As I write this, the Manchester City Women’s football team has just completed a remarkable season. In fact, they ended the WSL campaign in fourth, with a points differential of -12, one of the worst in the league this season. The team entirely self-destructed in the wake of an injury crisis. Key players, most notably leading scorer Bunny Shaw, were lost to injuries or absences, crippling their chances. Manager Gareth Taylor has been shown the door, with Nick Cushing coming in as interim manager. This dramatic alteration raises all sorts of questions about the organization’s new course as they prepare for the 2016-17 season.
That created a palpable excitement entering the summer transfer window for Manchester City. European champions in 2022, they bolstered their attack with the addition of world-class forward Vivianne Miedema and the rising talent Aoba Fujino. At least on paper, these signings were supposed to provide a jolt of competitiveness to a slumbering Giants team. What ensued on the pitch could not have been more different. Injuries decimated the squad as key players were missing, such as Jill Roord, Rebecca Knaak, Laura Coombs, and Naomi Layzell. Then came an injury crisis, sparing few key players and massively affecting their level of performance so much that their average points-per-game return fell to their second-lowest since 2014.
Cushing was open about how difficult those injuries made things. “The injury crisis 100 per cent needs to be examined in the summer,” he stated. The team dropped an unprecedented 11 points from winning positions throughout the season, showcasing a lack of resilience during critical moments. Their sole victory over the division’s ‘big four’ came in a Champions League quarter-final win over Chelsea. Sadly, dreams turned sour as they came crashing out of the tie losing 3-2 on aggregate.
The emotional toll was equally evident—especially among those players. Captain Alex Greenwood expressed her anger at the side’s inability to seal important wins. Cushing echoed similar sentiments, stating, “We have to look at why we’re fourth in the league, why we’ve not won a trophy and why we’ve not got our best players.” His comments highlight the need for clear, honest assessment of how the team works together and functions.
As they plowed through this poor-performing season, some positives bubbled up through the murk. Laia Aleixandri notched her name down by playing the second-most progressive passes in the league. On the other hand, Yui Hasegawa and Khiara Keating put in excellent performances. Even with those bright spots, Manchester City managed just two wins in their final six games at home. This further trend indicates a troubling degree of underperformance on their own home fields. It made it hard for them to win home matches in 2025. In reality, their total was even lower than the sum of all 2023 and 2024 victories combined.
Though no one wants to look too far down the road, there is confidence in the room about what’s next. She added that it’s going to have to get better, as they look toward next season. “We’re looking further. Hopefully next season, we can learn, hit the ground running and be up there. This team deserves to win trophies,” she stated, reflecting a determination to overcome this season’s hurdles.
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