Man City’s pursuit of their first WSL title in a decade depends on the outcomes of the next two matches.

Manchester City is on the verge of securing their first Women’s Super League (WSL) title in ten years, currently holding a nine-point advantage at the top of the standings with nine matches remaining.

This lead could extend to 12 points—the margin by which Chelsea clinched the league last season—if City manages to defeat the reigning champions this weekend, followed by a challenging encounter against Arsenal the subsequent week.

With no European commitments following a fourth-place finish last season, City has established a significant domestic buffer. Even a defeat in one of their crucial upcoming fixtures would not completely derail their title ambitions.

The club made substantial investments to revitalize their fortunes, appointing a new manager—Andrée Jeglertz—after parting ways with former coach Gareth Taylor in March. They also enhanced squad depth to address the injury crisis experienced last season and instilled a new mindset to improve their previously lackluster mentality.

As a result, City has remained unbeaten in the league since their opening-day defeat to Chelsea, accumulating six points from a possible nine against their top-four competitors thus far. But will they be able to secure the trophy?

Significant changes have revitalized the team

Following Taylor’s midseason dismissal amid poor results and an injury crisis, the club entered a rebuilding phase. Although former manager Nick Cushing, who guided the team to its sole league title in 2016, took temporary charge until the season’s conclusion, the club sought a long-term solution to rejuvenate the team’s identity.

Relationships had deteriorated during the latter part of Taylor’s tenure, making it essential to find a suitable replacement—someone capable of reshaping the squad’s mentality in addition to reorganizing the team’s structure.

Jeglertz, a former Champions League (UWCL) winner with Swedish club Umea, has been instrumental since his arrival. With experience in women’s football dating back to 2003 and numerous titles won in Scandinavia, along with stints managing the national teams of Finland and Denmark, his management style contrasts significantly with that of Taylor.

Jeglertz promotes an open-door policy and actively invites his players to share their thoughts on tactics, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability in decision-making. This approach has granted the squad greater flexibility and autonomy in their playing style, contributing to the consistency they have achieved.

A critical focus for Jeglertz was addressing the lack of squad depth. At times last season, City had as few as five outfield substitutes available, with key players like Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, Vivianne Miedema, Lauren Hemp, and Alex Greenwood sidelined due to injuries.

During the summer transfer window, the club acted swiftly to sign Iman Beney, Jade Rose, and Sydney Lohmann to fill gaps, and later added England midfielder Grace Clinton from local rivals Manchester United, with Jess Park moving in the opposite direction to complete their transfer dealings.

City also secured new contracts for Hemp, Greenwood, and Yui Hasegawa, and brought in U.S. women’s national team (UWSNT) midfielder Sam Coffey in January.

The revamped squad has significantly alleviated loading issues for key players, ensuring that even with a few absentees, such as Kerolin and Aoba Fujino, the impact is much less pronounced.

This investment in the squad will have substantial implications for the team’s ability to compete in both the Champions League and WSL next season, a feat they were unable to achieve last year. However, this will largely depend on whether they can convince prolific goal scorer Shaw to extend her contract, which expires in the summer—though sources have indicated that discussions have been encouraging.

Absence of Champions League has been advantageous

While it may be challenging to view missing out on European qualification as a positive, the lack of demanding midweek fixtures has allowed City’s focus to remain solely on domestic success.

While Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United navigated the restructured UWCL league phase, facing top opponents much earlier in the competition—likely contributing to Chelsea’s dropped points and Arsenal and United’s loss of momentum in the WSL—City capitalized on the opportunity to build a substantial lead and goal difference.

Although City did have midweek matches in the League Cup before being eliminated in the semifinals by Chelsea last week, their travel to Newcastle and Nottingham has not compared to the extensive European trips their rivals have undertaken to countries like Germany, Spain, and Italy. This has made a significant difference.

The team has also learned from previous errors. In a 22-game season, a slow start in the initial four or five matches can make it nearly impossible to recover in a title race. This was the case for City in the 2022-23 season, before their strong start in 2023-24 allowed them to finish second to Chelsea only on goal difference. City recognized the need to bounce back after their 2-1 loss to the Blues on opening day this year, which has proven crucial in positioning themselves as title contenders.

A critical doubleheader ahead

The next two weeks represent the most crucial period of the season for City. Avoiding defeat against Chelsea and Arsenal would create an almost insurmountable gap with seven matches remaining. Even in the event of a loss, City possesses a safety net that keeps their fate in their own hands.

Following the match against Arsenal, City will face Leicester City (home), Aston Villa (away), Tottenham Hotspur (home), Manchester United (away), Brighton & Hove Albion (away), Liverpool (home), and West Ham United (away) in their remaining fixtures, with only an FA Cup run potentially complicating their schedule. Thus, it would be surprising if they did not secure their first WSL title in a decade.

Under Jeglertz’s leadership, City has demonstrated their capability to win matches. However, as the pressure intensifies in the season’s final stages, the upcoming two games will reveal much about their readiness to claim the title.