Taylor: Man City know ´exactly what we have to do´ to win WSL title

Gareth Taylor insists Manchester City know “exactly what we have to do” to win the Women’s Super League, as he urged his players to “really push on” after last season’s disappointment.

City came agonisingly close to landing their second WSL title last term, losing out to Emma Hayes’ Chelsea on goal difference.

Taylor’s side were in the driving seat with a three-point cushion heading into the final two games. However, a 2-1 defeat by Arsenal in their penultimate match proved costly, with the Blues going on to claim their seventh crown in eight seasons.

That marked a seventh second-place WSL finish since 2015 for City, who begin their quest to go the extra step against the Gunners on Sunday, when they will come face to face with former forward Vivianne Miedema.

While Taylor is adamant his side’s inability to get over the line should not be regarded as a failure, the head coach reinstated his burning desire to bring the WSL crown back to Manchester this term.

About last night…pic.twitter.com/0i2BT0lVsc

— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) September 19, 2024

“Sometimes, you work tremendously hard like we did last season, and things don’t quite go your way,” said Taylor.

“That’s not to say that we’re not incredibly proud of what we did. The one thing we can take, is we know exactly what we have to do now to win the title.

“We have to use that as fuel, whether it be in the Champions League, or in the WSL, to really use all of those experiences, use all of that knowledge and really push on.

“People can look at trophies as being the be-all and end-all. Don’t get me wrong, I’m here to win. Of course, we want to be there.

“But the fact we are going deep in pretty much in all competitions is what we’re about and, of course, there can only be one team that wins.”

He continued: “People tend to forget that there’s four or five teams that are really close to winning at the beginning of the season and there’s only one team that can ever win. That doesn’t make the other four [teams] a failure.

“It’s really tough, but the objective is absolutely to win. I’m not going to hide away from that.

“I’ve never hidden away that it’s the title that I really want to bring to the club. You’ve seen how fine the margins are and I don’t see that changing this season.”