Chelsea have started the season in sensational style, winning their first eight league games with 26 goals for and three against.
In the Women’s Champions League, the only piece of silverware that eluded Hayes before she left to take charge of the United States women’s national team, they sealed their place in the quarterfinals by winning four of four.
Bopastor led Lyon to glory in the competition in 2021-22, as well as three domestic league titles, and has already set his sights on further success with the Blues.
Manchester City, who are likely to end Chelsea’s stranglehold on the title after missing out on goal difference last season, are already five points behind the leaders after eight games.
So is the title race over now?
“You don’t want to say it because it’s November,” former Chelsea striker Helen Ward said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. “However, it seems like a really difficult task for the other teams to catch up.
“It seems like a mountain to climb. You’re looking at Chelsea dropping points in two or three games and the way they’re playing at the moment doesn’t seem possible.”
Chelsea is not getting carried away either.
“I think it’s still very early days and I think a lot of things can change with the amount of competitions we’re going to be competing in and the heavy workload,” added captain Millie Bright.
“I think anything is possible, anything can change. We saw it last season when one week we were out of the title race and the next week we were winning it.”
