Earps, Daly and the Women's Super League Team of the Season so far

After shining as England won the Euros this past summer, Mary Earps has carried that excellent form into the new season with her club, and is level with Arsenal shot-stopper Manuela Zinsberger on a league-best six clean sheets after nine games.

Only three goalkeepers have made more saves than Earps at this stage, which is an impressive stat given she is behind a strong defence, while only three can better her save percentage rate.

But it's the 29-year-old's consistency that gives her the nod in this XI. She's looked more assured and composed in a United shirt this season than ever.

Is there a better right-back in world football at the moment than Ona Batlle?

The 23-year-old has impressed on both sides of the ball ever since United picked her up from Levante in 2020 and, despite missing a couple of games this season, she's certainly been the league's stand-out player in her position once again.

Only four players can better Batlle's tally of four assists this campaign - and none of them are defenders. On the other hand, she's only been dribbled past once by an opponent and has won two thirds of all her duels.

The goal she scored at Old Trafford in the win over Aston Villa was an absolute rocket, too.

After her summer move from Brighton, Maya Le Tissier has been an absolute rock at the back for United, helping them to have the second-best defensive record in the league.

Her role in the team's build-up means only three players across the WSL have completed more passes, while she also has two goals and an assist to her name.

It was no surprise, then, to see her form rewarded with a first senior call-up for England in November - in fact, it was long overdue.

Le Tissier has been excelling ever since Hope Powell gave her the chance to on the south coast as a fresh-faced 16-year-old. She's just gone up another level this year.

It's crazy to think that Lotte Wubben-Moy might not be a starter for Arsenal in the New Year, because she has been truly excellent in the first half of the season while centre-backs Leah Williamson and Rafaelle have been sidelined.

“Every player can have a good game," head coach Jonas Eidevall told Arseblog after the Gunners' final WSL game of the year. "The hard thing is to do it on a consistent basis. I think Lotte has really proved herself during this period and that has been really pleasing to see.”

The England international has been defensively solid, able to switch from right centre-back to left centre-back with little fuss, but her contributions to the team's attacking play have also stood out.

A superb ball in behind to assist Stina Blackstenius in the 4-0 win over Leicester was certainly one for the highlight reel.

Like Wubben-Moy, injuries in the Arsenal team have also impacted Katie McCabe and tested her adaptability. She's passed those tests with flying colours, though, with Eidevall citing the importance of her versatility along the way.

After starting the season primarily playing on the left wing, she's had to drop into left-back for most of this chunk of the campaign due to depleted numbers in defence. Yet, she's still in the top 10 in the WSL for chances created - with no defender racking up more.

On the other side of the ball, she's won two thirds of her duels, completed more passes in the final third than any other Arsenal player and Laura Wienroither is the only Gunner to have won more tackles.

Coinciding with Keira Walsh's world-record move to Barcelona and Lena Oberdorf's stand-out Euro 2022 campaign, it feels like the appreciation for top class deep-lying midfielders has increased this year - and Lia Walti is the best in the WSL.

Wonderfully two-footed, the importance of her role in the Arsenal team cannot be overstated, for it's imperative to how they play and has been even more so in the first half of this season due to injuries to Kim Little in midfield as well as the Gunners' two starting centre-backs.

Despite the disruption caused by those absences in key areas around her, the quality of Walti's performances have been excellent.

While she might not be known for her goal-scoring, the Swiss midfielder also netted one of the best strikes we've seen in the league this year when she rifled home her first in the competition against Liverpool in October.

Erin Cuthbert's switch from an electric wide player into a combative central midfielder has been a joy to watch, and she has been one of the best players in the WSL this season in her new role.

The Scot has always had the tenacity to play this position and she's using it to good effect, as no player has won possession more times than her since the league kicked off in September, with only three doing so on more occasions in the final third. Cuthbert is seventh in the ranking for tackles won, too.

She hasn't lost her attacking spark with the change, either, as she's in the top five for successful passes in the final third.

