Could London City Lionesses shake up an unpredictable WSL season?

Could London City Lionesses shake up an unpredictable WSL season? Pre-season rarely tells the whole story. It can hint at what is coming, reveal new partnerships and give fans something to obsess over before the points start counting (basically what they’ve done with Fantasy WSL). But this summer, it has also made one thing clear: the Women’s Super League could be very difficult to predict. London City Lionesses finished their pre-season tour of Portugal and Spain unbeaten, closing with a 2-0 win over Sevilla at Estadio Jesús Navas. Daniëlle van de Donk opened the scoring before Grace Geyoro headed in a second half goal, giving Eder Maestre’s side two wins and a draw from three matches. The result itself matters less than the bigger picture. London City have assembled a squad that looks capable of testing teams that may have expected a newly promoted side to simply focus on survival. The club’s summer recruitment has changed that expectation. A summer of blockbuster transfer business for London City Lionesses Embed from Getty Images Mapi León and Alexia Putellas made their first broadcasted appearances for London City against Sevilla, giving supporters their first proper look at two of the biggest names in the squad and the women’s game. Both players bring years of experience at the highest level and their presence immediately raises the ceiling of a team still learning how to play together. Against Sevilla, London City showed glimpses of that star-studded potential. The hosts created the first meaningful chance after 21 minutes, when Andrea Álvarez tested Elene Lete from distance. Lete stayed composed and made the save, but London City soon began to take control. The opening goal came from the kind of pressure that Maestre will want to see throughout the season. Van de Donk chased down the Sevilla goalkeeper and forced a rushed pass toward Lucía Corrales. Corrales took a touch before firing toward goal, but the goalkeeper could only parry the shot. Van de Donk followed the play and calmly placed the rebound into the net. The goal gave City momentum but Sevilla never made the game easy. London City had to stay organised and patient, particularly without the ball. Maestre said he could not remember Sevilla creating many clear chances, which he viewed as one of the most encouraging parts of the performance. “Despite being clunky at times, I don’t remember any opposition chances,” Maestre said. “Having this consistency out of possession is really important, so I’m happy.” Embed from Getty Images Read more: WSL Football launches Subway Players Cup with player welfare at its core That defensive discipline allowed LCL to keep building their attack after half-time. They found their second goal with 13 minutes left, when Janni Thomsen delivered a corner toward the back post. Saki Kumagai redirected it across the box and Geyoro reacted quickest to head the ball home. London City nearly finished the night with another goal when Corinne Henson collected possession outside the box in the 90th minute. Her powerful strike forced Sevilla’s goalkeeper into a sharp save over the crossbar. The performance capped a positive tour. LCL beat Benfica 3-1, drew 1-1 with Sporting CP and then defeated Sevilla 2-0. More importantly, Maestre used the three games to spread minutes across his squad and build chemistry between a group with plenty of new faces. “Pre-season is about building confidence and still managing the load of our players,” Maestre said. “It’s about team building, giving everybody game time and keeping the mood and vibes amazing.” Van de Donk also saw room for improvement despite the result. London City struggled to find their rhythm early against Sevilla, but she felt the team looked sharper after half-time. “We struggled a little bit in the first half; we were a little sloppy,” she said. “In the second half, there was a little more power, some of the substitutions did great, so that was nice to see.” Embed from Getty Images A WSL season of expectations for London City Lionesses That honesty might matter more than the unbeaten record. London City will need to turn flashes of quality into consistency once the WSL begins, especially since they won’t be playing against the likes of lower ranked teams. The league opener against Manchester United will press them higher and punish mistakes more quickly. Still, however, they enter the season with something newly promoted teams rarely have: expectation. The rest of the league has given them plenty of reason to believe the door might actually be open. Arsenal added another layer of intrigue this week when they beat reigning WSL champions Manchester City in pre-season. The result does not count toward the standings, but it sends an early warning that the teams at the top may not simply pick up where they left off. Embed from Getty Images Manchester City now have to defend their title against a league that continues to strengthen. Arsenal have shown they can beat the champions. Chelsea remain one of the deepest squads in the competition. Manchester United will expect to compete near the top. And London City have added enough international experience to make their promotion feel less like an arrival and more like an opportunity to disrupt the established order. That does not mean London City will suddenly challenge for the title but it does mean opponents cannot afford to underestimate them, especially with powerhouses like Putellas and Diani. For a club entering its second WSL season, that could be one of the most important shifts of all. London City are no longer simply preparing for the league. They are preparing to participate in it with ambition. If the early signs mean anything, this could be a season where the WSL table refuses to follow the script. Related articles from Her Football Hub: WSL: Viviane Asseyi signs new contract with West Ham WSL: What Rylee Foster-Inman’s historic Everton transfer from Halifax Tides means for the NSL WSL: Manchester City’s Lily Murphy joins Aston Villa on loan