The inside story of Manchester City’s WSL season

When Manchester City headed to Kingsmeadow to face Chelsea in the Women’s Super League (WSL) in February, they were well aware of their record at the ground. They had never managed to win there, something that was surprising for a team who have consistently been part of the top three.

Their last away win against Chelsea had come when Emma Hayes’ side were still playing at Staines. With the title holders already three points clear, a win for Chelsea would have given them a potentially unassailable lead in the title race.

Instead City broke new ground. Khadija “Bunny” Shaw scored her 14th Women’s Super League (WSL) goal of the season to end Chelsea’s 33-game unbeaten run at Kingsmeadow. The 1-0 win gave City a shot at winning their first title since 2016. Karaoke filled the coach all the way back to Manchester.

Their trip back from Villa Park at the weekend will have been more subdued, their title hopes having been dashed on goal difference on the final day. But this has been a season of significant progress at City and with Hayes leaving Chelsea, they have the chance to establish themselves as the country’s leading team in the years ahead.

This is the story of their 2023-24 season.

There was an expectation that Manchester City’s summer would be one of change. A fourth-placed finish last season meant they missed out on Champions League football for the first time in seven years. They failed to reach the final of either domestic cup competition. Yet manager Gareth Taylor’s contract was renewed, though the decision to give him just an extra year did not scream confidence.

There was also only one summer signing, with Netherlands midfielder Jill Roord joining from Wolfsburg. Manchester City paid a club-record fee in excess of £300,000 ($381,000). Roord had previously played for Arsenal in the WSL but had never really seemed to settle in the league. It was a bold decision to assume she alone would be enough to enable the club to break back into the top three, let alone compete for the title. It showed significant confidence in their existing squad.

There were more big decisions to come once the season began. Nineteen-year-old goalkeeper Khiara Keating started the first game against West Ham United, with City’s previous first choice Ellie Roebuck left on the bench. Keating had made a handful of appearances for the club before as a result of goalkeeper unavailability, but this was a huge show of trust from Taylor, and arguably one of the biggest tactical decisions of his career.

The trend continued into the second match, against Chelsea, a game marred by controversy when Alex Greenwood was sent off after 38 minutes for a second yellow card for time-wasting. With City 1-0 up at the time, they switched into defensive mode under immense Chelsea pressure that only increased after Lauren Hemp was also sent off. Keating made three crucial saves and, despite conceding late on, City took a valiant and valuable point.

“(Keating) is very good to work with,” said Taylor after the game. “We have three different types of goalkeepers who all bring different things. What we’ve seen in pre-season and games is Khiara does a lot of good things: area, saves, good with her hands, comes for crosses, distribution.”

That choice also came with its own challenges though. Keating was at fault for Arsenal’s winner in a 2-1 defeat as she misjudged the bounce of a long ball to allow Stina Blackstenius to score. After a shock 1-0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion in the next match, it meant that after six gameweeks, City were already six points behind leaders Chelsea.

But internally, City still felt confident. They knew the Brighton performance had not warranted a loss. They also thought the decision Arsenal took to play them at the smaller Meadow Park, as opposed to the Emirates, was a reflection that teams were scared to face them. Chelsea did the same later in the season, when they hosted City at Kingsmeadow instead of Stamford Bridge. Both sides had hosted the other two teams in the top four at their main grounds.

Yet there was external pressure on the team, with memories of last season fresh in the mind.

Speaking after the two losses, summer signing Roord suggested City needed to learn to be more ruthless.

“The culture in Germany is very different. There they don’t care about how they play, it’s all about winning.

“Here at City, we care too much about how we play and we should care more about needing to win. That’s something I can at least tell the team.”

Their next match was a Manchester derby and Taylor was insistent ahead of the game that their performances had been good enough so far and the wins would come.

“We feel the way that we do things gives us a much better opportunity of winning those games than losing them.”

In front of more than 43,000 fans at Old Trafford, City came from a goal down to win 3-1. “Never much love when we go OT,” goalscorer Chloe Kelly wrote in an Instagram caption in reference to Drake’s song ‘One Dance’. That match began an unprecedented run.

From November to the end of April, Manchester City won 14 consecutive WSL matches. They outdid the previous single-season record of 12 games, which they themselves had set back in 2020-21.

