Manchester City aiming to continue momentum in final UWCL group games says Taylor | OneFootball

Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor says that his side’s aim is to continue their winning run in the UEFA Women’s Champions League until the end of the group stage.

The Cityzens have won four out of four in their group so far. They play host to group minnows SKN St Pölten on Matchday 5 at The Joie Stadium this evening.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester City boss Taylor said that his side have achieved their objective to qualify for the quarter-finals but there is more work to be done.

“Our objective was to qualify,” Taylor said. “When we looked at the group, we knew we were in there with some good teams and one very good team that have been at the top for a long time. We were under no illusions that we had work to do but we very much take it on a game-by-game basis.

“Before we know it, we are four games in, topping the group which may have surprised a few people but for us now, it’s about continuing in these final two games. The first objective is achieved and the second objective is can we finish top of the group?”

Going on to summarise the opening months of the season, Taylor said that he has been impressed with performances, especially at times when squad numbers have been low.

He said “We are a third of the way into the WSL season and in the latter stages of the Champions League group stage. We’ve played 15 games, drew one and lost one, so in general, performances have been very good and results have been good as well.

“More recently, it has been impressive how we have performed when we have been low on numbers. We are missing some key players but performance-wise, getting over the line has been really impressive.”

Manchester City went 2-1 down in the reverse fixture against SKN St Pölten before eventually winning the tie 3-2. Taylor was self-critical of his team selection for that match and said that lessons were learnt.

He said “There are no easy games in the Champions League, regardless of what you’ve seen previously or on paper. An away fixture like that was an eye-opener and there were a lot of learnings from that game for sure.

“If I’m honest, I potentially made too many changes for that game and had to get the likes of Lauren [Hemp] and Jill [Roord] on the pitch, Laia Aleixandri made a big difference too. We had a very young team that night and having academy players playing is a very big ask. In the end, I was really impressed with how that game turned.”

Manchester City’s UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage fixture against SKN St Pölten kicks-off at 8pm. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.