Chelsea's teething problems, Man City's new style and a debutant hat-trick in opening WSL weekend analysed in The Counter Press

Sonia Bompastor gave us a brief glimpse into her ideal Chelsea model at the backend of last season. But we had to wait until the final matchday to get it.

Chelsea had of course already wrapped up the title by then, and the only thing left to contest was the FA Cup final, which they comfortably won 3-0, having trialed a new 3-1-4-2 system in victory over Liverpool the week prior.

Bompastor had wanted this transition much earlier in her side's evolution, but timing was key. Winning in year one was prioritised over anything else in continuum with the revered Emma Hayes era.

To break with tradition, that is to say, to prioritise style over substance, would not have sat well. But the Frenchwoman has made clear her intention is to marry a winning strategy with progressive football over time. The move to three at the back is a key part of the latter.

It's also the reason Ellie Carpenter was recruited in the summer - having worked under Bompastor in three of the Frenchwoman's five years at Lyon. "I know Ellie by heart so I was not surprised by her debut," the Blues boss reflected after Carpenter delivered the cross for Aggie Beever-Jones' timely opener on Friday night.