Many moments of Manchester Metropolis’s illustrious season, their greatest in a decade, stand out. Large objectives, necessary outcomes and colossal performances. However that’s not sufficient to win a Ladies’s Tremendous League as aggressive as this one. Not in 2025/26 anyway.
Man Metropolis’s begin to this marketing campaign, a 2-1 loss at Chelsea, tells you the way far they’ve needed to climb underneath Andree Jeglertz. The Swede had by no means coached within the WSL earlier than. He had by no means managed a membership outdoors of his native Sweden, in reality.
His appointment in the summertime of 2025 subsequently got here with calculated threat. Jeglertz was identified to be a serial winner in his homeland, notably with Umea IK, however how that translated within the WSL was an entire thriller. Because it occurs, his methodology has transferred tremendously properly – however it did not begin that method.
Manchester Metropolis are WSL champions for the second time of their historical past
Again in early September each observer, together with this one, wrote about Chelsea’s excellent lift-off to their title defence. Man Metropolis barely bought an inch of column house as a result of Chelsea tormented them. A baptism of fireside for Jeglertz, as new-era Metropolis bore most of the stale hallmarks of the earlier regime: efficiency over finish end result.
Maybe that loss was a obligatory evil. A blessing in disguise. Jeglertz’s studying of the scenario carried much less conviction on the time however rings true now: “We are challenging Chelsea during the whole game and we will definitely do that throughout this season.”
The return leg was gained emphatically 5-1 by Metropolis in February.
Man Metropolis’s 2025/26 season in numbers
And when you could be type sufficient to indulge this author’s early-season assertion – “Man City might not have liked the outcome, but they will be dangerous this season and hold definite title promise” – then actually there needs to be little shock in any respect of their triumph as champions. How they bought right here, although, needs to be thought of much less common.
To be so dominant in such a fierce period takes extraordinary energy. It analyses each element right down to a advantageous artwork and nonetheless pores over learn how to be higher. It takes each mistake or misplaced go personally. And it calls for an incredible coach with a sound technique to knit all of it collectively.
Manchester Metropolis have gained 17 of their 20 WSL video games since defeat at Chelsea, working with an effectivity that final yr’s champions, who went unbeaten underneath Sonia Bompastor, could not even match. The numbers inform the story.
Chelsea, as 2024/25 champions, regarded just like the graphic beneath. Strong however not spectacular. Most, although not all, video games had been gained on the advantage of their league-best defence. They had been so arduous to attain in opposition to that successful by a 1-0 scoreline has develop into Chelsea’s most frequent end result underneath Bompastor – 9 of 33 wins have been by that margin since she took cost.
Chelsea’s 2024/25 season in numbers
However there have been technical faults, too. Bompastor was at all times open in regards to the stylistic tweaks she needed. Solely West Ham (431) and Leicester (441) registered extra unsuccessful touches of the ball than Chelsea (419) throughout final season. They had been dispossessed extra instances than some other facet (323). And ranked behind Arsenal and Man Metropolis in virtually each possession-based metric.
None of that context is to cut back the legitimacy of Chelsea’s unbeaten marketing campaign, the primary staff ever to take action. Moderately, it is supposed to shine a light-weight on how spectacular Metropolis have been of their first yr underneath Jeglertz, unlocking the potential that was there all alongside.
They’ve scored 12 extra objectives than next-best Arsenal (46) and their xG is 9.61 higher than next-best Chelsea (44.81). It is tough to cease them from open play and even tougher from set-pieces. Metropolis have netted a WSL-high 16 objectives from set-plays – 13 from corners – which no staff will get near matching, conceding only one in the other way.
They’re the one facet with a 100 per cent residence file, successful all 11 outings with a purpose distinction of +28. They usually have performed all of this utilizing the fewest gamers (23).
There’s something fairly putting about the best way this staff performs soccer, too. The intricacy of the triangles, the rotations, the press. All so coordinated. No facet have recorded extra open play sequences of 10+ passes (260). However maybe extra fascinating nonetheless is Jeglertz’s strategy.
“I’m not on the sideline telling them what to do,” he maintains, “it has to be their decisions. They have come far in that feeling to be comfortable making their own decisions”. Whereas Metropolis underneath Gareth Taylor had been inflexible in a possession-based construction that regarded higher than it was in observe, Jeglertz’s stamp is all about freedom. ‘All the time be obtainable,’ is his guideline.
The remainder is about harnessing good vibes and vitality. Jeglertz, described by those that know him as humble and likeable, talks so much about “showing up” in the suitable method and he hammers residence the message about “good habits” in most dressing room staff talks. Each resolution is player-centric, permitting the suitable tradition to develop organically.
Such a course of is straightforward to purchase into as a result of it makes every particular person accountable for the one controllable in soccer: software. No striker scores as many objectives as Bunny Shaw has with out it. No midfielder is ready to flip the ball over as many instances as Yui Hasegawa. No ahead is ready to create as many huge probabilities as Lauren Hemp.
No mixture of gamers is as full as Manchester Metropolis’s.
Constructing thus far has occurred over many seasons, many switch home windows, and plenty of evolutions of a staff. It took many setbacks, too. Dropping the 2023/24 title to Chelsea on purpose distinction, dropping out of European competitors altogether and Taylor’s weirdly timed sacking after 5 years in cost all contributed to this crowning second. The reservoir of disappointment to attract from was huge.
Former Metropolis midfielder turned Sky Sports activities pundit Izzy Christiansen believes Metropolis have struck the stability completely this yr: “The staff is stuffed with world-class gamers. After which the tradition speaks for itself, you may see the togetherness and the relentless mentality of the group.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
The very best objectives from Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw throughout the 2025/26 Ladies’s Tremendous League season
“They have got a wonderful blend of senior leadership – Alex Greenwood, Rebecca Knaak, Viv Miedema – intertwined with youthful, hungry, fresh players. The talent in this team is born to be winners.”
Moreover, Man Metropolis are the impartial’s selection. Chelsea’s six-year reign of domination is formally over and that may be a good factor for the rivalry of the league. The very best soccer performed by essentially the most thrilling and versatile collective of expertise has gained out.
Jeglertz’s subsequent, and arguably even tougher, process is learn how to flip this primary triumph right into a cycle of continued success for years to return.
