of Sunday's matches.
Dario Vidosic's team beat Crystal Palace 1-0 last time out, and their return of nine points from four matches is the best start Brighton have ever made to a WSL season. In 2023-24, they needed 11 games to reach the same tally.
They are, however, winless in their last six WSL meetings with United, drawing one and losing five since a 1-0 home triumph in April 2021. Skinner's side are yet to concede this season, and there has only previously been five instances of a team starting a WSL campaign with four straight wins without shipping a goal – one was United in 2022-23.
They are given a 63.4% chance of victory on the south coast, with Brighton only assigned a 17.1% win probability and a 19.5% likelihood of earning a draw.
MANCHESTER CITY V ASTON VILLA
City enter the weekend top of the tree, winning three straight since playing out a 2-2 draw with fellow title hopefuls Arsenal on matchday one.
In a run stretching back to November 19, 2023, City have won 18 of their last 20 matches in the WSL – in this time, they have won 10 more points than any other side (55).
Khadija Shaw's double handed them a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on their last league outing, taking her to 15 goals in 13 WSL matches in 2024, seven more than any other player and more than two ever-present clubs (Leicester City with 12 and West Ham with 14) have managed.
City are overwhelming favourites, winning 84% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations, while Villa have just a 5.9% chance of earning their first win of the season, having started with two draws and two defeats. A draw is given a 10.1% likelihood.
LIVERPOOL V CRYSTAL PALACE
Liverpool's own unbeaten start was halted by City last time out, but they are favourites to get back on track against a Palace team with one win and three defeats to their name.
The Reds' win probability is a hefty 63.3%, with Palace given a 17.2% chance and 19.5% of the match simulations finishing all square.
Liverpool should be wary, however, as they won 10 straight games against newly promoted opposition in the WSL between 2016 and 2018 but have since only won two of six matches against such opponents (one draw, three losses).
Palace, meanwhile, earned their first WSL win at Leicester last time out on the road. The only two promoted teams to win as many as two of their first three away WSL matches are Tottenham in 2019 and Villa in 2020.
WEST HAM V ARSENAL
The biggest story to emerge from the WSL this week came from north London, as Arsenal parted company with Eidevall after taking just five points from four WSL matches.
Only once have the Gunners had fewer points through their first four matches of a WSL season, picking up a solitary point from their first four outings in 2014. They did, though, beat Valerenga in midweek for a winning start under interim boss Slegers.
Arsenal have won nine of their 11 games against West Ham in the WSL, but only one of the last three (one draw, one loss). However, the supercomputer still gives them a whopping 73.3% chance of travelling back across the capital three points better off.
West Ham, meanwhile, are on the longest current winless run in the WSL (13 games – six draws, seven defeats), since they beat Arsenal 2-1 back in February. The Hammers have not scored more than once in a single match in that run.
They are given an 11.7% chance of adding to the Gunners' woes with another memorable victory, and a 15% chance of holding their opponents to a draw.
LEICESTER CITY V EVERTON
Along with West Ham and Villa, Leicester and Everton are the remaining two sides still waiting on their first victory of the WSL season. Will either team change that on Sunday?
The supercomputer makes this fixture the toughest to call on matchday five, with Leicester given a 35.2% chance of victory to Everton's 38.8%. The draw threat is at 26%.
The Foxes will have to overcome their goalscoring woes to have any chance of a result, though. Since hammering Bristol City 5-2 in February, Leicester have scored just six goals in 12 WSL matches, failing to net in each of their last three matches.
Everton, meanwhile, have failed to score with any of their 37 shots in the WSL this season – their one goal came via an own goal from West Ham's Camila Saez. Neutrals might be best advised not to expect a thriller.
CHELSEA V TOTTENHAM
The weekend's action is rounded off at Kingsmeadow, as Sonia Bompastor looks to continue her perfect start to life in the Chelsea dugout against Tottenham.
Bompastor is looking to become only the third manager to win her first four WSL matches in charge, along with David Parker (with Birmingham City in 2011) and Eidevall (with Arsenal in 2021).
Including stoppage time, Chelsea have spent 73.7% of their time on the field in winning positions in the WSL this season, the second-highest percentage behind United (75.8%). However, the Blues have faced more shots than they've attempted (30 vs 29) when leading, whereas last season they had 137 more shots than their opponents when winning.
