Your Site columnist Laura Hunter analyses the big talking points from the latest Women's Super League matches, bringing you closer to the key stories at the heart of the women's game.
. Chelsea's domestic domination has ended spectacularly. Their six-year hold on the Women's Super League title is slipping further away by the week. And there are cracks in the process too. Not since 2019 have the Blues been this far off top spot.
For a club like Chelsea to relinquish their title by February is unheard of. Manchester City's 11-point lead is the biggest in the competition's history. They will win the title; the only question is by how much?
Reality has hit hard for Sonia Bompastor. No longer are Chelsea even the side closest to challenging - second place is currently occupied by Manchester United. And after suffering the ignominy of their heaviest defeat for six years at the weekend, concerns are being raised of this squad and its set-up for the first time.
As I see it there are several points of contention, but Bompastor lay out a key one in her press conference after getting demolished by City, declaring her squad "lacks depth" and admitting: "I would have liked to have been in a better place in terms of the last transfer windows."
Now, let's put some context on this argument. Chelsea do not lack options when everyone is fit, they never have. The fact Bompastor has made the joint-highest number of in-game substitutions (65) of any manager this season rather counterbalances that claim.
Besides, their trading budget is bigger than any club in the division and if they go after a target they almost always get them. Consider the last few windows; Mayra Ramirez, Nathalie Bjorn, Naomi Girma, Keira Walsh, Alyssa Thompson and Ellie Carpenter were all bought for significant sums. The world-record transfer fee was smashed three times in that period.
They also signed free agents Sandy Baltimore and Lucy Bronze, among other key figures, during that stretch and FIFA Best goalkeeper Hannah Hampton the year prior. Chelsea's squad is stacked with elite talent. Only eight weeks ago they were rejoicing in the nobility of a 34-game unbeaten run.
But crucially - and this is important - this team is equally burdened by players past the peak of their powers. Guro Reiten, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Sam Kerr have all been wonderful servants to Chelsea but so far this season have not reached the required level. Injuries of course have not helped either.
What Bompastor really means, then, is that this group in its current form, with availability hampered, is not good enough to compete with the best in the WSL. She is right about that. Who is the first-choice left-back? Why is there no cover in central midfield? Where has the best-in-class attack disappeared to?
At the Etihad, what hurt Chelsea as much as the limited players available was their arrangement. The 4-1-4-1 shape played into City's hands. It was a complete mismatch in midfield and gaps opened up all over the pitch. In attack Chelsea's threat was restricted to hopeful shots from distance.
Thompson was so isolated she was reduced to the second-fewest number of touches of any player that started the game (32). In terms of actual threat, Wieke Kaptein was the player to generate the highest xG value (0.63) and yet neither of her two efforts at goal landed on target.
Man City's impressive xG tally, meanwhile, was the fourth highest total of this season.
It gets worse. More striking was how far Bompastor's side were off it in head-to-head duels. Kaptein was guilty of losing more than any other individual (six), with Man City winning the overall battle by a staggeringly high score of 47-22. The disparity will have alarm bells ringing.
All the very best Chelsea teams of the past had ever-changing XIs based on form, the opposition and Emma Hayes' tactical ideas. Some of the most influential midfielders in the game were lynchpins; Ji So-Yun, Fran Kirby and Sophie Ingle among them. They had hustle. They won Chelsea titles.
Man City's recent recruitment says everything about the value of a robust midfield department, loading up on central midfielders with different profiles. They have signed Sydney Lohmann, Grace Clinton and Sam Coffey since the summer, to complement the choice of Laura Blinkilde Brown, Yui Hasegawa and veteran Laura Coombs. Hasegawa ran the game on Sunday.
Chelsea's pursuit of PSG midfielder Jennifer Echegini in this recent window is perhaps recognition of their own shortfall.
If this is a blame game, though, recruitment frustrations can only accept so much responsibility. Sentimentality towards players who have previously done so much for the club should also be held accountable, as well as those who are underperforming against their very high standards.
Lauren James has scored one WSL goal all season, albeit she has been managing injuries. Aggie Beever-Jones has not found the net in the league since September.
Bompastor landed upon this issue in her press conference: "It was two top teams playing against each other and one was efficient and the other was not. I'm not putting everything on the players, but we made too many mistakes."
Unfortunately for Bompastor, this dip is happening at a time where one of their closest rivals are hitting their best rhythm for a decade. The gulf in class between them and the league leaders was as apparent on Sunday as it is in the table. City can cruise from here.
This is now the WSL's new normal. It's on everyone else, including Chelsea, to make up the deficit.
Last week's column analysed Chelsea's position in the title race after losing to Arsenal and Kirsty Hanson's impact for Aston Villa.
