Manchester City part ways with Gareth Taylor amid WSL struggles | OneFootball

Manchester City have parted ways with Gareth Taylor as the manager pays the price for a difficult Women’s Super League (WSL) season.

The former forward had been in charge at the club for five years, leading them to Women’s FA Cup success in 2020 and League Cup triumph two years later.

Manchester City missed out on a second WSL title on goal difference to Chelsea last season, but Taylor’s side have struggled for consistency during this campaign and are languishing in fourth in the table.

And with six games to go, the club have moved to install former boss Nick Cushing in an interim role in a bid to instigate an improvement in form.

“Manchester City prides itself on competing at the top of the WSL and on its outstanding record of qualifying for European competition,” managing director Charlotte O’Neill said.

“Unfortunately, results this season have so far not reached this high standard. With six games of the WSL campaign remaining, we believe that a change of management will breathe fresh life into our bid to ensure qualification for the 2025/26 UEFA Women’s Champions League.

“We would like to place on record our thanks to Gareth for all of his efforts during his many years at City. Our FA Cup and League Cup triumphs will remain special moments in the history of this football club. We wish him all the best for the future.”

Cushing enjoyed a long, successful stint at the club between 2013 and 2020, a period that included the breakthrough WSL success in 2016.

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Nick Cushing has returned to Manchester City (Getty)

He left to take a role as an assistant at New York City FC, also a member of the City Football Group network of clubs, before stepping up to the top role in 2022. He was sacked after two seasons last year and has since been out of work.

Manchester City take on Chelsea in the League Cup final at Pride Park in Derby on Saturday. It is the first of four consecutive games between the pair before two Champions League semi-final legs either side of a WSL meeting.

Taylor’s departure continues a period of managerial upheaval in the WSL with Liverpool’s Matt Beard and Crystal Palace boss Laura Kaminski also losing their jobs.