Tottenham may not be equipped to take advantage, though. They have shipped the most goals in the WSL since matchday two (eight) after keeping a clean sheet against Crystal Palace on the opening day.
They are given a measly 5.4% chance of causing an upset, and a 9.5% chance of earning a draw. Chelsea's 85.1% win probability is the highest of any team this weekend.
After a dramatic and turbulent start to the season, Arsenal are now looking for a new head coach following the departure of Jonas Eidevall.
Eidevall resigned as the pressure mounted before reaching an untenable level this week. The Swedish coach has been with the club since 2021, winning two League Cups in his tenure.
Arsenal have had an underwhelming start to the 2024-25 campaign, to say the least, winning only one of four games in the Women's Super League. The Gunners were humiliated in Europe, losing 5-2 to Bayern Munich in their opening game of the Women's Champions League group stages.
However, the tale of Eidevall's demise reaches back further than just the poor start to this campaign, and there have been a number of factors that have led up to this poor run.
Arsenal fans would have been optimistic at the beginning of last season, off the back of a 2022-23 campaign that saw them narrowly defeated by Wolfsburg in the semi-finals of the Champions League. They also won the Women's League Cup for the sixth time in the club's history.
But that optimism turned sour with an early elimination in the qualifiers of the Champions League, with the Gunners going down to Paris FC. It left Eidevall only competing for domestic trophies last term. They did win a second consecutive League Cup under his guidance but failed to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester City in the league, trailing five points behind the top two.
Recruitment in Eidevall's time has also been a controversial topic, and the biggest controversy of them all came at the end of last season when the WSL's all-time leading goalscorer Vivianne Miedema, who plundered 125 goals for the Gunners in all competitions, left on a free transfer. And she joined would-be title rivals Man City.
Such a big decision meant Eidevall needed a strong start, or questions would naturally be asked. But instead, he is now out of a job.
Seven Days of Football Hell
Football is full of fine margins, and while Eidevall may have fallen victim to a poor run of results, the numbers suggest his side should have done much better.
Starting at home to Everton on October 6, when the Gunners could only muster a draw against the struggling, injury-ravaged Toffees
The story of Arsenal's season so far was highlighted in this game, as their inability to convert chances cost them. They racked up 21 shots. Frida Maanum attempted seven of them alone, the joint-highest total for a player in the WSL this season. Yet they could not break the deadlock.
Confident this was a blip, Arsenal headed into their midweek clash with Bayern Munich looking for a result to give them the uptick in confidence they needed.
On the face of it, a 5-2 defeat may have seemed a harsh outcome, given that Bayern only marginally edged the expected goals (xG), generating 1.89 to Arsenal's 1.57. Then again, Bayern only had 10 shots, and Manuela Zinsberger conceded from half of them.
But to truly tell the story of the game, we must look at the difference between the two halves. Arsenal took the lead and had full control of the opening period, limiting Bayern to three shots and an xG of just 0.17. Indeed, the Gunners would have been ahead at half-time had home goalkeeper Maria Grohs not made three fine saves. Bayern captain Glodis Viggosdottir struck two minutes before half-time from a superb Georgia Stanway assist. That strike had only an 8% chance of finding the net, but find the net it did.
It ultimately was a familiar tale for Eidevall's Arsenal. They create chances, but cannot take advantage, and the pressure really was on when Chelsea visited Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
A 2-1 defeat was ultimately the final nail in Eidevall's coffin.
Two early goals for Sonia Bompastor's team left Arsenal fighting an uphill battle, and while their spirit was admirable, it once again was not enough.
Caitlin Foord reduced the deficit before half-time, and it is fair to say Arsenal were unlucky not to score more against Chelsea. Their 2.62 xG is the highest total across their four league matches so far, ahead of the 2.24 they accumulated against Man City in September.
Arsenal had 20 shots, but only got four of them on target – Chelsea, on the flip side, hit the target with six of their 11 attempts.
The Gunners hit the woodwork and created four big chances, defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score, but they could not make the most of them and ultimately allowed three going the other way.
