Why Lauren James is one of the world’s best female players

Sky Sports 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.

James proves a class above

“Probably LJ is the one who is the best talent in the world,” said Sonia Bompastor after Chelsea beat Manchester United to the League Cup on Sunday. That is high praise from a manager who has coached multiple-times Champions League winners at Lyon and was once one herself.

Lauren James is a specialist talent, though. A unique kind of playmaker, who reads and scans the game through a different lens. Few are on her wavelength, which is why she has earned a reputation as a maverick. Perhaps she is actually more than that.

These types of players often earn the biggest plaudits and yet are equally susceptible to the sharpest criticism. The reason is that they are held to a different standard than most; James can flip a game in the blink of an eye. The expectation is that she does that every time she plays.

But of course in the real world it’s hard to be a 10/10 every week, not least for a player who continues to suffer with fitness issues, only managing 429 WSL minutes in total this season. She still remains one of the best at rising to the big occasion, though, as she did on Sunday to ensure Bompastor’s incredible record in domestic finals continues.

The Frenchwoman took charge of three finals with Lyon and has overseen three at Chelsea, winning the lot. This will be considered the first time James has reached her optimum level in one of those showpiece games under Bompastor. She was rather subdued in last year’s League Cup final win over Man City and injured when Chelsea lifted the FA Cup.

“She’s incredible, but you have to go toe-to-toe,” opposition manager Marc Skinner commented afterwards, complaining about his side’s caution and lack of aggression. That is what James gives you even when not at her best: the fear factor. Players are scared to engage. You can get touch tight and still be embarrassed by her ability to jinx either way, not bothering which foot she uses because they are equally adept.

James cupped her ear after scoring the opener on Sunday, presumably in response to the boos from the Man Utd end. She had a hand in the second goal, too, playing a neat one-two with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd before the winger crossed to scorer Aggie Beever-Jones. And really she needn’t have done more than that. Those were the two match-defining moments.

But prime time James wants to run games from start to finish. No player on the park could match her nine touches in the opposition box nor her three shots on target. Such was her labour, which is sometimes criticised, that no Chelsea player recovered the ball more times either (10). Few maverick types are caught doing the retrieval work.

“If the injuries go away from her, she’s one of the best in the world,” Bompastor concluded. Now on a deal that runs through to 2030, Chelsea – and also England – are lucky to have her.

Galli return will lift Everton to another level

Moving back to league matters and Sunday proved to be another fascinating afternoon in an unpredictable WSL campaign. Leaders Manchester City were halted in their tracks by struggling Aston Villa while Liverpool won again to ease relegation fears. But what really caught my eye was Everton’s result.

Only Man City and Man Utd (both 13) have collected more points in 2026 than Everton (12), winning four league games in a row for the first time since October 2020 as Kelly Gago claimed a late decider from the bench in a 2-1 victory over Spurs.

Since Everton sacked manager Brian Sorensen last month, they have risen five places in the WSL table. Consistency under interim boss Scott Phelan has been the key to success, quickly identifying the group of players he can rely on and sticking with that formula.

But to beat Spurs he was forced to tinker with his starting XI for the first time with four players away at the Asia Cup. The most influential change was from Aurora Galli, completing her first 90 minutes of the season after a year out injured. She sent Toni Payne through 1v1 in the opening minute, creating more chances overall (three) than any other player.

Creatively, Galli is the spark Everton have lacked for the majority of the campaign. She is the one who can conduct central areas and open up passing lanes inaccessible to other midfielders. Ornella Vignola offered plenty of invention in possession, too, and that connection will no doubt prove fruitful in future games.

Finally, this looks like a proper team capable of running even the best sides in the division close.

Are Arsenal on pole for CL spot?

“Arsenal have got momentum at the moment, their league form is good,” Izzy Christiansen said in the Sky Sports studio on Sunday. “They’ve got a good structure, it works, and they play some fantastic football on their day.”

The reason the last sentence is caveated is because Arsenal endured a disproportionate amount of off-days over the first half of their lop-sided season. They became unreliable, unable to convert dominance in games into goals and transform an abundance of draws into wins. It ultimately cost them a run at the title as early as December.

To accept their league campaign amounts to the race for second or even third will sting. Opta’s prediction model has them finishing six points behind champions Man City, narrowing the deficit as it stands now, but still nowhere near close enough to challenge.

Renee Slegers is having to balance commitments – her side will likely have played more games than any other WSL team by May – but she will be the first to admit that ambition supersedes what is possible this year, domestically at least.

Given that they do not have to play any of the current top three in the run-in, European qualification is in their hands. And for a club like Arsenal, that is the absolute minimum requirement.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com