Aston Villa's Natalia Arroyo becomes the WSL's first managerial casualty of the season after a disappointing start for the Villian's which see them sat in 13th place with just 2 points.

Whilst many fans have been focusing on the issues at clubs like Manchester United & Arsenal it has been easy to pass over other clubs who might not be performing as well as expected and it is Villa that have become the first club to look for a change in management, much to some fans surprise. 

Arroyo was appointed back in January 2025 and led the club to a 9th place finish last season, a few positions down from their 6th place finish in the 24/25 season (although the points margin was just a 5 point difference). This season though just doesn't seem to have gone to plan for the side with them picking up just 2 points from their first 4 games. 

The summer saw plenty of movement for Villa with 5 departures due to contracts ending and the loss of Kirsty Hanson to Tottenham Hotspur, they did however, bring in 8 new players from various teams across Europe who just haven't hit the ground running yet. Add into the mix club captain Rachel Daly being unavailable for the foreseeable due to her recent pregnancy announcement and a whole host of players carrying injuries who would usual be in the match day squad Arroyo's choices have been very limited and the squad she has had to work with may not be as strong as she had expected come the end of the transfer window.

Ultimately though the decision has been made very early on in the season that a change in the dugout is needed and this way at least it gives a new manager a chance to see what they have before the January transfer window when changes may be required player wise. There is plenty of opportunity for someone to come in make the team their own and hopefully change the fate for Villa this season. 

The club are on the hunt for a replacement but in the mean time Brian Sorensen (women's technical advisor) will be taking charge of the team. 

Will we see things change for the team or is the settling in period for a new manager going to take a while? Either way the club will just be hoping that they can soon start picking up points and get away from the drop zone.

Is Arroyo's departure going to be the only managerial departure before Christmas? With plenty of teams not performing as you may expect anything could happen this season.