The 'mentality Shift' That Has Helped Man City To Top Of Wsl

Seven wins connected nan rotation and apical of nan array erstwhile again - Manchester City are backmost successful business successful nan Women's Super League.

Khadija Shaw's victor against Everton connected Sunday meant City moved supra Chelsea astatine nan acme aft nan six-time defending champions dropped points successful a 1-1 tie pinch Arsenal connected Saturday.

And nan Jamaica striker says location has been a "mentality shift" nether caller caput coach Andree Jeglertz aft a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, which City ended 4th successful nan array to miss retired connected a spot successful nan Champions League.

"We had a setback past year, nary Champions League, and we sat down arsenic a group astatine nan extremity of past play and had an honorable speech betwixt ourselves," said Shaw, who is nan league's joint-top scorer pinch 5 goals.

"There's a mentality displacement compared to past season. This play we conscionable request nan 3 points.

"Last play we fell short successful a mates of nan games but this play nan mentality is nan biggest thing."

City dropped points successful 9 games past season, and vanished nan run 17 points down Sonia Bompastor's Chelsea, besides failing to triumph immoderate silverware.

It marked a crisp diminution from nan erstwhile season, erstwhile City pushed Chelsea each nan measurement successful an enthralling title title - coming 2nd only connected extremity difference.

Jeglertz appears to person reignited City's title ambitions.

They person not mislaid since their opening-day conclusion by Chelsea, and person scored much goals (20) than immoderate different squad successful nan WSL this season.

"They've already taken advantage of Chelsea dropping points and now they're apical of nan table," erstwhile City striker Ellen White told BBC Two.

"Now it's astir staying there. It's astir getting 3 points. They're not successful nan Champions League. They're successful each nan different home cups. It's their chance to really drawback nan title and spell each nan measurement now."

Since arriving successful July, Jeglertz has done much than present an energetic, high-pressing marque of shot - he has reshaped nan team's mindset.

"I deliberation it's very important that we person truthful galore bully players," he told nan BBC. "They person been done truthful galore different things successful their careers, they person truthful overmuch knowledge and person won truthful overmuch pinch this team.

"To bring everybody together truthful that everybody feels we are portion of it, it's not conscionable nan caput coach ideas and role. We are trying to build thing truthful everyone feels 'this is Man City' and this is our team. Maybe that is 1 point that has caused it."

City's free-flowing, attacking shot whitethorn person faltered successful their past 2 matches, but they person crushed retired wins complete West Ham and Everton.

"Everton made them gain each ounce of that victory," ex-England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis said aft Sunday's 2-1 win.

"If you want to spell connected and triumph a title you tin look backmost astatine games for illustration this 1 that could easy person snuck by you if you've not been arsenic disciplined arsenic Manchester City were.

"So albeit possibly not arsenic broad triumph arsenic onlookers would person thought, a very valuable one."

White added: "They had to get nan occupation done. They had to get 3 points and capitalise connected Chelsea dropping points against Arsenal."

Shaw's victor against Everton was her 5th extremity of nan play and nan Jamaica striker - a two-time victor of nan Golden Boot - erstwhile again leads nan league's goalscoring charts, on pinch Manchester United's Melvine Malard.

The 28-year-old vanished arsenic nan league's joint-top scorer past play pinch Alessia Russo connected 12 goals, contempt missing nan extremity of nan play pinch a ft injury.

Jeglertz will beryllium hoping Shaw tin enactment injury-free arsenic City equine different push for nan title.

"I consciousness for illustration we cognize what she tin do," White said. "It's astir being ruthless.

"I consciousness for illustration a batch of their past fewer years has been astir being possession-based, scoring nan beautiful goals. This is simply a beautiful extremity but it's astir getting nan occupation done and being objective successful beforehand of goal."