Manchester City finished atop the Women’s Super League after a nine-month transformation that ended Chelsea’s six-title run, a season in which City emerged as the clear and deserved winners, the report says. The triumph marked their first WSL crown in a decade and followed a campaign defined by consistency and control under new manager Andrée Jeglertz.
City dominated the league statistical charts, per the report, leading in goals, Expected Goals, shots on target per match, big chances created, touches in the opposition box and possession won in the final third per match. The team also sat top for accurate crosses per match and scored double the number of set-piece goals of the second-placed side, Aston Villa, underscoring an aggressive attack and a relentless desire to retain possession.
The foundations of the turnaround were laid in disappointment. After finishing fourth the previous season and missing out on European football, City sacked Gareth Taylor and underwent a summer rebuild. Interim manager Nick Cushing oversaw a difficult spell that included multiple defeats to Chelsea across competitions and a loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup semifinals, and the club then conducted a lengthy search for a long-term successor, sources told ESPN.
Therese Sjögran, the club’s new director of women’s football, led that process and had first-hand experience of Jeglertz’s management at previous clubs, the report says. Sjögran said upon his appointment on July 3 that she believed Jeglertz’s strategy of play fit City and that he was “a people’s person” who knew how to handle a squad, according to club media.
While the lack of UEFA Women’s Champions League football this season eased fixture congestion and contributed to consistency, the report stresses that it was not the sole reason for City’s success. The team showed resilience after a shock home defeat to Brighton threatened their charge, responding eight days later when Rebecca Knaak’s 91st-minute header beat Liverpool in the penultimate game to put City on the brink of the title, per the report.
Within three days the title was secured after Arsenal failed to beat Brighton in the first of their three games in hand. Jeglertz’s arrival, a change in ethos and environment, tactical adaptation, revamped injury and women’s health protocols and targeted signings combined to produce a rapid and decisive revival, the report concludes.
