Man City's squad rotation fuels unbeaten start in WSL and Europe
Manchester City have won every WSL game and avoided defeat in the Champions League, with manager Andree Jeglertz rotating his squad and using substitutions to turn matches around.
Manchester City have made an unbeaten start to their Women's Super League title defence and their Champions League campaign, with manager Andree Jeglertz yet to name the same starting XI this season. City have won all of their WSL matches so far and have not lost in Europe, where they drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich after recovering from two goals down and then drew 1-1 with Real Madrid after coming from behind. In the WSL, they have gained six points from losing positions, more than any other team.
Jeglertz's substitutions have had a notable impact. Beth Mead provided an assist against Birmingham City and Kerstin Casparij scored with her first touch against Arsenal. After City's 4-2 win over Arsenal, Jeglertz said that the changes made in the final half an hour had often turned games around. He added that the players coming on, no matter who they are, have always affected the game in a good way.
The manager has also been able to manage minutes. Key players such as Kerstin Casparij, Khadija Shaw and Yui Hasegawa have played fewer minutes at this stage than they did last season in the WSL. USA international Sam Coffey has featured in every game but has completed 90 minutes only once. City's 16 WSL goals include 10 in the second half, with three in stoppage time, and Casparij said the squad's resilience and mentality are important over a long season.
The challenge is familiar. City finished runners-up to Chelsea in the WSL in 2019 and 2020 without going beyond the last 16 in Europe, and after finishing second again in 2021 while reaching at least the quarter-finals in both domestic cups and the Champions League, they dropped to third and then fourth in the WSL in the following two years. They are keen to avoid a repeat.
England international Lauren Hemp described the European draws as not up to their standard despite facing tough opposition. Jeglertz was pleased with the second-half display against Real Madrid but said City still need to win such games if they want to go far, and that they are still looking for a complete 90-minute performance. He called the start okay rather than ideal. City are five games into the WSL season and have four more matches in the Champions League league phase, with several players recovering from injury.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
