The 2023/24 season saw Manchester City remain in the Barclays Women’s Super League title race all the way up until the final weekend, before falling away from glory at the last hurdle. A goal difference that was near-impossible to overturn meant that the Cityzens finished the season in second place behind the all too familiar faces of Chelsea.

Manchester City have finished the last 5 seasons in the top 5, 3 of those seasons they finished in second place, but they have failed to clinch the trophy on all of those occasions.

As Manchester City look to go one better on the dawn of a new campaign, The Halfway Line previews what could be expected from the Cityzens.

Preseason grafting

A trip ‘down under’ in August saw the Cityzens take part in the inaugural Perth International Football Cup.

A fairly even first match against Barclays WSL opponents Leicester City saw a 0-0 stalemate, after neither side were able to capitalise on their chances. Whilst both sides had opportunities to put the game to bed, it was new signing Vivianne Miedema who came the closest, hitting the crossbar with a sublime header in the final twenty minutes. The result was then decided by a penalty shootout, where debutant goalkeeper Ayaka Yamishita made two vital saves before Miedema slotted the final penalty home to give the Cityzens a narrow 4-3 victory at the death.

Securing their place in the final of the cup, Manchester City faced French giants PSG where only an 88 minute penalty for the Parisians proved the difference after the ninety. The English side dominated for long periods, but an in-form Kiedrzynek between the French sticks prevented them from finding the back of the net.

A second place in the pre-season tournament won’t have been the result the Sky Blues were hoping for, but the narrow scorelines, positive spells of possession, and the chance for all 23 travelling squad members to get minutes, will have provided the squad with confidence for the season ahead.

A further two behind-closed-doors friendlies on English soil at the start of September provided Manchester City plenty of opportunities for squad rotation ready for the new campaign.

The first of which saw the Cityzens come from behind to defeat Liverpool 2-1. An evenly-matched first half saw the deadlock broken when an attempt to play out from the back was pounced upon by the reds as the half closed out. Gareth Taylor’s side went into the break 1-0 down, but a quick restart saw Lauren Hemp and Jess Park overturn the deficit as both found the back of the net for City to take the lead. A flurry of chances could have seen the scoreline stretched further, but the combination of a lack of clinical finishing, and some good saves by Teagan Micah, saw the Cityzens have to settle for a one-goal victory.

Their final friendly saw the side fall to a narrow 2-1 loss at the hands of Aston Villa. Despite a dominant display in the opening exchanges, City quickly found themselves on the back foot when Villa broke the deadlock just seven minutes in. The teams cancelled one another out as the game went on, both having their chances but neither with any product, that was until the Villains doubled their advantage with a long-range strike from Lucy Staniforth. The Cityzens could only chase the lead, and whilst Bunny Shaw did manage to halve the deficit credit to a sublime run down the left flank by Mary Fowler, it was a game that could have seen the Midlander’s triumph with a greater scoreline. With that said, further chances for the whole squad to see plenty of minutes ahead of their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers and WSL season will have provided Gareth Taylor with some key takeaways.

Manchester City have already been in competitive action in the first-leg of the second round of UWCL qualifying. Facing Paris FC away – a team who shocked some of Europe’s biggest names last time round (including Arsenal, Wolfsburg and Real Madrid) – there was expectation that the match would see two top teams go toe-to-toe. Whilst both teams had their chances, it was Manchester City who proved both clinical and dominating as a 5-0 victory, and four different goalscorers, sees them with a monstrous advantage for the second leg at home.

Summer Transfers

This summer boasted a busy transfer window for Manchester City. With 6 first-team departures and 7 new arrivals, the Cityzens chose a balance of quality and potential to bolster their already stacked side.

Whilst not a transfer of this summer, the retirement of captain Steph Houghton is still one to note. A trailblazer of women’s football in England, Houghton is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs to have ever graced the game. Despite seeing fewer minutes on the field as her 10-year stint with the side drew to a close, her leadership and commitment to the team never wavered, and there is no doubt her presence will be missed by the Manchester City side.

After 7 years and over 50 appearances, Esme Morgan sought a new challenge as she traded Manchester for Washington DC upon signing a four year deal with NWSL side Washington Spirit this summer.

Ellie Roebuck was once the number 1 goalkeeper for Manchester City in seasions previous, threatening Mary Earps for a place in the starting eleven for the Lionesses. But, the breakthrough of youngster Khiara Kheating, paired with Roebuck’s ill health, meant her final game in light blue was tarnished with that red card back in May of 2023. This summer her luck changed, with a chance for a fresh start and the opportunity to play with the ball at her feet, she signed with Spanish giants Barcelona on a two year deal.

After 3 seasons with the club, Swedish midfielder Filippa Angeldahl waved goodbye to the Cityzens, upon the expiration of her contract, to join Liga F title hopefuls Real Madrid for the 24/25 season.

Over her nine years in Manchester, left-back Demi Stokes racked up over 100 appearances for the Sky Blues and was integral to the side that claimed the Barclays WSL trophy back in 2016. Despite being part of the Lionesses side who lifted the UEFA Women’s Euros trophy in 2022, Stokes saw a decline in her minutes on the pitch for the Manchester side. Upon the expiration of her contract this summer, Stokes joined Barclays Women’s Championship side Newcastle United ahead of their debut season in league two, where she has since been named captain of the newly-promoted Magpies.

