“A culture of high standards”: Why Glasgow City are firmly on course to regain their SWPL 1 crown – scout report

With Glasgow City being the most successful club in the Scottish women’s game and a regular entrant in the Champions League (with a quarter-final in 2014/15 and 2019/20 their best results), a lot is expected of them each season. Between 2007 and 2021, they set a record that will be difficult to beat, when they secured 14 consecutive league titles in a period when Chelsea Women star Erin Cuthbert and Reading Women defender Emma Mukandi were among plenty of star names to pull on the famous orange shirt.

However, last season, that run came to an abrupt end, with Rangers Women causing an upset and winning the league for the first time in their history, and that led to many fans wondering if Glasgow’s era of dominance was over and if there would now be closer competition between them, Rangers and Celtic Women, as the top three sides in the Scottish Women’s Premier League 1 (SWPL 1).

Whilst that certainly looked likely at the beginning of the season, when all three sides were securing maximum points week after week, both Rangers and Celtic have since fallen away and allowed Glasgow to build a five-point lead at the summit, with just seven rounds of the regular season remaining.

On the field, what has been so impressive about Glasgow is the fact that they have focused solely on themselves and ensured that they continue to improve as each game goes by, and evidence of their development under now-former head coach Eileen Gleeson (who left in December after needing to return to her native Dublin) comes in the fact that their performances have become more convincing as the campaign has progressed.

This tactical analysis will look in closer detail at their development during the campaign, with particular emphasis on how they have increased their offensive threat, how the midfielders have played a central role in their tactics and how their defensive setup has made them a tougher side to break down. In doing so, the analysis will highlight the reasons why they have been the team to beat this year, and why they are firmly on course for yet another SWPL 1 title.

Offensive threat

Last season, Glasgow City found the net 89 times in their 27 league games, which saw them finish as the second-highest scorers in the league (behind Rangers). This time around, they already have 61 goals, having played 15 matches, and, whilst that is less than both of their city rivals, they are clearly doing something to ensure that they are as productive as possible when they have opportunities to score.

In general, it all comes down to their numerical overloads, with Glasgow constantly looking to push as many players into forward areas as possible whenever they have the ball, and that always gives teams an advantage when they are looking to create goalscoring opportunities.

However, that on its own is not enough to break opposing defences down, as the back line could just stay compact and put as many bodies between the ball and the goal as possible. Therefore, Glasgow use the wings in order to prevent that from happening, with their build-up play in wide areas helping to spread the opposing side out and provide the central players with avenues that they can then exploit.