Eidevall's team had 46 touches in Chelsea's area, whereas the Blues had 19 in the Gunners' 18-yard box. Another tale of not being able to make the chances count.
Since the start of last season, only Man City (68) and Chelsea (81) have scored more WSL goals than Arsenal (57), while the Gunners' 62.5 xG ranks behind only the Blues' 64.9.
In fact, no team has had more shots in that time than Arsenal (503), though their 161 shots on target is tied for third with Tottenham, and way behind Chelsea's 200 and Man City's 206.
Arsenal have underperformed their xG by 5.5. Man City (+11.3), Chelsea (+16.1), and even outside title bets Manchester United (+8.5) and Liverpool (+10.4) have all outperformed their xG, showing a clinical level of finishing that the Gunners have lacked.
Finishing has been a problem, as evidenced by an 11.33% shot conversion rate, which ranks seventh out of the 13 teams to have competed in the league since the start of last term. Chelsea, in comparison, have converted 16.98% of their attempts.
Only Chelsea (96) have had more big chances than Arsenal (86), but the Gunners again drop down to joint-third when it comes to scoring them, putting away 31. That 36% big chance conversion rate ranks joint-second poorest, alongside Spurs, and ahead of only Everton (27.27%).
Eidevall by the Numbers
Eidevall was always going to have a tough act to follow, replacing Joe Montemurro, who lifted the WSL title in 2018-19, wrestling it away from the grasp of Chelsea and Emma Hayes, stopping their steamroller of success.
That feat was impressive at the time but has aged particularly well, as the Blues have gone on to lift the title every season since then.
Eidevall oversaw 120 matches in all competitions, winning 80 – that is more wins than any other manager in Arsenal's history.
His 66.67% win ratio in all competitions ranks second out of Arsenal's managers to have overseen at least five games, behind only Montemurro (75% - 78/104).
Eidevall, like his immediate predecessor, has managed 70 WSL games while at Arsenal, winning 49 of those – 70%. He has suffered just 11 defeats.
Meanwhile, of ever-present WSL teams since Eidevall took over, only Chelsea (45) have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal (50), and the Blues are also the only side to lose fewer matches (seven, compared to the Gunners' 11 defeats).
So, it is fair to say, Eidevall had his team right up there. In fact, only six managers in the WSL's history (not including the Spring Series), have overseen more games during one spell at a single club than the 41-year-old – Emma Hayes (204 – Chelsea), Kelly Chambers (134 – Reading), Nick Cushing (96 – Man City), Gareth Taylor (92 – Man City), David Parker (86 – Birmingham City) and Hope Powell (85 – Brighton).
Meanwhile, Eidevall's 70% win ratio in the WSL is the sixth-best of any boss to oversee at least 10 games in the competition, after Montemurro (75.71% - 53/70), Taylor (73.91% - 68/92), Harvey (71.43% - 20/28), Kerr (71.43% - 10/4) and Hayes (71.08%).
It was fitting, perhaps, that a defeat to Chelsea marked the end for Eidevall. Across his seven WSL meetings with the Blues, he only managed one win, finishing on the losing side three times. He managed better against Man City – he beat Taylor's team on four occasions, and only suffered one defeat.
It was a similar story against London rivals Tottenham, with Arsenal coming out with a record of W4 D1 L1 from six WSL matches.
With career numbers such as these, he may feel slightly aggrieved to be in the position he finds himself now, but crucially those accomplishments were not enough to stem the tide of mounting pressure around his side's underperformance.
Only one team has won the WSL title after winning just one of their opening four matches, and that was Liverpool in 2014 (W1 D3), and their early-season dip has seen the odds stack against them in terms of a potential title charge.
Ahead of the season, Arsenal had a 16.1% chance of winning the title – that has now plummeted to just 1.4%.
Opta's supercomputer made third place the most likely position for Arsenal (37%) prior to the campaign. The model now forecasts Arsenal to finish fourth, with a 43.8% chance of doing so – it gives them an 11.9% chance of finishing second, while the likelihood of them coming third is still a relatively high 34.5%.
Arsenal's season is still salvageable, and even though Eidevall has officially resigned, the club's board may have had to act regardless sooner rather than later.
