Sky Sports columnist Laura Hunter breaks down the big talking points from the latest Women’s Super League fixtures and explores the key stories at the heart of the women’s game.
Liverpool are doomed to relegation unless Taylor acts quickly
Speaking to Gareth Taylor at the start of the season, he claimed he had been brought to Liverpool to “establish an identity” for the club. He has since said his football philosophy is “like a religion”. Fittingly, Liverpool need hopes and prayers. They are on the road to relegation.
Still without a win after 12 games, Taylor’s style of football is not suitable for a club lacking the talent to execute it. It’s clear what the former Manchester City manager is trying to do, with his players continuing to play Taylor Ball thin, but at what cost?
Liverpool have never been a possession-oriented team. Trying to force the current group to play like that while still getting the points they need to stay in the league is a dangerous game. The Reds entered 2025 with the fewest points (19) and most losses (14) of any team to date. They were also the lowest scorers (21).
In the recent goalless draw with London City, he recorded his first clean sheet of the season but failed to hit a single shot on target.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Liverpool and London City Lionesses end in a goalless draw
There is an important caveat here. The tragic death of Matt Beard, the club’s most successful former manager, has understandably hit the players and staff hard. Beard was a much-loved manager and a cherished figure, and although he had already left the club before his death, this news was, and continues to be, shocking for all who played under him. It is impossible to quantify the lasting impact of grief.
Another problem was that the team suffered a lot of injuries by the end of the season. Liverpool could be without up to 11 first-team players at the time. Arguably, a fully adjusted team would be able to act on Taylor’s exact wishes, but their inability to adapt without that luxury resulted in them posting the lowest points total in league history at this stage of the campaign. Humiliation is inevitable.
Liverpool’s four points are the same as Birmingham City have so far on their way to relegation in 2021/22. This is one place less than Bristol City and Crystal Palace, who were relegated in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons respectively. Liverpool themselves suffered a downturn in 2019/20, picking up six points from their opening 12 games.
Taylor’s football may be easy on the eyes, but it doesn’t pass the reality test. We need to change the game model. We need to place more emphasis on the attack phase, increase risk in frontline areas, and improve unpredictability. Too safe.
Fuka Nagano is a ball player, please improve her even more. Cornelia Kapox and Ceri Holland are good ball carriers and give them license. Grace Fisk can make long passes, so why not try being more direct? All viable options.
Additional signatures in this window are also required.
Taylor may be able to point to passing accuracy and possession statistics, but without an end product there is no real “style” to speak of. They are just teams that are rushing towards the lower leagues.
Jegratz finally unlocks Man City’s title potential
One team that hasn’t struggled to score goals this season is Manchester City. No wonder, considering they have two of the strongest offensive talents in the division. Bunny Shaw and Vivian Miedema. Of course, this is not a new story, nor is it an original story, but it is worth noting because of the clear level of quality of the show. It’s better than ever.
While Shaw has contributed 16 goals (12 goals, 4 assists) in a league of his own, Miedema’s eight goals are a healthy return for a player who is still rediscovering his immense standards after such a long injury absence. Thankfully, winter break hasn’t slowed her down.
Together, these two offer Andrii Žegrács immense opportunities. He holds the keys to every offensive phase of the playbook, a playbook that most coaches dream of having in their arsenal. In the build-up, Miedema’s vision and Shaw’s movement are relentless, allowing him to work around pressure lines as if they weren’t there. This meant Shaw had 12 shots inside the penalty area against Everton at the weekend, the most ever.
Then, without warning, they swapped roles and Shaw became the choreographer, sinking a wonderfully weighted ball into Miedema’s path for City’s second goal. It’s magic from every angle, it’s the shortcut to the goal, it’s the reason Manchester City will win the title this year – something Gareth Taylor tried and failed to do.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Vivianne Miedema linked up brilliantly with Bunny Shaw to score Man City’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Everton.
It’s clear that City have a lot of weapons under Zieglerz. The midfield partnership of Yui Hasegawa and Laura Blindkilde-Brown is commendable, while the full-backs, especially Kerstin Caspari, add an extra layer of threat and supply.
This season, Caspari stepped into the midfield and controlled play, creating a numerical advantage by rotating around Hasegawa and contributing to line breaks. This is a workaround if the cross doesn’t turn on immediately. And then I got a message from Alex Greenwood. Best left foot in the league. There are many companies in the City that create great opportunities, making up 4 of the top 5 companies – visualized below.
City won’t rest until they win the title. I’ve been waiting for 10 years. I can’t see any other satisfying results from here.
Please read the last column before winter break
In my last column, I analyzed Khadijah ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s incredible strike rate at Manchester City and posed the question: Should she be considered the best in league history?
