London City Lionesses boss Maestre describes the team's rise

London City Lionesses strengthened with many star players this summer. Head coach Eder Maestre was tasked with bringing together the talented players in the squad, who were used to a regular starting XI, into one team. Club chairman Michele Kang's goal is to break the traditional big three's dominance and qualify for Europe.

The Bromley-based club sit third in the Women's Super League with 16 points, seven ahead of Arsenal. Over the last ten weeks, only Chelsea (28) and Manchester City (25) have picked up more points than London City Lionesses (22). Maestre said he was pleased that the new signings had adapted quickly.

Maestre described the team's style as aggressive pressing in the opponent's half and winning the ball back quickly. In his view, getting the players to buy into this approach is the easy part. The real challenge is carrying that efficiency into matches and strengthening the chemistry between the players.

The most eye-catching name in the squad is Alexia Putellas. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner matched the record with this award, reaching this feat for the first time as a player for a WSL club. Putellas is the club's top scorer in the league and links defence and attack. Maestre said his captain builds chemistry with the players around her very quickly.

The team will face Manchester City on Sunday at 12:00, a fixture seen as one of the league's toughest tests. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.