After finishing second in the WSL last season, two points behind Chelsea Women, Manchester City Women have not lived up to pre-season expectations, winning one and losing one of their league games so far (they lost just one league game in total last season), and they were knocked out of the Champions League before the group stages by debutants Real Madrid Femenino.
This nightmare start, as some have labelled it, has led to questions surrounding Gareth Taylor’s future at the club, but we need to give them time to improve, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they had 13 players featuring for their countries at the Tokyo Olympics during the summer, with four playing in the final, and opted not to play a pre-season friendly to give those players as much recovery time as possible. Secondly, they currently have a sizeable injury list, with first-team regulars Caroline Weir, Ellie Roebuck, Keira Walsh, Karen Bardsley, Lucy Bronze, Chloe Kelly and Esme Morgan all on the sidelines, as well as new signing Hayley Raso and club captain Steph Houghton, with the latter sustaining an ankle injury during the recent England camp.
This tactical analysis will look at the reasons for their struggles, from a tactical point of view. The scout report will focus on their attacking and defensive play, as well as their decision-making, providing analysis on where they need to improve as the season goes on.
Attacking problems
Manchester City Women’s attacking tactics last season revolved around playing through the thirds, as well as using the wings to stretch opposing defences out. This allowed the central striker to run through the gaps and meet balls coming into the box, as well as opening up the half-spaces for the two forward midfielders to position themselves in. As a result, they scored 65 goals in their 22 league games last season, only four less than Chelsea, and averaged 64.12% of possession.
However, in their recent game against Tottenham Hotspur Women, they were unable to play this way. Tottenham set up in a 4-4-2 structure, indicated by the white lines, with the aim of sitting back and preventing Manchester City playing through the thirds. Their narrow structure left the wings wide open, intentionally, with Manchester City forced to play in those areas instead. The ball had a greater distance to cover when passed out there, which gave Tottenham time to get back and set up defensively whenever Manchester City did look to attack down the wings.
Manchester City struggled to adapt to this style of play, which brings us to the first problem; they only have one way of playing. When opposing teams prevent them playing the way they like to, as Tottenham did here, they are made to look ordinary and very beatable. Therefore, devising a backup structure is something they need to do not only to rediscover their form but also to really challenge for the league title.