Challenges became moments that galvanised the squad, such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained by Roord in a Continental Cup match. Roord had started every game in the WSL, scoring six and assisting two. She looked exactly how they had hoped she would: the missing piece in City’s jigsaw.

Into her shoes stepped 22-year-old Jess Park who was repurposed by Taylor as a right-sided No 10, tasked with crashing the box like Roord had been doing, as opposed to her more familiar use on the wing. Her success emphasised to the team how important everyone in the squad was, and that even though they might not all be getting regular game time, they could be called on at any moment.

City used the break that followed that Chelsea match to take players who were not on international duty away for warm-weather training in Abu Dhabi. Shaw went — due to issues with her federation she is currently not playing for Jamaica — along with senior players like Steph Houghton and Demi Stokes.

The trip gave players and staff a much-needed break from the season, as well as an opportunity to further bond. On their return, they faced one of their trickiest moments of the year.

Once again they lost back-to-back matches, this time in the Continental Cup and FA Cup. The 1-0 semi-final loss to Chelsea in the first one felt comprehensible but the quarter-final exit to Tottenham Hotspur on penalties was an opportunity missed. It pushed all the focus onto the league.

In the past, exiting the cups in this manner might have derailed City’s season entirely but the closeness of the group has brought a sense of positivity throughout the season.

Esme Morgan’s regular TikTok activity shows a squad who are relaxed with each other and enjoying themselves. Whether through videos about their love affair with Avanti West Coast — City regularly take the train to London games instead of the coach — or asking everyone in the squad who they would not want their child to date, it has provided a window into day-to-day life at the club.

There is a feeling that the lightness around the training ground allowed some of the pressure to be taken off the team and allowed them to focus on winning. There are regular team lunches held on top of the social activities the players arrange themselves.

The group as a whole has grown significantly in the past 18 months, with City recruiting extensively off the field. Former Switzerland manager Nils Nielsen joined in May 2023 as the club’s first director of women’s football before academy director Charlotte O’Neill moved across to become managing director of the women’s side in December 2023.

When O’Neill joined, she got the players to write down anonymous answers to questions about how the club could be developed and improved. When asked what the best thing about playing for City was, they unanimously answered: their team-mates.

City’s focus on that off-field side of things led to them bringing in Ruth Nichols last season, whose role as performance lifestyle and wellbeing coach demonstrates the club’s approach to holistically understanding what it takes for the players to succeed. More nutritionists, analysts and physiotherapists have also been added, while former City striker Shaun Goater joined the coaching staff full-time at the end of last season, having previously worked on more of an ad-hoc basis with Shaw. That dedication to the growth of the women’s side was epitomised by the planning application submitted in January for a purpose-built training facility (they currently share with the academy).

But even as they have developed as a standalone setup, they have not lost their crossover with the men’s side.

Following a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup, Taylor credited the men’s set-piece coaches Carlos Vicens and Jack Wilson for their help. City had got the winner, scored by Laia Aleixandri, from a Chloe Kelly free kick.

“We knew last season we got a lot of set plays, but we weren’t really doing enough with it,“ said Taylor.

“But we actually got a little bit of help from the guys on the first team with Jack and Carlos, who have been really good. Sharing a bit of information, a bit of knowledge, some concepts that we can work with. It really helps.”

In March, Taylor also revealed he regularly received voice notes from Pep Guardiola, who would occasionally come and speak to the players too.

“He’s competing on all fronts but he’s really generous with his time and he’s been fantastic for me since I stepped into this role.”

At the end of March came the announcement that club captain Houghton would be retiring at the end of the season.

Houghton is acknowledged at City as someone who has consistently pushed the standards both on and off the pitch, having been captain since the club’s inception in its current form in 2014.

Steph Houghton played her last professional game on Saturday (James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)

Her playing time this season has been limited but her influence on the squad has continued to be crucial. She has paid particularly close attention to Keating, encouraging her to stay true to herself after being so rapidly thrust into the limelight. Whether it is speaking with a 19-year-old or helping an international player settle into life in Manchester, Houghton is seen as invaluable.

Taylor has leant on her leadership during the season. At half-time in their match against Bristol City, Houghton rallied the dressing room. It was still 0-0, with Manchester City needing not just a win but also a goal-difference boost.

Asked what Houghton said, Taylor said there had been a “few expletives”.

“But it was more around this opportunity that we’ve got and we’re not going to come here and blow it.

