. City were on a run of 21 wins and one defeat in 23 WSL matches, meaning that across 12 months they had the best league results in the country. Yet four months and four painful league defeats later, Taylor is out.
To some, who were surprised Taylor was given a one-year contract extension in May 2023 despite City finishing fourth, his departure has been on the cards because of a relatively low trophy return – the FA Cup in 2020 and League Cup in 2022 – and City’s eliminations in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League in 2022 and 2023. To others, who see him as the coach who was within a whisker of winning the league last term, his dismissal may seem brutal.
For the club, it is understood the sacking was based on performances, amid concern Taylor was not looking set to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top three. The decisive moment for the powers-that-be appears to have come last Wednesday at West Ham, when a stoppage-time equaliser from Manuela Paví meant City dropped points for the fifth time in nine WSL matches.
Some sources have suggested the damage was done a month earlier, when a 4-3 loss at home to Arsenal – City’s fourth defeat in six WSL games – badly hampered their hopes of qualifying for Europe. Either way, the downturn since mid-November has left them fourth, a point below Arsenal having played an extra game. Minds are understood to have been made up before Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup quarter-final victory at home to Aston Villa in Taylor’s final match. Taylor will surely privately bemoan the absences of England’s Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood through injury since that run of 21 …
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