Inside track on Palace | Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic | OneFootball

After over three months since our last competitive fixture, we are finally returning to Barclays Women’s Super League action on Sunday afternoon.

We begin our 2024/25 campaign at home to newly-promoted Crystal Palace in the season opener (2pm kick-off).

Laura Kaminski, who spent three seasons at Spurs as an assistant manager and Under-21s manager, leads a side competing at this level for the first time in their history.

We had a chat with The Athletic’s Jessy Parker Humphreys to get a lowdown on the Eagles…

How have Crystal Palace fared in pre-season?

Palace have had a mixed pre-season. In August, they headed to Utah for their first-ever game on foreign soil where they lost 3-0 to the Utah Royals in a very hot match, but they were drawing 0-0 up to the 53rd minute.

More concerning was a 3-1 loss to Championship side Bristol City at the start of September, but Palace were able to finish pre-season on a high, however, when they beat ADO Den Haag 4-0. The Dutch side finished 5th in the Eredivisie Vrouwen last season, so they are no pushovers.

Who are the key players to watch this season?

Palace waited late in the window to get a lot of their business done, but have ended up with some of England’s most exciting young talent on loan. 18-year-old Lexi Potter excelled for them in midfield in the Championship last year and has rejoined on loan from Chelsea once again, whilst England U19 international Poppy Pritchard will also be spending the season on loan from Manchester City.

They unfortunately lost FA Women’s Championship Golden Boot winner Elise Hughes to an ACL injury, but Annabel Blanchard has an eye for goal, scoring 11 last season. Felicity Gibbons has plenty of WSL experience to her name and topped the chart for assists from full-back in the Championship.

Their most eye-catching permanent signing of the window is My Cato. The 22-year-old Sweden midfielder has a well-rounded skill set, and is able to get forward as well as defend, which should suit a Palace team that will have to adjust to varying levels of opposition during the season.

What has Laura Kaminski brought to the club?

Kaminski is entering her second season as Head Coach at Palace, but she spent three years previously at Tottenham as an assistant manager and U21 manager. She has also worked for Charlton and England in the past.

Under Kaminski, Palace have developed into a strong attacking side. They scored 55 goals on their way to winning promotion last year, 16 more than any other team in the second division.

Her experience working with younger players has also stood her in good stead with the development of players like Potter, Hughes and Blanchard, among others. It is a testament to her ability that Chelsea have sent three of their youngsters to train under Kaminski this season.

What can we expect from Crystal Palace heading into their first season in the WSL?

Palace’s main aim will be to avoid the fate suffered by Bristol City who were relegated within a year of being promoted. It remains to be seen whether Kaminski will have to dial back some of their attacking play in order to do that.

She has admitted they may have to experiment a bit more with the way they set up to adjust to the rigours of the WSL. But with the young talent that has been recruited this summer, they should certainly be exciting.