Women’s Super League 2022-23 previews No 8: Manchester City

“We need to win the league this season,” said Gareth Taylor, bluntly, before what promises to be a season of transition at the Academy Stadium. As if losing Ellen White, Jill Scott and Karen Bardsley to retirement, Lucy Bronze – and almost certainly Keira Walsh, too – to Barcelona, Georgia Stanway to Bayern Munich and Caroline Weir to Real Madrid were not taxing enough, City’s manager saw his side eliminated from the Champions League when they fell to a 1-0 defeat in their qualifier at Real Madrid in August.

With Barcelona set to add his key midfielder Walsh to their squad after agreeing a record fee for England’s anchor, Taylor has quite a challenge on his hands as he continues to preside over a significant squad overhaul. One familiar face staying put is the former England captain Steph Houghton, and City could do with their influential 34-year-old centre-half showing that the achilles injury that sidelined her for much of last season is firmly in the past.

Houghton has been joined by some exciting, high-calibre reinforcements including the Venezuela forward Deyna Castellanos, recruited from Atlético Madrid, the Spain left-back Leila Ouahabi, signed from Barcelona, the Spain right-back or centre-half Laia Aleixandri, previously with Atlético, and the former Montpellier forward and Australia international Mary Fowler. At 19 years of age, Fowler, who can play as a striker or attacking midfielder, is regarded as one of the most exciting emerging talents in the game.

Although City recovered from a sticky start to finish third last season, Taylor’s team ended up nine points behind the champions, Chelsea, and eight adrift of Arsenal. It did not help that Taylor’s first-choice goalkeeper, Ellie Roebuck, spent the first half