Inside Man City's quest to build a 'winning machine' as WSL champions prepare for first title defence in a decade

What Jeglertz did in his first season as City boss should not be underrated. For several years, this team had the talent to win the WSL, making them a popular annual pick among pundits to disrupt Chelsea’s dominance. However, City always came up short, either in dramatic fashion in the final weeks or in more calamitous circumstances.

In the words of Greenwood, Jeglertz oversaw a “shift in culture” and helped players change “the language used” as they targeted trophies and success. “It’s a little bit uncomfortable sometimes, but crossing that hurdle and being able to do that has shifted so many mindsets in this building,” she explained.

And now the group has clinched that WSL title, and City’s first trophies in four years, it feels more repeatable.

“I think that in previous seasons, maybe we fell short because there was a bit of a lack in the mindset where we felt we were really capable of winning,” Mary Fowler told GOAL. “But I think now that we've done it, it feels like, 'You are very capable and you can do that again'.”

What Jeglertz has found upon returning to this environment after a short summer break has been extremely encouraging. The feeling is not just that more success can be achieved; it’s more intentional and driven than that. There is no suggestion that last season’s triumphs have relieved the pressure and made players think they can take their foot off the gas. It’s only made them hungrier, in fact.

“I've seen it already in the players,” Jeglertz told GOAL. “They already have a confidence that is great, that is calm, but curious about how we take the next step. What do we do to become a little bit better? I already see it and that's something that we need to keep having the whole year.”

Aiding the cultivation of that winning environment is the addition of two more champions in the summer transfer window. Niamh Charles arrives from what was a genuine winning machine at Chelsea having lifted five successive WSL titles and seven more domestic cups in just six years in London.

“That means that she has a little bit of a leader in her,” Jeglertz believes. “That is something that we are going to be able to use also in sessions and in how you win from one year to the next year.”

Beth Mead, meanwhile, helped England win back-to-back European Championship titles and was part of the Arsenal team that beat Barcelona in the 2025 Champions League final. “You can see in her eyes, she's still very eager to be part of this and to learn more,” Jeglertz noted.

In terms of culture, mentality, environment and all of those intangibles, then, City appear well-placed for their WSL title defence. What about the squad, though? One thing that could not be ignored during their title triumph was the fact the club did not have Champions League football to contend with, unlike all of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. This time, it is on the calendar and thus increases the demand to the group.

That’s notable because City’s only addition in the transfer window on top of Mead and Charles has been Carlotta Wamser, who will provide valuable depth in either full-back role. Combine that with nine first-team outgoings and this squad hasn’t been bolstered like some might have expected, even if there was never a plan to overhaul it.

“The depth is there,” O’Neill said at the end of last season. “It’s not about a squad transformation. It’s about adding in the key positions we need.” However, early season injuries, most notably to Vivianne Miedema, whom the Guardian understands may not be back until 2027, are going to test that depth big time. That City tried to add on deadline day but failed to get any deal over the line suggests the concern is there.

City have added in the key positions of left-back, via Charles and Wamser after Leila Ouahabi's departure, and in the forward areas with Mead, following Kerolin’s move to Barcelona. Otherwise, Jeglertz is banking on bigger seasons from players already at the club.

Risa Shimizu, who spent last year on loan at Liverpool, will be asked to provide depth at full-back, while more impactful seasons will be anticipated from both Sydney Lohmann and Grace Clinton. Neither hit the heights expected after joining City last summer, due to niggling injuries but also an inability to grab opportunities with both hands. Fowler, meanwhile, is one to watch in her first full season back after an ACL injury, having shown flashes of her brilliance upon returning in February.

There is versatility in the forward line, with Mead, Fowler, Lauren Hemp, Aoba Fujino and Iman Beney all able to play a variety of roles, with centre-forward among them for several of those names, meaning recruiting someone just to sit behind Shaw in the pecking order all season is not exactly necessary.

First professional contracts have been signed by talented academy players this summer, too, in Sacha Lewis, Amelia Oldroyd and Aoibhe Brennan, with Mayzee Davies, a senior Wales international who penned hers last year, someone who could potentially become a depth piece this season.

Then, at the top of the pecking order, the key names remain, with the likes of Shaw, Greenwood, Hemp, Kerstin Casparij, Jade Rose and Yui Hasegawa making up one of the best starting line-ups in the WSL, one which will also feature Miedema when she does return.

Will that all be enough? City had an impeccable injury record last time out, for the first time in a while. Can that be sustained despite the return of Champions League football?

“We’ve learned and we will absolutely be ready next season,” insisted O’Neill. Jeglertz, meanwhile, believed the squad was too big last year, so the expansion of the schedule is welcome, to afford players the opportunities they deserve. “We have too many good players to play these few games we are playing,” he said back in May. “Next year will be different because it's more games. The squad is built for that.”

Still, there are some positions where, if injuries were to hit, it could be particularly damaging, and even more areas where that concern will exist if some of those players expected to have bigger seasons – like Lohmann, who herself has had hip surgery, or Clinton – don’t live up to the billing. That the Cityzens go into the new campaign with a few players already injury doubts, while also knowing Miedema will start it on the sidelines, is a concern, too.

That said, while there might be teams in the WSL with more strength-in-depth, they have questions about their culture or cohesion on the pitch that City don’t. Creating a Chelsea-esque dynasty, in this new era of the WSL, when the competition is greater than ever before, seems unlikely. But City’s ability to challenge for, and lift, the big trophies should remain in this upcoming season.

This was the best team in England by a country mile last year, and the confidence and belief brought to this group by trophy success, combined with some welcome new faces, should mean City’s days of waiting 10 years for another WSL title are long gone.

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