Millie Bright has admitted that the 2021/22 WSL season has been the toughest one to play in due to the increased competitiveness of the league.
During both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United and Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Brighton were the only occasions when Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea were beaten by a team outside of the top three.
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Yet the 2021/22 season has been a much more unpredictable affair, with Chelsea losing to Reading, Birmingham beating Arsenal, and Manchester City suffering defeats to Tottenham and West Ham as the gap between the top and bottom closes.
“This has been for me probably the hardest season,” Bright told 90min Talks… International Women’s Day. “Purely because every single team has developed and I think in the seasons before where you were probably guaranteed points or a win, you’re not now.
“You can see that by the table, the top of the table is tight. It’s not one or two teams that are in it anymore, it’s four or five teams that are fighting for the top spaces, which is brilliant. That’s what we want as players, that’s what you want in the league. For us as a league this has been the hardest so far.
“Every game has been challenging in more ways than one and you can see the improvement in teams; there’s not so many teams that sit in a low block, it’s teams that you probably don’t expect to be pressing and getting goals. For me it’s definitely been the most challenging, but that’s what you want.”
Chelsea currently sit second in the WSL, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, but will leapfrog the Gunners if they win their three games in hand.
“We’re a club that want to win everything,” Bright added. “When the league’s this tight it’s important to just stay in your lane.
“I think as soon as you start looking at the table, you’re going away from what’s important and that’s ourselves. We’re the only ones that are going to let ourselves down so for us we have to stay focused.
“Obviously it’s (the club’s aim) to win everything. That’s what the club’s about, that’s Emma’s (Hayes) drive.”
Millie Bright was talking on 90min Talks… International Women’s Day – 90min’s new YouTube show discussing all things women’s football. Hosted by Sue Smith and Ben Haines, the show also featured Brighton’s Danielle Carter and Girls on Ball’s Sophie Downey.
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