The sight of superstars rolling into London City Lionesses this summer was exciting for many, but there was one man who was tasked with making them a team - head coach Eder Maestre. Some questioned how he was going to balance a team of such talent - both incoming and already present - most of whom are used to starting, along with Michele Kang's vision for disruption - smash the traditional big three and qualify for Europe. And it is so far, so good.
The Bromley-based club are third in the WSL with 16 points - already seven ahead of Arsenal - and have proven their summer acquisitions were more than just big names through the door. So that begs the question - how has Maestre done it? "It's surprisingly good how fast we were able to assemble a lot of things, considering all the things that we have and trying to understand the different contexts that the players came from," he exclusively told Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's game against Manchester City.
Across the last 10 matchdays, only Chelsea (28) and Man City (25) have won more points in the WSL than London City Lionesses (22). "It's about trying to create strong values to respect the identity we are trying to make. We came from good foundations from the last season, so it's about keep building on that.
"The way we want to play - being aggressive out of possession, trying to recover the ball as soon as possible - is something that is easy to engage the players on because everyone wants to have the ball and to use it to make the chances. "But the way you can reach that efficiency in games is the other thing that is the most difficult, considering the chemistry that you need to promote between the players. That's why in that overall, I'm very happy." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player We cannot talk about London City without mentioning Alexia Putellas.
On Monday evening, she picked up a record-equalling third Ballon d'Or - the first for a player at a current WSL club. Her influence in south-east London is growing by the game. She is the club's top league scorer so far this season and is building passing connections with her team-mates, linking the defence and attack as shown in the pass map below.
"Alexia is Alexia," Maestre said of his captain. "That's why she's able to create that chemistry so quickly with the team surrounding her. "The way she comes back from the injuries that she had, the way she was pushing, recovering the shape, recovering the feelings to win that third Ballon d'Or shows everybody how she's striving every day to be a better player.
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