Manchester City reborn: how Andrée Jeglertz has put WSL title in reach already | OneFootball

After six consecutive years as champions, Chelsea find their firm grip on the Women’s Super League crown has been reduced to a little finger clinging to the side of the trophy. They head to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday nine points behind their opponents and surely sensing that only a win could prevent the title from transferring to Manchester City’s outstretched arms.

City have endured plenty of near misses since they last won the WSL 10 years ago, finishing second five times – or six, if we include 2017’s shorter Spring Series. They have frequently made it look as if “next year” would finally be their year, so there is a sense of irony about their flourishing form arriving after they ended 17 points below Chelsea last season.

So strong has City’s reawakening been that, if they beat Chelsea, they would match the number of league victories they managed last season (13) with three and a half months left. It begs the question: how have they transformed so quickly?

Helpfully, they have avoided the extensive injury list that hindered them in recent campaigns and have also been able to focus on their domestic campaign because they are not playing in Europe. But it would be wrong to imply their upturn is merely down to being fresher. Their revival has been far more sophisticated than that.

The club took their time in choosing a replacement for Gareth Taylor as head coach but, in Andrée Jeglertz, they appear to be in very safe hands. The Swede is bringing a soothing sense of calm to a high-pressure title race. He is consistent with his messaging and is saying all the right things in the media, never sensationalising, never overreacting and never doubting his players. After their League Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea, he spoke of his full faith in the team and was rewarded with a bounce-back win.

“If the players are very happy, I need to be balanced; if the players are very disappointed, I need to be balanced,” Jeglertz said of his level-headed approach after last Sunday’s victory at London City Lionesses. “That’s the coach’s job: finding the balance all the time.” Sources close to the club have also described him as a thoughtful listener and praised his people-management skills, saying he takes time to hear players’ views and communicates concisely and clearly.

Alongside that, there is a determination that has rubbed off on City’s pressing and work rate – they have won possession in the final third more times than any other team – and their focus is exemplified by the fact they are yet to concede in stoppage time in either half or make an error leading directly to a league goal.

City lead the way for set-piece goals in the WSL, suggesting the staff’s work in training is paying off, and they have scored nearly three times as many headed goals (eight) as any other team, which reflects another trait of this team’s style: they strive to whip crosses into the box, with Lauren Hemp and Kerstin Casparij the league’s top two for successful crosses.

Often on the end of those is the WSL’s runaway top scorer, the relentless Khadija Shaw, who has won nearly twice as many aerial duels as anyone else in the division. Consistency of selection has also been key, with no WSL team using fewer players than City. Shaw is one of five who have played in all 13 league games, alongside Casparij, Yui Hasegawa, Vivianne Miedema and one of the WSL’s most-improved players this term, Laura Blindkilde Brown, who has started 12 of them and come of age.

Alongside her, and able to push forward with a more attacking mindset this term, has been a flawless Hasegawa, who has completed the WSL’s second-highest number of successful passes in the final third, behind Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey. Miedema has created the most “big chances” and Alex Greenwood is second with six. Their bench is usually full of gamechangers, too, with Kerolin having the best minutes-per-goal-involvement rate, at an average of one every 53 minutes, and Iman Beney adding further attacking depth.

The 19-year-old was one of six summer signings and it has proven to be a strong period of recruitment, overseen by their director of football, Therese Sjögran, who –crucially, unlike many of her counterparts – has extensive experience working in the women’s game. She won more than 200 caps for Sweden but, perhaps more importantly, took this job after a strong spell as Rosengård’s sporting director. She, like Jerglertz, is a calming presence in what can be a chaotic world.

There is also a strong spirit in this unified-looking City squad. Sources close to the team have said that when players socialise they are doing so in larger inclusive groups, for team dinners for example, and that there have been no negative vibes.

As Jeglertz has reiterated, they have a long way to go. The game against Chelsea is followed by a visit to Arsenal, so no one inside the club will be getting the champagne out just yet. Chelsea have beaten City in seven of their past eight meetings, but this time feels different. Rising from their lowest ebb, City are a team reborn. After languishing in fourth last term they look ready to go forth and win the league again at last.

Header image: [Photograph: Naomi Baker/WSL/WSL Football/Getty Images]