Out in the Cold
It has been a tale of underperformance of a team that has all the ability to challenge for trophies both domestically and in Europe. Arsenal's rich history of success and pioneering teams of the past leave fans and the clubs' expectations high.
After a decade of unprecedented success, Chelsea and Hayes have forced their rivals to perform at the top level and anything less than perfect has meant Arsenal playing the bridesmaid to the Blues in recent years.
Eidevall may have had more success in his time if the team had not been hit by significant injuries to key players such as Beth Mead, Miedema, captain Leah Williamson and others, who would have made the difference in games such as that painful Champions League semi-final defeat to Wolfsburg.
There has also been scrutiny over the transfer policy under Eidevall, and Miedema might have proved the final straw in that regard. The Dutchwoman swiftly came back to haunt her old club when she netted against them in the opening game of the season, extending her record tally to 81 WSL goals.
She has also been crucial in the Champions League, where her big game experience proved key in helping Man City secure a 2-0 defeat of current champions Barcelona, and set up City's first goal in that tie. Her composure and ability to create for her team-mates is certainly something Arsenal have been lacking.
Eidevall's team selections have also been a consistent sticking point. With such talent at his disposal as Mariona Caldentey, Stina Blackstenius, Alessia Russo, Mead and Maanum, Foord and Rosa Kafaji, he has been unable to get the balance right.
Big signings such as Russo have not met expectations, and she has struggled to spark this term. She is yet to score in the WSL from nine shots. Her xGoT drops to 0.4 from 1.3 xG, showing her finishing has been below par.
The new manager will need to find a way to get these players gelling in front of goal, while between the sticks Arsenal must commit to a number one they can truly trust.
Since the start of last season, Sabrina D'Angelo and Zinsberger have slightly underperformed when it comes to preventing goals, based on Opta's xGoT model.
D'Angelo, who has only played four WSL matches since the start of last season, has helped the Gunners keep two clean sheets, but in those two other games, she conceded three times (excluding own goals) from an xGoT conceded of 2.76.
Zinsberger has played 19 WSL games in that time and conceded 19 goals from 18.0 xGoT conceded.
However, Eidevall did make a positive move this summer to bring in Daphne van Domselaar, and she has overperformed so far, keeping out two goals more than would have been anticipated (two goals conceded from 4.0 xGoT conceded), albeit only across a small sample size of three games. Sticking with her may be the best option for Eidevall's replacement.
While some misfortune in the early weeks of this season may have hastened his exit, it has increasingly seemed like the time might be right for a change at Arsenal.
Eidevall will ultimately walk away from the Gunners with his head held high, but he will also be rueing what might have been as he hands over one of Europe's most talented squads at a time when there are more eyes on women's football than ever before.
Jonas Eidevall has called time on his spell as Arsenal head coach after an underwhelming start to the campaign.
The Gunners have been tipped as title contenders in the Women's Super League this season, yet they have won just one of their opening four matches.
They also went down 5-2 to Bayern Munich in their first Women's Champions League group stage match last week, before losing 2-1 to Chelsea to suffer their first loss of the WSL season.
A bad week that started with a draw against struggling Everton and ended with that loss to Chelsea at Emirates Stadium has ultimately signalled the end of Eidevall's tenure.
Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that the Swede, who was appointed in June 2021 and has overseen 120 matches in all competitions, had resigned.
Renee Slegers, the first team assistant coach, will take over in the interim until Arsenal, who face Valerenga on Wednesday before taking on West Ham on Sunday, confirm their next permanent appointment.
Gunners sporting director Edu said: "We thank Jonas for his commitment to the club and achievements here since joining us in 2021. We have great respect for the dedication and commitment he showed to our women’s first team and recognise the role he has played in the growth and development of Arsenal Women.
"We all wish him the very best for the future. Our focus will now turn to the process of appointing a new head coach, and in the meantime, supporting Renee, as she takes interim charge of the team starting with two important fixtures this week."
Eidevall led Arsenal to back-to-back Women's League Cup titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24, as well as finishing second in the WSL in his first season, and third in each of the past two campaigns.
The 41-year-old won 80 matches in all competitions, for a win ratio of 66.67%.
