The league's all-time top scorer is one of a number of superb attackers that Gareth Taylor has at his disposal as he aims for a first title since 2016
Goal difference. That's all that denied Manchester City a first Women's Super League title since 2016 last season. A pivotal Sunday on the penultimate weekend of the campaign saw the Cityzens succumb to a surprising late defeat to Arsenal and then, hours later, Chelsea thumped bottom side Bristol City 8-0 to put themselves on the brink of a fifth-successive title. There was still another game for each to play, but the Blues, with their mentality and experience, were never going to falter from there, as a title-sealing 6-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford showed.
Plenty has changed in the months since that thrilling race to be crowned champions of England came to its conclusion. Most of that is on Chelsea's side, with iconic manager Emma Hayes moving on. She's already continued her winning ways, leading the United States women's national team to an Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024 despite only being in charge for a few weeks. The question is, can her former club also continue to leave all those in England in their wake and claim an unprecedented sixth WSL title in a row?
Some have been bold enough to suggest not. With a new manager and a lot of ins and outs in the squad, some believe – probably tentatively – that this could be a transitional season for Chelsea, despite many of those signings being of top quality and their new coach, Sonia Bompastor, having won the Champions League both on the pitch and in the dugout.
If anyone is able to dethrone the Blues, it feels like it will be their closest competitors for last season's crown. Driven by the hurt of falling short by the finest of margins last season, this Man City team is going to be hungry to make amends, and it is also much stronger, too. But is it ready to finally get the job done in the WSL for the first time in more than eight years?
Getty ImagesMood around the Cityzens
After last season, it would be easy for there to be a hangover feeling around City. They pushed so hard, gave their all and still came up short in their chase to lift the trophy for the first time since 2016. However, that's not the sense you get from talking to the players, the staff or the fans. It feels more like that strong showing has given the team a real boost in belief and a foundation to build on, which they have done by making some exciting signings.
Supporters are certainly happy with the additions made, which have happened alongside Laia Aleixandri and Chloe Kelly, both linked with moves away, staying. The squad is undoubtedly stronger as a result. There are a few concerns about the midfield, sure, but there are also some players on the fringes of the first team who could stake a claim for a big role in there.
At times in previous seasons, there have been varying degrees of negativity towards Taylor, from different parts of the fanbase. Those have certainly evaporated in the past year or so, though, with the coach rarely exposed tactically and having overseen genuine progress with a squad that has changed plenty since he took over. That said, it's two years since this City team last won a trophy and three years since they competed in the Champions League proper. Both are boxes that everyone associated with the club are keen to tick this coming season.
AdvertisementManchester CityTransfer business
Boosting Man City's chances of a successful campaign is the fantastic transfer business the club has done over the summer. Filippa Angeldahl is the only regular that has departed from last season's team, and she didn't start a league game after February. The likes of Steph Houghton, Esme Morgan, Ellie Roebuck and Demi Stokes were all big characters who understood what it meant to be a City player and their absences will be felt in that sense, but there are plenty of experienced leaders that remain and can step up to help fill their shoes.
Incomings include Ayaka Yamashita, the Japan international who bolsters the goalkeeping department hugely; Naomi Layzell, a really exciting prospect for the defence but one who can also contribute straight away; and Aoba Fujino, the young Japanese winger who has already starred at a World Cup and an Olympic Games.
The marquee signing, though, is undoubtedly Vivianne Miedema. The WSL's all-time top-scorer might have had some big injury concerns in recent seasons, undergoing a second knee surgery earlier this year after a brutal ACL rupture, but it's an absolute no-brainer for Man City to have picked up a genuine world-class talent on a free transfer.
Manchester City FCPre-season performances
City joined West Ham, Leicester and Paris Saint-Germain in flying to Australia for their pre-season tour, partaking in the inaugural Perth International Football Cup. Taylor's side defeated Leicester on penalties in the first game, after a scoreless 90 minutes, then lost 1-0 to PSG in the friendly tournament's final.
It was a strange couple of games because what stood out the most was how much livelier and unpredictable City's attack looked, thanks to the addition of some new options to provide depth in those areas. Yet, they failed to find the back of the net on the trip. The chances were created, though, and as the old cliché goes, it's when a team isn't creating chances that they should be worried, not when they are not converting them. After all, this team boasts last season's WSL Golden Boot winner, in Khadija Shaw, and its all-time top-scorer, in Miedema, plus players like Kelly and Lauren Hemp.
The team closed pre-season out with two behind-closed-doors friendlies back in England, beating Liverpool 2-1 thanks to goals from Hemp and Jess Park before suffering a narrow defeat by the same scoreline to Aston Villa. Shaw scored the Cityzens' only goal in that final friendly.
Getty ImagesTalking tactics
How does Miedema fit into a team that already has a dominant No.9, in Shaw? That was one of the main questions going into City's pre-season campaign and the answer was one of the main takeaways from their trip to Australia. A player who often blends the lines between a No.9 and a No.10, it appears Miedema will play the latter role when the two are in the same XI. That provides the Cityzens with a dual attacking threat from two different areas, with Miedema able to back up Shaw's movement with some deep runs to get on the end of chances. Plus, if Shaw needs a rest, Taylor now has another natural centre-forward option, something he didn't have last year.
That does create another dilemma for Taylor though, as Park's sensational form towards the back end of last season has only continued through the summer. The England international was that No.10, so do she and Miedema compete for the same spot? Or can the coach play both in midfield? The latter would surely be a little risky in big games, just because of the lack of defensive steel it would leave City with, but he may think otherwise.
Other potentially interesting positional battles include Aleixandri and Alanna Kennedy fighting for the centre-back role next to Alex Greenwood; Fujino, Kelly, Hemp and Mary Fowler all pushing hard to start in the two wide spots available in City's front three; and the fact that Khiara Keating will have increased competition for the No.1 shirt after Yamashita's arrival. This feels like a stronger, deeper and more competitive squad than last season and, with that, one would expect the Cityzens to be more unpredictable for their opponents.
