By Emily Wyatt (22/05/25)
Above: Manchester City squad, 2024-25 season. Photo: @ManCityWomen on X.
In the second of a series of round-ups following the close of the 2024-25 WSL season, Impetus Football’s Emily Wyatt reviews Manchester City’s season.
After it went down to the wire at the end of the 2023-24 season, fans expected that Man City would be a huge threat going into the new campaign. The Cityzens missed out narrowly on claiming the Women’s Super League title when it came down to goal difference on the final day against eight-time champions, Chelsea. Despite still claiming their spot in the champions league and securing second place, the next season would not be the huge success that was expected of City.
A Fresh Start
Going into the season, Manchester City fans had high hopes for the success of their team this year. The strong signings made in the summer, as well as the quality players that were already in the squad, placed a positive light on the upcoming season. Their biggest signing of the summer was most definitely the free transfer of ex-Arsenal player, Vivianne Miedema. The Dutch striker, who holds the title as record-breaking goal scorer in the WSL, created major excitement for fans as they anticipated what she would bring to this momentous Man City side.
Other signings included Japan internationals such as right-back Risa Shimizu, forward Aoba Fujino, goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita. They also signed young talent, Naomi Layzell from Bristol City. The tremendous talent that was seeping into the squad assured the Cityzens that they would be powering into the season with the right fuel for success.
A steadily strong start to the season
The Blues had a decently strong start to the season. Despite diving headfirst into a vital first game of the season against Arsenal, both teams left level at the Emirates, giving them astrong and steady start to the season. The following fixtures presented Man City as being on a relentless run, inevitably eager to give themselves the opportunity to get their hands on every possible trophy in sight this year. A few of their results included a 2-1 win over Liverpool, a 4-0 win over Tottenham and a 3-0 win over newly promoted Crystal Palace, all while dominating their Champions’ League group stage.
Still, despite the injury of City’s superstar, Lauren Hemp, the team were still proving that they were capable of powering ahead even without their fantastic forward. The domination maintained their determination and presented itself positively through the support of the fans as they ran away with the wins.
The Magic of the Champions League
After claiming automatic qualification into the Champions League for the 24/25 season, Man City found themselves in a group with European giants, Barcelona. The anticipation of this fixture had the nerves of Man City fans spiraling due to the known intensity that Barcelona can provide. Although the nerves and doubts lingered, the first leg would hold a special treat for the City fans.
As it reached the half-time mark, they were already up by one goal through young summer signing, Naomi Layzell, creating a spectacular vibrance around the Joie Stadium. As this memorable game for the City fans was coming to a close, Bunny Shaw managed to claim a second for the blues on the night, finishing the game with a flawless 2-0 win against the current holders. That was a special one.
Despite the unbelievable win over Barcelona in the group stages, it wasn’t meant to be as they approached the second leg of the quarter-finals against Chelsea, in their final meeting of the month. Although Vivianne Miedema drove her team to a win in the first leg of the quarterfinals through two incredible goals, it wasn’t enough to stop the resilience of Chelsea. Unfortunately for City, the second leg finished at 3-2 on aggregate, ending their Champions League journey.
New Beginnings for Chloe Kelly
The January transfer window provided many unexpected turns of events for City fans, but Chloe Kelly’s departure for rivals Arsenal was definitely up there. The Lioness Legend made only twelve appearances for City since the season began in all competitions, and with the European Championships fast approaching in the summer, she was determined to give herself every chance at securing her spot on the plane.
After making over 100 appearances in blue, scoring many goals and being a big impact player for the club, it mustn’t have been an easy decision. However, when the North London club came swooping in to take her on loan, she jumped onto the opportunity to give her the chance of finishing her season on a high.
The sudden departure of Gareth Taylor
In March of 2025, Gareth Taylor the team’s head coach, parted ways with the club after five years of service.
During Taylor’s departure, the club stated, “Manchester City prides itself on competing at the top of the WSL and on its outstanding record of qualifying for the European competitions” and “Unfortunately results this season have so far not reached this high standard.”
Despite the team claiming a two-nil win over Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-final the day before his departure, the club believed that it was not enough and a change in direction was needed to secure Champions League qualification ready for next season.
In replace of Gareth Taylor, Nick Cushing came back for his second spell in the WSL as an interim coach for Manchester City. Before his time abroad, Cushing served seven years as Manchester City’s head coach from 2013 to 2020. During his time on the blue side of Manchester, he secured six major trophies with the Cityzens, including three league cups, two FA Cups and one Barclays Women’s Super League title. It was clear that City fans were happy to have him back.
The injury impact
It is fair to say that Man City have been unlucky with injuries this season. Some of the biggest names, arguably in the game, were included amongst those who acquired injuries. Players included; Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Mary Fowlersuffering knee injuries, Vivianne Miedema and Khadija Shaw claiming thigh injuries along with another two players throughout the season. This had major impacts for City.
The anticipated success and high expectations of fans were placed on the team as early as going into the season, due to how close to greatness they were last year. However, the injury and managerial disruptions throughout the course of the season understandably had a knock-on effect and the dream of competing till the end in the Champions League, FA Cup and the WSL was unfortunately crushed for the players and fans.
The last dance
The last game of the season was much more than coming to the end of a campaign which had come with many highs and lows for Man City. The sun radiated over Old Trafford, ready for the Manchester Derby, full of huge opportunities for both teams.But this wasn’t just a chance to paint the city blue for Nick Cushing’s side, it was also the last chance of claiming a place in next season’s Champions League campaign.
The teams came out looking motivated and ready for the big day, on the closing weekend of a huge season, knowing what was at stake. The Cityzens put up a strong fight and their chances of getting the win escalated after Aoife Manion received a red card, leaving the Red Devils with only 10 players. However, despite putting up a strong fight to claim the draw, it would have had to be a win on the day for City which resulted in United claiming third place, Champions League qualification.
Looking forward
It was clear that this season had thrown many hurdles for Manchester City. The continuous battle which included injured players, the exit of Gareth Taylor, and the departure of key players such as Chloe Kelly was never going to be easy.
However, the search for a new coach remains ongoing if the position of Nick Cushing remains as an interim, which provides many opportunities for City next season. Although they have fallen short at the very last hurdle for Champions League qualification next season, there will still be many successful opportunities up for grabs. The anticipation of who will lead the Blues to possible greatness in the near future is immense and fans are beyond excited to see what’s in store after an exciting summer.
If you missed the previous season wrap ups:
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