Manchester City came agonisingly close to disrupting Chelsea’s dominance in the Women’s Super League last season.
After 18 wins from 22 games, they finished level on points with their rivals at the top of the table and only missed out on goal difference. Seven goals separated Gareth Taylor’s side from Chelsea and the league title, and it was a cruel way to conclude what had largely been a positive campaign.
Taylor is now the longest-serving manager in the division after a flurry of changes across the league, including Emma Hayes’ departure from Chelsea. He took charge of City in 2020, and is experienced enough to know his team cannot let the lingering frustration cloud the remarkable progress shown last year.
“I think you have to be really careful with frustration because you can end up not really doing anything with it,” Taylor said, speaking at the Barclays WSL’s 2024/25 season launch media day earlier this month. “Of course what happened will live long in the memory, but I think we have to turn it into a positive in terms of the football we played and the games we won.
“I would say we probably created the most exciting WSL title race ever and who’s to say it might not happen again, will it be that close again? For me it’s recognising what we did really well and how we can improve and that’s been the real target in pre-season.”
One of the biggest “what ifs” from the season for City was a heartbreaking injury to star striker Khadija Shaw at the end of the campaign. The 27-year-old Jamaica international still finished as the league’s top goalscorer and golden boot winner, but her absence during the final stretch was sorely felt.
It’s all ifs, buts and maybes – but given her relentless goalscoring was halted at such a crucial juncture, it’s hard not to wonder what might have been had she remained fit. While City do have goals throughout the team, Taylor recognised the need for another proven goalscorer and moved swiftly to sign Vivianne Miedema on a free transfer from Arsenal.
The Netherlands international is the current all-time leading goalscorer in the WSL, and is the joint-record holder alongside Rachel Daly for the most in a single season (22). Injuries have hampered her dominance in recent seasons, but Taylor believes Miedema’s best years are still ahead of her.
“I think we’ve signed the top talent in Viv,” the manager expressed….
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