14 December 2023 , 17:02
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Fara Williams has backed Chelsea to bounce back from last weekend's defeat to Arsenal in the Women's Super League (WSL) but admits this season's title race is likely to be more competitive than ever.
Goals from Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Amanda Ilestedt saw the Gunners run out 4-1 winners at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, meaning Jonas Eidevall's side are now level on points with the league leaders. It was the Blues' first defeat of the campaign and the first time in over two years that Arsenal have managed to topple their biggest rivals.
With more than half of the campaign left to play, Emma Hayes' side must quickly put their disappointing display in north London behind them if they are to end the season with a fifth consecutive league title. And Williams, who represented both Arsenal and Chelsea during her stellar playing career, believes the Blues' experience of winning trophies could help give them the edge over their competitors this term.
"I was surprised with the score line on Sunday," the BBC Sport pundit told Mirror Football. "I think the game was actually quite competitive in the first 20 minutes. There were obviously some decisions that went against Chelsea in the build up to the second goal that I know Emma Hayes wasn’t too happy with and obviously she wasn’t happy with the penalty decision either.
"But Arsenal were really dominant in the game and carried on the momentum they’d had before the international break. When you consider there was another record crowd there as well, I think the work they’re doing on and off the pitch is fantastic and really help to drive the women’s game.
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"I think the title race will be competitive until the end. I always think Chelsea have that little bit extra in them, that knowhow of winning titles. They’ve won four back-to-back which just shows their mentality and Emma Hayes will want to leave the club (to become head coach of the US women's national team) on a high. But Arsenal were the better team on the day. I think it’s good for the game and keeps it competitive but I think Chelsea will definitely bounce back from that."
It's not just Chelsea who have had to contend with adversity of late. Last week, the Lionesses failed to secure Olympic qualification for Team GB, despite a 6-0 rout of Scotland at Hampden Park. That demolition of the Auld Enemy aside, England have been far from convincing in their maiden Women's Nations League campaign.
Williams won 177 caps for the Lionesses (Michael Regan - The FA)But Williams thinks missing out on a place at Paris 2024 could actually be a "blessing in disguise" for Sarina Wiegman's side. "It’s difficult because as an athlete you want to go to every single tournament and you also want to continue to grow the game," she said.
"If England had secured qualification for Team GB I think that would only have helped the growth of the game but at the same time these girls haven’t had a break. I think it’s maybe a blessing in disguise because they can have the summer off. We’ve seen the amount of back-to-back tournaments they’ve had and the amount of injuries that have come about too. It just allows them to get a bit of rest and then they can go again for Euro qualifying."
Williams is speaking as part of a new campaign, in conjunction with Google Pixel, that is striving to remove unnecessary distractions from grassroots football. Google has revealed that 89% of parents and guardians believe that unhelpful commentary from the sidelines during youth sports games has a detrimental effect on both a player's performance and the quality of recorded footage.
Google is now giving grassroots football clubs across Britain the chance to win Google Pixel 8 phonesWith that in mind, Google is now giving grassroots football clubs across Britain the chance to win Google Pixel 8 phones, which come equipped with the new Audio Magic Eraser feature that removes unwanted distractions and quells rowdy commentary from video footage.
"Throughout my career I’ve obviously seen first-hand the language that gets used on the sidelines, sometimes directed at players and other times at officials," Williams said. "At grassroots level in particular it can be quite negative.
"I think we have to educate parents in terms of the impact they can have on the young people on the pitch. The whole campaign is about education. I think the Audio Magic Eraser tool is fantastic because you can erase that unwanted commentary and try and help create that positive environment in grassroots football."
To be in with a chance of winning a Google Pixel 8 for each member of your team and parents, email [email protected] with your club details.