Manchester Metropolis got here agonisingly near disrupting Chelsea’s dominance within the Ladies’s Tremendous League final season.
After 18 wins from 22 video games, they completed degree on factors with their rivals on the high of the desk and solely missed out on aim distinction. Seven objectives separated Gareth Taylor’s aspect from Chelsea and the league title, and it was a merciless technique to conclude what had largely been a constructive marketing campaign.
Taylor is now the longest-serving supervisor within the division after a flurry of adjustments throughout the league, together with Emma Hayes’ departure from Chelsea. He took cost of Metropolis in 2020, and is skilled sufficient to know his workforce can’t let the lingering frustration cloud the outstanding progress proven final yr.
“I believe you need to be actually cautious with frustration as a result of you may find yourself probably not doing something with it,” Taylor mentioned, talking on the Barclays WSL’s 2024/25 season launch media day earlier this month. “After all what occurred will reside lengthy within the reminiscence, however I believe we now have to show it right into a constructive when it comes to the soccer we performed and the video games we received.
“I’d say we in all probability created essentially the most thrilling WSL title race ever and who’s to say it won’t occur once more, will it’s that shut once more? For me it is recognising what we did rather well and the way we will enhance and that is been the true goal in pre-season.”
One of many largest “what ifs” from the season for Metropolis was a heartbreaking harm to star striker Khadija Shaw on the finish of the marketing campaign. The 27-year-old Jamaica worldwide nonetheless completed because the league’s high goalscorer and golden boot winner, however her absence in the course of the remaining stretch was sorely felt.
It’s all ifs, buts and maybes – however given her relentless goalscoring was halted at such an important juncture, it’s exhausting to not surprise what may need been had she remained match. Whereas Metropolis do have objectives all through the workforce, Taylor recognised the necessity for an additional confirmed goalscorer and moved swiftly to signal Vivianne Miedema on a free switch from Arsenal.
The Netherlands worldwide is the present all-time main goalscorer within the WSL, and is the joint-record holder alongside Rachel Daly for essentially the most in a single season (22). Accidents have hampered her dominance in current seasons, however Taylor believes Miedema’s greatest years are nonetheless forward of her.
“I believe we have signed the highest expertise in Viv,” the supervisor expressed. “She’s achieved a lot within the WSL, so it is a good signing for us and I believe that we simply must coax that expertise out and the early indicators have been good.
“The best way she’s tailored, as a result of do not forget she’s a participant who’s been at one membership for a very long time so there’s going to be a settling in interval. What that appears like in the course of the season we’ll must see as a result of we have got good competitors up there, and we see Viv with the ability to do attacking midfield positions as effectively. I believe she’s acquired the very best years forward [of her].”
Metropolis’s recruitment technique has additionally skilled a shift in current switch home windows. Whereas there’s nonetheless room for skilled names, for instance Miedema this summer season and Jill Roord final yr, there was a stronger emphasis on signing youthful prospects.
Japanese prospect Aoba Fujino was among the many new recruits this summer season, as was centre again Naomi Layzell, and each are simply 20 years of age. 21-year-old midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown was additionally signed again in January following Jill Roord’s ACL harm.
“I’ve spent most of my teaching profession within the boys’ academy at Metropolis, working with younger gamers, and I do know what younger gamers can carry,” Taylor defined. “We introduced in Laura [Blindkilde Brown] final season, one other younger participant who’s beginning to actually step up now.
“After all, nothing in opposition to extra skilled gamers. We now have labored with lots of these as effectively. However I believe it simply is dependent upon, firstly, who is out there on the market and in addition if we will get their greatest years. Definitely, I really feel when the gamers are slightly bit youthful, they’re extra open to studying, particularly our means, which isn’t a simple technique to be taught.
“Naomi, for example, was nice for us as a result of we simply felt prefer it was somebody who caught our eye beforehand and is an English participant, which clearly we now have to think about the English quota as effectively. She was a participant that I heard actually good issues about, no matter what I noticed. I additionally heard that she was actually open to studying and bettering and getting higher.”
A constructive begin to the season can be essential if Metropolis are to battle for silverware as soon as once more. However, so far as opening day assessments go, it doesn’t get harder than Arsenal away on the Emirates.
Each of their league conferences with the Gunners led to 2-1 defeats final time period, a consequence Taylor and his workforce can be determined to keep away from this season. The supervisor insists there isn’t essentially stress to ship silverware this season, however when it comes to ambitions, the aim is all the time the identical – to win the league.
“Folks can have a look at trophies as being the be all and finish all and, do not get me unsuitable, I am right here to win,” Taylor concluded. “After all we need to be there, however I believe the actual fact we’re going deep in just about each competitors is what we’re about.
“Folks are likely to neglect that there is 4 or 5 groups which can be actually near successful initially of the season, and there is just one workforce that may ever win however that doesn’t make the opposite 4 a failure. It is actually robust however the goal is totally to win. I am not going to cover away from that.
“I mentioned final season our ambition was to win the WSL, we went tremendous shut. Nothing adjustments for this season and we’ll be giving it our greatest.”
