Gareth Taylor has played down the impact of Chelsea’s shock 4-3 loss to Liverpool on Wednesday, which gave his Manchester City side a firm advantage in the Women’s Super League title race. “It’s changed nothing,” he insisted on Friday. “There’s been a lot of talk around it but the objective is the same: win the next game.”
City, who have won one WSL title, in 2016, host Arsenal at the Joie Stadium on Sunday before playing Aston Villa away in their final game. Chelsea, who on Friday announced that Maren Mjelde would leave at the end of the season, welcome relegated Bristol City to Kingsmeadow and play Tottenham away before travelling to Old Trafford to face the team they lost 2-1 to in the FA Cup semi-final last month: Manchester United.
Chelsea’s midweek loss to Liverpool left Emma Hayes conceding the title to Taylor’s side with two and a half weeks remaining. “Of course, mathematically it’s not, but I think the title is done,” the manager said.
City are six points clear with a goal difference superior by eight, having played a game more, but Taylor remains cautious. He was asked whether he had watched Chelsea’s game at Liverpool. “It’s about controlling what you can control, so watching a game where that can happen is difficult,” he said. “I heard about the result and my phone was quite lively.”
Navigating a way past Arsenal will not be easy. This season Arsenal got the better of City in the league, winning 2-1 at Boreham Wood, while City knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup, winning 1-0 in the fifth round. Even if Chelsea win their remaining games, for City a draw on Sunday and a win against Villa would be enough but Taylor said: “Who goes into a game trying to draw? I don’t think anyone ever does. For us, it’s about trying to continue our really good run of 14 [straight league] wins, trying to make that 16. We have to fight to the end, and we will, I’ve no doubt about that.”
Arsenal’s manager, Jonas Eidevall, said he was not surprised by City’s impressive form, after they finished fourth last season, missing out on the Champions League. “When you look at the underlying numbers from last season, they were the team with the best expected goal difference in the league but they finished fourth,” he said. “[People] look at the points and draw all conclusions from that. But when you look at the underlying numbers you see a team that had a really strong season and has kept that the same core, adding some really good additions, like Khiara Keating, who has had a brilliant season.”
Eidevall said a lack of Champions League football could not be regarded as beneficial when analysing City’s success in the league. “It is such a loser mentality to see it as an advantage not being in Europe,” he said. “I don’t think that’s how you build a successful football club or football team. The end goal needs to be success domestically and internationally. But consistency is a really important factor and they have had a consistent core of players. They’re building some really strong relationships.”
How does Taylor keep the players from thinking the job is done? “Just focusing on the next session, the next recovery session, the next analysis session, whatever it is; control the controllables,” he said.
“We can’t be playing the game in our head, playing the next two weeks in our head. We’ve done that really well this season, our concentration levels have been really good, and we’ve not got carried away.”
A win on Sunday would take City that bit closer to the title, but it will also be the captain Steph Houghton’s last home game before her retirement and an opportunity for fans to recognise her tremendous contribution to the club over the past 10 years, and to Arsenal before that.
“Steph will be, as she always has been, the utmost professional,” Taylor said. “The mentality is incredible. I said in the press conference at Bristol, she effectively did my team talk for me at half-time, with the words that she used and the way that she spoke to the players.
“She’ll be a loss, no doubt. It’s so difficult to replicate that. Others in the group will try to step into that space but everyone’s unique and Steph certainly is. What she brings and the way she’s driven the team has been incredible.”
