Chelsea under new boss, Man City with Miedema eye WSL title

MANCHESTER, England : After a Women's Super League season that saw Chelsea crowned title winners on goal difference, runners-up Manchester City would love nothing more than to unseat the champions.

The curtain comes up on the new campaign on Friday when Chelsea start WSL life without their feted manager Emma Hayes, now in charge of the United States, when they host Aston Villa.

There are numerous enticing storylines this term, chief among them being whether someone can wrest the title from the Blues, winners of seven out of the last eight under Hayes.

Chelsea kick off their quest for a sixth successive crown with a new boss in former Lyon coach Frenchwoman Sonia Bompastor, who has the credentials to seamlessly transition into the post-Hayes era with similarly lofty expectations.

"I'm not really that different from Emma," Bompastor told reporters during the WSL media day earlier this month.

"Maybe I have a different vision, a different philosophy, but when you coach at a big club like Lyon or Chelsea, your management has to be the same. The expectations you have from your players, the expectations the players have from you, that's the same."

Bompastor, known as a hard-nosed leader, brought an impeccable record to Chelsea's Cobham Training Ground, having guided Lyon to seven trophies in three seasons, including three league titles.

The Frenchwoman also led Lyon to a Champions League title - the one trophy that eluded Hayes - in 2022.

Gareth Taylor's Manchester City signed Vivianne Miedema, the WSL's all-time leading goalscorer, in the quest for their first title, adding the Netherlands striker to an forward line that already includes last season's Golden Boot winner Khadija Shaw.

"There were a few who were maybe surprised that a