"When City lifted this trophy in 2016, the landscape of the English women's game was wholly different. The club, then managed by Nick Cushing, completed the 16-game campaign unbeaten and clinched the title on a day when they deployed a starting XI featuring nine English and two Scottish players from a squad that included only six non-English players."
"Their class of 2026 features players from 15 nations, and eight countries were represented in their starting side against Liverpool, but the way the squad has come together as a true team has defined their season. It is understood one of the key priorities last summer was to emphasise the need for a unified group fighting for each other, and it has worked."
"One source close to the squad told the Guardian in April: There are no whiners in this group, and that's rarely the case in team sports. Another expressed a view that this was the most together City team they had seen in the WSL era."
Manchester City claimed the Women's Super League championship, ending a ten-year title drought since their 2016 victory. The 2026 squad represents a dramatic transformation from the 2016 team, which featured primarily English players. The current squad includes players from 15 nations, with eight countries represented in the starting lineup against Liverpool. The team's success stems from deliberate emphasis on unity and collective fighting spirit, with sources noting the absence of internal conflict and describing it as the most cohesive City team in the WSL era. Captain Alex Greenwood, winning her first WSL title at 32, and head coach Andree Jeglertz have been instrumental in establishing strong off-pitch standards and maintaining unwavering belief in the team's capabilities.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]