With a couple of goals and an assist to her name as well at this point, it's fair to say Cuthbert's adaptation has been a triumphant success.

Is there a player in the WSL more important to their team than Dagny Brynjarsdottir? If there is, she is not far behind them.

The Iceland international has been excellent since she signed for West Ham, the club she has supported her whole life, last January.

She's scored five times this season, putting her level in the scoring charts with Sam Kerr and behind only four other players in the WSL. Two of those came against Chelsea and Arsenal, while the other three were crucial to breaking the deadlock and setting the Hammers on their way to victory.

Brynjarsdottir's towering presence is a nightmare for opponents when it comes to set pieces, but while no player has won more aerial duels in the league, her game is not just about her ability in the air.

A technically-gifted midfielder, she's one of West Ham's most creative players, too, and is a key reason why Paul Konchesky's side are fifth in the table at the Christmas break.

Okay, maybe putting Rachel Daly out wide is cheating a little bit, but it would be unfair to leave either her or Manchester City's Khadija Shaw out of this XI.

The pair lead the scoring charts in the WSL so far with eight goals each, with Daly's impact at Aston Villa since her summer arrival simply superb.

Last season, this was a team struggling for goals, but the England international has helped to change that with her infectious energy, tireless pressing and clinical finishing.

She's been so good that she even had the opportunity to start as a centre forward for her country in November, despite usually being a full-back with the Lionesses.

Suddenly, Villa have the goals in them to pose a threat to any team in the league and while there are several reasons for that, Daly is a big one.

With eight goals - none of them penalties - in nine games, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has enjoyed a blistering start to the new campaign.

Ellen White's retirement in the summer has given the forward more consistent minutes and Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor has praised the Jamaica international for "[taking] on that challenge really well".

While being the front-runner for the Golden Boot, Shaw is not just about her goals, either. Her hold-up play and ability to bring others into the game is excellent, with her also having two assists to her name as a result.

"She has a lot more to come I believe," Taylor said in October. That's a scary thought if you're a defender in this league.

It's so difficult to leave Manchester United's Leah Galton out of this XI as she has been one of the best players in the league this season. But that Guro Reiten gets the nod ahead of her tells you just how well the Chelsea forward has been performing.

Only Man City's Chloe Kelly has created more chances than Reiten this season, with her nine assists putting her four clear of anyone else in the division.

Her deliveries from the left have been absolutely lethal in all situations, while her ability to spot the opportunity for an astonishing defence-splitting pass and then execute it to perfection is extraordinary.

If she can keep this level up, and her consistency suggests she can, then she’ll smash Beth Mead's record for most assists in a single WSL season (12) before some people have taken down their Christmas decorations.

There have been so many top performers in the WSL this season that there is no way they could all fit into one XI.

Earps has been superb in goal, but it is worth shouting out young Emily Ramsey, on loan at Everton from United, who has really caught the eye in her handful of appearances on Merseyside. No goalkeeper in the league has a better save percentage than the 22-year-old.

Dan Turner was unlucky to miss out on a place in defence, as she is doing a great job at Aston Villa since being moved to centre-back by Carla Ward.

The midfield areas were especially competitive, with Villa's Kenza Dali, Man City's Laura Coombs, Chelsea's Sophie Ingle and the Manchester United duo of Katie Zelem and Ella Toone all in superb form.

No player has completed more passes in the final third than Dali this season, an even more impressive statistic when you consider she is playing for the team sixth in the table. Toone and Zelem are next on that list, though 19 and 35 passes behind the France international, respectively.

The aforementioned Kelly is unlucky to miss out, as the most creative player in the league at this point, with Lauren James also frequently catching the eye for Chelsea.

Finally, Vivianne Miedema's form since her break has been exceptional, while Jess Park has shone on loan at Everton from Man City and Galton, as touched upon, has been absolutely sensational for United and is perhaps the most difficult player to omit.