When the list of nominees was unveiled, people could have been forgiven for doing a double take. Club of the Year: Chelsea?! Viewed through the prism of men's football in recent years, Chelsea, Barcelona, Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain would be seen as quite the collection of basket cases. Yet this quartet reached the Women's Champions League semi-finals in 2023-24 and they make up the contenders for the Women's Club of the Year award at this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony along with US side NJ/NY Gotham, apparently imported from a Batman comic.
Despite chaos in the men's team, Chelsea's women's team have continued to succeed even after Todd Boehly & Co bought the club.
In the 2022-23 campaign, Chelsea did the domestic league and cup double, serenely picking up 58 points from a possible 66 to pip Manchester United to the WSL crown.
They also ended Lyon's hopes for a seventh Champions League title in eight years by beating them in the quarter-finals, before succumbing to Barcelona in the final four.
Last term, Chelsea won the WSL again, against all odds. When they slumped 4-3 to Liverpool on May 1, they sat six points behind league leaders Manchester City, also eight goals behind on goal difference, with a game in hand but only nine points still available.
"I think the title is done," declared their despondent boss, Emma Hayes, not long after Chelsea had lost to Arsenal in the League Cup final, surprisingly slipped to defeat at Manchester United in the FA Cup semis, then suffered another semi-final heartbreak against Barça in the Champions League. The Blues won the first leg 1-0 in Catalonia, only to go down 2-0 at Stamford Bridge following a red card for Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan.
This story is from the October 2024 edition of FourFourTwo UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2024 edition of FourFourTwo UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
How Liverpool have changed under new manager Arne Slot
The Reds have had to adapt to life without their legendary boss Jurgen Klopp, But their new managers tactical tweaks showed highly promising early signs
Why Cole Palmer is an absolute genius on a football pitch
Chelsea’s attacking star attracts plenty of mirth for his interviews, but he often displays unrivalled intelligence in the heat of Premier League action
CORINTHIANS X SENNA 2018-19
Kit connoisseur Phil Delves looks back at an ultimate 'collab shirt' from South America - one that heralded a black and gold craze
"THE MISSILE SIRENS WOULD START DURING TRAINING, SO WE'D HAVE TO GO INSIDE AND TAKE COVER"
The Welsh international striker recalls growing up in Africa, humiliation at Derby and air strikes in Israel, not to mention a certain hat-tricks record...
"I SWAPPED SHIRTS WITH ETO'O AFTER MY DEBUT HE PROBABLY USED MINE ON HIS WINDOWS"
The lifelong Magpie opens up about earning Sir Bobby’s trust, his new career in the Middle East, and how Ruud van Nistelrooy knew I wanted to kick him”
"SVEN GOT IN TOUCH TO SEE IF I'D BE KEEN ON PLAYING FOR ENGLAND THAT MADE ME SO PROUD"
The former Italian shot-stopper tells FourFourTwo about following in his father’s footsteps at Milan and the game that changed Chelsea forever...
Why Thomas Tuchel is the perfect fit for the England job
The new gaffer might not have been born and bred in Barnsley, but he’s long proved himself to be particularly astute in high-profile knockout competitions
GREEN SHOOTS
Less than two years ago, Saint-Etienne were at real risk of relegation to the semi-professional third tier - unthinkable for a club who were the finest in France throughout the 1960s and '70s. Now Les Verts are back in the big time following last term's Ligue 2 play-off success. Oh, and they're also billionaires...
Why I love Scottish football
The legendary goal-getter recounts his strangest tales, featuring Graeme Souness punch-ups, broken sofas, Duncan Ferguson's errant pigeon and, of course, Gazza...
A MATCH WITH THE MONKS THE GREATEST COMPETITION PRIZE EVER
A globe-trotting FourFourTwo has gone beyond even Tanzania’s borders this month. American fan Matthew Eide of the Far Away Football blog ventured to equally mountainous Bhutan, after winning the most unusual of raffles...