Women’s Super League: Why are clubs facing a four-week break?

Since work resumed on Saturday, January 10, it has been a difficult period.

Four rounds of WSL action, an FA Cup fourth round, a League Cup semi-final, the return of the Champions League and Arsenal’s competition in the inaugural FIFA Champions Cup have been compressed into a packed schedule.

However, there is a stark difference between the number of games played by the top teams and teams lower in the division, including concerns about schedule congestion for teams fighting on multiple fronts, and the toll it can take on players.

Bottom club Leicester City have played the fewest number of matches so far this season (19), and after two early domestic cup exits, they now face a full month without a competitive match.

The next match will be a crucial match against 11th-placed Liverpool in the WSL on Sunday, March 15 (11:55 GMT).

It’s a completely different scenario for Manchester United, who have played the most games so far (30).

This week, they play Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Thursday (20:00 GMT), then face Chelsea next Sunday in the FA Cup fifth round (13:30 GMT) before returning to Premier League action in mid-March.

The graph below shows the number of matches each team has played in the WSL so far – with the green bars representing the maximum number of matches each team could play, should they win every competition in which they play.

This inconsistency in fixtures will be affected next season with the Women’s Super League expanding from 12 to 14, although that could mean more matches over the course of the round.