Thus, the Women's Super League (WSL) season is almost halfway through as players head out for a much-needed winter break.
It was an exhilarating start to the campaign on both sides of the table Chelsea They lead the way in the title race and many clubs are on the brink of an unwanted relegation battle. Elsewhere, two clubs have already parted ways with their manager and are yet to make permanent appointments.
With no WSL Work until the end of January 90min We've assessed the first half of the campaign and picked out the five biggest talking points from across the league…
New season, same story Chelsea are leading the race for the WSL title and have already established themselves as strong favorites to win the coveted trophy at the end of the season.
Sonia Bombastor's side are on track to secure the club's sixth consecutive top-place finish as they sit six points clear at the top of the standings after 10 matches. It is the biggest progress any club has made in the winter break since the league was reformed several years ago.
It would take a significant dip in the second half of the season for Chelsea to slip back in the title race, so those on their heels will need to be at top form in January to keep the race alive.
chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal All advanced comfortably to the knockout rounds Women's Champions League With the conclusion of the group stage in mid-December. The Gunners, who had one of the toughest groups in the competition, saw off Italian giants Juventus to enter the round of 16.
With all three English clubs competing in Europe in the second half of the season, this could have a major impact on the race for the Champions League title. Chelsea certainly have the strength of the squad to compete on all fronts, but the same cannot be said about their rivals, especially with injuries on the rise.
Aside from the usual top four finishes, Brighton have been the standout performers in the WSL so far this season. They have caused numerous problems against the top teams, and currently sit just four points off fourth place.
The appointment of Dario Vidosic proved to be a masterstroke from the south coast club, while their summer recruitment, featuring the likes of Nikita Parise and Fran Kirby, has been extremely productive.
It remains to be seen whether they can maintain these high levels for another four-and-a-half months, but in terms of a start, things could not have gone better for the Seagulls.
Sackage season has arrived much earlier than expected this season, with former Arsenal boss Jonas Edvall the first managerial casualty of the season. Although he was not sacked by the north London club, poor results prompted the Swede to step down from his duties in October.
Rene Sligers has turned Arsenal into a transformed team since taking charge temporarily, but it is not yet known what direction the club will take in the long term. Elsewhere, Aston Villa parted ways with Dutchman Robert De Pauw before the winter break, less than six months after he was appointed to replace Carla Ward.
The Midlands club won their first match 3-1 under caretaker Sean Goater, knocking out West Ham at Villa Park. It is vitally important that Villa get this next appointment right as they risk digging into the foundations laid by Ward and her staff.
While the title race looks fairly predictable, the same cannot be said for the relegation battle at the other end of the table. Usually, newly promoted teams emerge as strong candidates for immediate relegation, but Crystal Palace have managed to keep up with the pace of teams around them in the table.
Just four points separate 12th and seventh place after 10 games, which realistically puts at least six teams in the relegation race. Table positions change for almost every match and things could get tougher depending on each club's placements in January.
Unless one team completely collapses and endures a terrible run of form, the battle for survival could spill over into the final game of the season and lead to a thrilling end to the season.