“She just captures it at the right time with the right words. And the players really respond to her. She’s always first there in the team talk, the last one to speak to the players before they go onto the pitch.”

Houghton is seen as a consummate professional despite the difficulties she has had in her personal life — her husband, former professional footballer Stephen Darby, has motor neurone disease. The supportiveness of the squad shone through as team-mates and staff, including Taylor, joined to support Houghton at March of the Day, a three-day charity walk to raise money for the Darby Rimmer MND foundation.

The planned tribute to Houghton for the final home game of the season was dampened after City let a one-goal lead slip against Arsenal, conceding in the 89th and 92nd minute to Blackstenius. With Chelsea having lost to Liverpool earlier that week, a win would have put City within touching distance of the title. Celebrations for Houghton, who played for Arsenal between 2010 and 2013, were initially muted but a video with messages from former men’s and women’s players, including a long and heartfelt contribution from former men’s captain Vincent Kompany, lifted the spirits. In general, staff were surprised about how positive the players still seemed coming back into the building in the days after the result.

The loss of Shaw to injury three games before the end of the season was an obvious blow but, as with Roord, the players felt like this was an opportunity to show off the squad as a whole. With Chelsea only beating Tottenham 1-0 in their penultimate game, it gave City hope that a Chelsea slip-up on the final day or a goal-difference swing could still give them the title.

“There was a feeling of frustration and probably a little bit of anger in there from everyone but that’s perfectly normal,” said Taylor ahead of the Villa game.

“Life gives you another chance on occasions and we have that on Saturday. Last night’s result was a really good one for us and it gives us a top objective to go after and attack this game really well.”

It was not to be, however. Chelsea ended up scoring six against Manchester United at Old Trafford, while City could only muster a 2-1 win over Villa. Despite the two teams finishing on the same number of points, Chelsea’s superior goal difference meant they won a fifth consecutive WSL title. There were tears from Houghton — whose substitution onto the pitch in the 66th minute seemed to be a concession from Taylor that their hopes were over — and Kelly. Greenwood was consoled by England team-mate Rachel Daly.

“It feels really tough on the team,” said Taylor afterwards.

“Football is a tough profession. Sports are a tough profession. You don’t always get what you potentially deserve, and that’s part of it. You dust yourself down and you go again.”

Rachel Daly consoles Alex Greenwood at Villa Park (Charlotte Wilson/Offside via Getty Images)

Manchester City believe they are in a strong place to compete again next season. The past three years have seen three different sides finish second behind Chelsea, an indication of how hard it has been to keep up with Hayes’ side year in, year out.

Hemp’s three-year extension announced at the end of April is a central part of City’s ambition. The 23-year-old winger’s love of Lego is well known and City pulled out all the stops to cast her in her very own Lego Movie to announce the deal. The club wanted to use the video to show that her commitment to them for another three years was as good as a new signing.

Her decision also showed how they had improved as a club. Hemp had interest from Barcelona but decided to stick with City, a marked difference from when they had lost Keira Walsh to the Catalan side two years ago. Given Hemp’s experience of winning with England, City know she would not have re-signed without feeling confident she could win trophies with them.

Hemp’s was not the only important extension this year, with Japan midfielder Yui Hasegawa renewing in January. Taylor was given a three-year deal too, recognition of his successes and a demonstration of the stability at the club.

Reflecting on the season, Taylor pointed to a need for more depth.

“I felt we were the most consistent team. Of course, we lost some players at key moments and we don’t have the strength in depth that other teams have, unfortunately. That’s what we’re working towards.

“Some of the other clubs have really top-end replacements for their players. We don’t at the moment. From last season, we changed one player. We lost that player in January, she’s a world-class player. Losing Bunny three games ago was really tough.”

There are links to all-time WSL top goalscorer Vivianne Miedema as well as Japan right-back Risa Shimizu, who is out of contract with West Ham. City also signed 20-year-old Laura Blindkilde Brown from Aston Villa in January, paying her £200,000 release clause.

With Hayes’ departure from Chelsea, plenty of WSL clubs will believe there is an opportunity to end their domestic dominance. City know what they need to improve on to make the most of that.

“Things may be changing now,” said Taylor after the final day of the season. “But of course we need to continually keep building, keep pushing.

“We are probably stronger than where we were last season, but we need to kick on for sure.”

Additional reporting from Charlotte Harpur

(Top photo: Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)