Ruby Mace signed her first professional contract with Manchester City ahead of her 18th birthday in 2021. She was granted 13 appearances with the side, including in their victorious League Cup (previously Continental Cup) campaign in the 21/22 season. A loan spell with Leicester City for the final half of the 22/23 season saw Mace make a further 10 WSL appearances. Following the end of her contract with the Cityzens in July, she made the permanent transfer back to Leicester City on a two-year deal.

Possibly the most talked about transfer of this summer’s window was the high-profile switch undertaken by Vivianne Miedema. After 172 appearances, 125 goals and 50 assists, the Dutch forward traded North London for Manchester upon the expiration of her contract with the Gunners. Her debut for the Cityzens came against Leicester City during the Perth International Football Cup on their preseason tour of Australia. Miedema was unable to prove the difference during the ninety when her header rattled the crossbar, but she cooly converted the final penalty during the shootout to give her new team the victory.

Japanese international Risa Shimizu signed a three year deal with the Cityzens in July from WSL opponents, West Ham United. Despite the promise and potential she signed with, less than 2 months later it was announced she had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at the Olympics and would sadly be sidelined for the 2024/25 campaign.

Fellow Japanese international, Aoba Fujino, signed the same three year deal to undertake her first international domestic club transfer. Across her 3 seasons with Tokyo Verdy Beleza, she made 51 appearances, scoring 24 goals and registering 17 assists. The 20-year-old forward became Japan’s all time youngest goalscorer at a FIFA World Cup in 2023 when she fired home against Costa Rica during round 2 of the tournament.

Trading the Japanese league for the WSL, goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita put pen to paper with the Cityzens in August. With 74 international caps and 17 major honour, she comes with an illustrious CV, and is expected to provide top-level competition to existing number 1, and last season’s Golden Glove winner, Khiara Keating. Yamashita also made her debut against Leicester ‘down under’, looking comfortable throughout the second half before saving two penalties during the shootout to secure her team a place in the final.

Young goalkeeper Eve Annets signed for the Cityzens this summer from Championship outfit Reading FC after progressing through their academy. Hoping to offer her a chance to develop, she has been sent on loan for the 2024/25 campaign to Women’s Championship side Portsmouth.

Looking ahead, centre-back Naomi Layzell seems like the ideal signing for the future-focussed Manchester City side. In August, the England Youth International signed a four year deal with the Cityzens following multiple standout seasons for Bristol City. Layzell saw the highs and lows of the promotion and relegation battles, all of which gave her the chance to experience consistent minutes of senior football. She joins a solid backline where there is no doubt she will grow and learn ready for a promising future.

After an emergency six-week loan to Manchester City from Brighton & Hove Albion at the back end of last season, Katie Startup has signed a 2 year deal with the Cityzens this summer. It would seem she made a huge impression during her 42 day stint, and now she has the chance to rival for Gareth Taylor’s first choice position.

Ones to Watch

Last season the Cityzens conceded only 15 goals in the league, the fewest of any team in the WSL- and it was centre-back and new captain Alex Greenwood who was consistently at the heart of this defence. The left-footed set-piece specialist finds herself a mainstay in the Sky Blues starting eleven, with her long range passing and last ditch tackles becoming her specialty. Pair that with the air of maturity that has been at the forefront of her 4 years with Manchester City, it is of no surprise she will be donning the armband upon the departure of Houghton. An impressive 2023 World Cup campaign posed a reminder of the stalwart she is, but the reintroduction of her England teammates from injury has seen Greenwood sidelined in the most recent International windows. She looks buoyed by the combination of the newly-installed confidence in her leadership and the reduction in her International minutes, and is sure to be a brick wall standing in the way of her opponents.

Not only did Manchester City dominate in defence, they had the highest average possession (60%) across all WSL teams- and holding midfielder Yui Hasegawa was integral to this dominance. Playing in all but one game across all competitions last season, it is not hard to understand why she was named in the 2023/2024 PFA WSL team of the year, voted for by her peers, for the second year in a row. The Japanese international has been granted the freedom of the midfield, and despite only one goal to her name, her teammates credit her for so many of their own. Hasegawa is an under-the-radar player who is likely to continue to turn the screw for the City side in their 24/25 season.

As the record goalscorer in both the WSL and the Netherlands, netting 80 and 95 times respectively for Club and country, joining WSL title rivals, and an already stacked frontline, saw Vivianne Miedema faced with scepticism. Although being regarded as one of the best strikers of all time, her contributions elsewhere are often understated; it is her ability to integrate with wingers and strikers alike that provides a lethal combination for her team to succeed. Her tumultuous ACL recovery meant her final two seasons with the Gunners failed to demonstrate just how prolific her footballing ability is. The chance to start afresh in Manchester with a largely unchanged core group, and alongside the likes of Bunny Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Jess Park, promises the chance to see Miedema wreak havoc.

Looking Forward

Manchester City kick off their 2024/25 Barclays Women’s Super League campaign at 12:30 BST on Sunday 22nd September away to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The side will also face Paris FC at home at the Joie Stadium on Wednesday evening in the second-leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying second round. Proceedings are set to get underway at 19:00 BST.