London City Lionesses moving towards “something bigger” as WSL Opener nears
London City Lionesses have considerable shoes to fill following a summer which saw further development in owner Michelle Kang’s plan to create an independent women’s ‘super’ team. With eight new signings, ranging from global stars to new young talent, it seems everyone is anticipating whether they will continue to undergo growing pains in the coming season, or take the league by storm and reap the rewards of Kang’s monumental investment.
They will be playing in the WSL opener against Manchester United on Friday the 4th of September, and this is what head coach Eder Maestre and Daniëlle van de Donk had to say ahead of the clash.
What are the club's ambitions and expectations for the coming season?
Winning is always the goal, but it’s not been a straightforward run of success for London City Lionesses. They saw a change of head coach halfway through last season, along with significant shifts in their squad over the summer, and though they placed sixth overall in the WSL table, it’s clear the club is setting their aspirations even higher in this coming year.
“We know it’s going to be very difficult,” Maestre acknowledged, before adding, “it’s not only about having talented players, it’s about creating something bigger: an identity, a working culture.”
As an independent club, London City Lionesses have both the advantage and disadvantage of growing their reputation and ‘image’ from scratch in a new era of women’s football.
Developing this ‘identity’ Maestre speaks of seems to be at the forefront of the club’s priorities:
“We have players that know the meaning of winning. The foundations are there, we need to keep building.”
Furthermore, Maestre is confident that this season they “are going to be close to pushing against the best teams in the competitions, for sure.”
Midfielder Daniëlle van de Donk affirms that “There are a lot of players like me”; to be like van de Donk means to have a “win it all” mentality.
What is setting London City Lionesses apart?
Their rapid development can’t be understated, with record levels of investment in both infrastructure and player recruitment.
“When I signed here in the first year we knew it would be something else, we didn’t expect it would develop this fast.” Said Van de Donk. She feels the club is “developing in every aspect (…) it’s beyond my expectations. I feel like I’m part of something bigger”
The club bolsters some enormous names in women’s football, most notably two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, but younger players like Freya Godfrey and Jana Férnandez represent a different side to London City Lionesses. Van de Donk praises them:
“I think they have so much energy and joy on the pitch, so eager to learn, they want to be the best and that’s what you have to have as both a young player and a London City player.”
What does it mean to play London City Lionesses football?
Foregrounding the development of an image off the pitch is the development of an identity on the pitch. With a diverse player base who bring a range of stylistic experience, one of the criticisms of London City Lionesses has been a lack of team synergy, leading to disjointed plays despite exceptional individual talent.
So what can we expect from London City’s play style going forward?
“The identity I want to create here is having the ball, attacking a lot, scoring goals. The way to reach that is to be aggressive in the press, be recovering the ball and recovering the height.” Maestre said, with further emphasis on “Exploiting the spaces—so if the opponent is allowing us to exploit the spaces behind we aren’t going to be hesitant.”
Returning to aspirations and putting this in play, Maestre is aware “It’s going to be demanding, but we have the talented and experienced players so I really trust we will be capable to beat the best teams in the competitions with this type of football.”
With a Spanish coach and seven Spanish squad members, many are inclined to expect a distinctly Spanish style of play from LCL. While Maestre states that this will help them “find” their style, they “don’t want to lose the roots of English football” and rather, it is about “understanding the spaces we can create through the ball or players in that specific situation.”
Playing the Opening Game
Manchester United have faced their own trials of adversity, from changes in coaching to them seeing a winless pre-season, both teams have a lot to play for in this opener. Maestre believes “it’s going to be very challenging because I think they are going to be very fluent in the way they can rotate players, create asymmetry,” and that they generally will challenge the London side in their access to space on the ball.
In an off-pitch win however, this is London City Lionesses’ highest ticket sales, and second sell-out game, in their history. To this, van de Donk said “We’re so proud that as a club that’s what we’re doing—I think we’re doing something well.”
On Friday 4 September the 2026/27 WSL season will begin under the lights in Bromley. Can London City Lionesses meet expectations and secure a valuable three points to kickstart their new era, or will the challenge of merging incredibly talented players into one squad cause upset for Maestre’s side?