Manchester City have made an eye-catching start to the season, remaining unbeaten in the Women's Super League and still without a defeat in the Champions League, as manager Andree Jeglertz looks to prove his squad can handle the demands of competing for both trophies simultaneously.
City have won all five of their league fixtures so far, while in Europe they have shown character in digging out results from difficult positions. They came back from 2-0 down away at Bayern Munich to secure a draw in their opening Champions League group match, and then fought back again to level 1-1 against Real Madrid. Domestically, they have collected six points from losing positions in the WSL this term, more than any other side in the division.
A key factor behind City's strong start has been the depth of Jeglertz's squad. The Swedish coach has not named the same starting line-up in any of his matches so far, yet the team's rhythm has remained largely unaffected. His use of substitutes has repeatedly paid dividends, with Beth Mead teeing up a goal in the win over Birmingham City and Kerstin Casparij scoring with her very first touch after coming off the bench against Arsenal.
"If you look at all the games we have played this season so far, I think the substitutions and changes we have made in the last half an hour has quite often turned the game around," Jeglertz said after City's 4-2 victory over Arsenal. "We really have finished off on a high. We have never dropped that. I think that is something for us to take forward. You can only start with 11 players but you can make five substitutions. The ones that have come in, no matter who it is, have always affected it in a good way."
The numbers back up his assessment: of City's 16 league goals this season, ten have arrived in the second half, including three in stoppage time.
History offers City reasons for caution, however. Despite finishing as WSL runners-up in 2019 and 2020, they failed to progress beyond the last 16 in the Champions League during those campaigns. A similar pattern followed their second-place finish in 2021, when strong domestic cup runs and a Champions League quarter-final appearance were followed by two seasons in which City fell at the European qualifying stage and slipped to third, then fourth, in the league.
Mindful of that history, both players and staff are wary of being satisfied with their current European form. England forward Lauren Hemp described the draws against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as "not our standard," despite acknowledging the quality of the opposition. Jeglertz shared that sentiment while praising his side's second-half showing against Real Madrid.
"We have played two teams that are definitely at a very high level. If you want to go far in the tournament, you also need to win these games," Jeglertz said. "We have two points and haven't lost and we had two good halves. But we're still looking for a 90 minutes where we feel we can do a great game. It's an OK start. It's not ideal but it's a good start. We know what is needed from us for the rest of the tournament."
Injuries remain a concern, with Vivianne Miedema, Sydney Lohmann, Rebecca Knaak and Risa Shimizu all working their way back to fitness, while midfielder Sam Coffey picked up a knock during the win over Arsenal. Coffey, despite featuring in every match this season, has started the full 90 minutes only once as Jeglertz continues to rotate his squad carefully.
Casparij, City's vice-captain, credited the manager's clarity with giving players the confidence to perform in any role. "That's what Andree does. He's really clear with us and it allows me to play my game, trust my instinct, trust my gut and play with a lot of freedom," she said. "We've got incredible resilience and mentality within this team. We've got incredible players coming off the bench, changing the game. That is so important because it's the whole team that you need, especially in a long season like this. Nothing is won yet but we have to keep up this mentality."
With four more Champions League league-phase matches and the bulk of the WSL season still to come, City's ability to balance depth, fitness and ambition across both competitions will be tested further in the weeks ahead.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.