Chelsea have won the past six WSL titles but, at the halfway point, Manchester City are in a strong position to dethrone Sonia Bompastor’s side.
They entered the winter break on a 10-game WSL winning streak and manager Andree Jeglertz was not concerned about his side regaining that momentum.
“The players needed and deserved some time off. It’s going to be a long season so sometimes you need those days off – even if you are in good flow,” he said.
“I am not worried about that, I know we are going to find a way back quickly.”
However, he acknowledged staying in top spot will be difficult, adding: “It’s one thing to get there, it’s harder to stay there.”
Chelsea have been far from their best in this campaign and already dropped nine points – three more than in the entire 2024-25 campaign.
Arsenal, Manchester United and surprise package Tottenham are following closely behind in the race for a European place.
Saturday’s showdown between the third-placed Gunners and United – a point behind in fourth – could prove decisive in the race for a Champions League spot.
“It is a big game, we know that. For both teams, it is a big game because we are sitting right next to each other in the table,” admitted United manager Marc Skinner.
“We want to go there to try to win, that’s the sole focus, but we also know how difficult it is and we cannot forget that they are the European champions.”