Talking Tactics: How City can bounce back from cup exits

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for Manchester City.

Gareth Taylor's side were beaten 1-0 in the Conti Cup semi-finals by title rivals Chelsea before being dumped out of the Women's FA Cup by Tottenham following a penalty shootout defeat.

City may have also lost Khadija Shaw — the team's top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions — to a shoulder injury picked up in the loss to Spurs.

As they return to Women's Super League action against Brighton, we assess how the Citizens can get back on track.

No panic

Taylor will not want to deviate too much from what has served his side so well in recent months.

Before their cup disappointments, City had won 12 games in a row across all competitions and propelled themselves into contention for a first league title since 2016.

Things are likely to be more difficult moving forward with Shaw potentially absent — but this is a team built predominantly on strong defensive foundations. 

The Citizens have conceded just six goals in their last 10 WSL matches and kept a clean sheet in last month's 1-0 win over Chelsea.

They are still the division's form team, regardless of a couple of narrow cup losses.

There is no need to rip things up and start again after such a minor wobble, so Taylor is unlikely to make any significant tactical changes.

Shaw injury

Perhaps the biggest dilemma Taylor faces heading into today's fixture is how to cope with Shaw's likely absence.

The 27-year-old striker has a remarkable 13 goals in her last 10 WSL appearances, scoring form which fired her team into title contention.

It is not yet clear how serious her shoulder injury is, although even one game without their key forward would be a blow for City.

With summer signing Jill Roord out for the season after rupturing her ACL in January, Taylor's options up top are quite limited.

It would mean an overreliance on wide forwards Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp, both of whom have scored eight goals in all competitions.

The Citizens have actually overperformed their xG of 29.5 in the WSL this term, scoring 38 goals in 15 matches.

That is largely because of Shaw's lethal finishing, so ensuring City remain clinical in front of goal with their top scorer potentially absent will undoubtedly be a priority.

Terland threat

City will expect to dominate the ball in this afternoon's clash up against a Brighton side who average just 44.3% possession.

Taylor's side average 59.1% and have controlled most games against opposition below them in the table.

Doing so again could be fruitful against a Brighton side that have struggled for goals this season, the Seagulls scoring just 20 in 15 games.

They have been reliant on star striker Elisabeth Terland, who has netted 11 of her team's WSL goals.

Keeping the Norwegian quiet will be key — and in-form centre-backs Alex Greenwood and Laia Aleixandri will likely relish the task.

If they can help their side to another clean sheet, City should find themselves back on track as they fight with Chelsea and Arsenal for the WSL title.