In the WSL, he picked up an average of 2.24 points per game from 70 matches. Of the five Arsenal bosses to oversee at least 10 fixtures in the competition, that points per game average is the fourth-lowest, ahead of only Pedro Martinez Losa (1.94).
On Saturday, in the defeat to Chelsea, Eidevall matched his predecessor Joe Montemurro as the Arsenal manager with the most games in the WSL.
Eidevall's team scored 171 goals, winning 49 games (70%). Since he took over at Arsenal, only Man City (178) and Chelsea (209) have scored more goals than the Gunners.
Meanwhile, of ever-present WSL teams in that time, only Chelsea (45) have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal (50), and the Blues are also the only side to lose fewer matches (seven, compared to the Gunners' 11 defeats).
Erling Haaland may have hit unprecedented heights for Manchester City but Marc Skinner believes Manchester United have a similar talisman in Elisabeth Terland.
United boss Skinner likened Women's Super League star Terland to City's Premier League hero Haaland after the Norwegian scored twice in Sunday's 3-0 victory over Tottenham.
That marked her first two goals for United since joining from Brighton, having first blasted a volley home before looping another header over Becky Spencer.
Asked to describe Terland, Skinner said: "Intense in a good way. She is a person who is always focused, she doesn't dip off her focus whether it's pressing or whatever the task is, she's all in.
"I think she knows Haaland personally and I don't want to compare the two but the immense and intense action of both of them, that's how she performs."
Terland's heroics helped to ensure United's 100% record in the WSL this season stayed intact, with three wins and three clean sheets from three games.
The former Brighton forward, who found the net 13 times in the league last season, appeared all over the place against Spurs, attempting a game-high five shots with three of those on target.
Her two goals came from an expected goals tally of just 0.65, though, suggesting superior finishing from lower quality chances, something that will delight Skinner.
"I came to a club that wants to achieve big things. I know playing in a better team will make me better," Terland told Sky Sports.
"Part of my job is to score goals, it is great to get the first one for the club. A good win and I am proud of the team."
United finished fifth last campaign and lacked a regular scorer, with Nikita Parris finishing the term as the club's top scorer in the WSL with only eight goals.
Skinner knows the tide may now turn, however, with Terland firing up top.
"I just think she's an incredible talent," Skinner added.
"The beauty of her is I think she slows the moment and sees the opportunity under the most immense pressure."
Khadija Shaw hailed Manchester City's comeback victory over Liverpool as "fine margins" will decide the Women's Super League.
City striker Shaw was twice on target at Anfield on Sunday in the second half, netting a late winner with a ferocious finish from close range.
That capped a remarkable turnaround for the visiting City, who had earlier trailed from Olivia Smith's stinging 41st-minute strike.
Victory lifted City to the top of the league after four games, and last season's top WSL scorer Shaw referenced the importance of such wins in what is expected to be another tight division.
"It's a very important win because we know how tight this league is," Shaw told Sky Sports. "Fine margins will decide the championship.
"We knew it was going to be tough but we wanted to stick to what we know we are capable of doing.
"It was very difficult as they went with five at the back; credit to Liverpool. We spoke at half-time about how we can cause problems with balls into the box. I got the goal so it worked!"
The victory also ended a fantastic week for City, who beat Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.
City are now unbeaten in their opening four WSL matches for the first time since 2019-20, and last year's runners-up look well set to challenge again this term.
Such a start would not have been possible without Shaw, however, as the forward shrugged off the challenge of Niamh Fahey and lashed into the top-right corner to secure the points for Gareth Taylor's team.
"For me, I knew where the goal was and so I positioned myself in between the ball and the defender," Shaw said of her late heroics.
"I just focused on hitting it as hard as possible and getting it on target."
Liverpool were without manager Matt Beard due to illness, though his assistant Scott Rogers felt the Reds deserved a share of the spoils at home.
"I thought we deserved a point from the game," Rogers said. "We frustrated them for large periods which was part of the game plan and we were dangerous on the counter.
"We got our goal from Olivia Smith from that kind of situation in the first half. We limited them to two shots on target in the whole game and we had three, so that tells you a lot about the game.
"We didn't have a lot of the ball but I felt we were in control in periods. We made one or two defensive errors towards the end and they punished us."
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