Birmingham City Ready to Challenge Manchester City in WSL Opener
Birmingham City will not tiptoe back into the Women's Super League. Amy Merricks is promising they will walk straight into the champions’ backyard and go “toe-to-toe”.
On Sunday, newly promoted Birmingham return to the top flight with the toughest assignment possible: Manchester City away at the Joie Stadium, 14:30 BST. The same fixture in May 2022 ended in a 6-0 hammering and confirmed their relegation. That scar still sits in the background. Merricks is using a very different script.
“I think it's a great time to play Man City,” the head coach said, embracing an opener most clubs would dread. “We know it's going to be a challenge but we are well and truly up for it. We are here to compete, not just make up the numbers.”
Birmingham climbed out of WSL 2 in style last season, clinching the title on the final day and ending a four-year stay in the second tier. They did it with ambition, not caution, averaging 2.09 goals per game and building a reputation as one of the division’s most adventurous sides.
That, Merricks insists, will not be left at the door just because the opposition has changed.
“There is a core part of our identity that is non-negotiable for us as Blues and myself as a head coach,” she said. “We are a progressive team, we will find ways to create and score. We are really clear on what our strengths are and what we need to maximise.
“This is the best league in the world, it is going to be tough and a challenge, but what we can't do is lose our strengths. We have to amplify those and put ourselves in the best position possible.
“We have to focus on what we can control and that's how we can compete. We don't fear anyone. I think we showed that in the cup competitions last year.”
Those cup runs are not forgotten in Manchester.
Champions wary of Birmingham bite
Man City swept every home league game last season, 11 wins from 11, as they powered to their first WSL title in a decade. The Joie Stadium became a fortress. Yet Andree Jeglertz does not need reminding that Birmingham have already made life awkward for his side.
Sunday’s meeting lands exactly five months after City edged a 1-0 victory away at Birmingham in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals, a tie that demanded patience and problem-solving from the champions.
“We had a tough game against them last year,” Jeglertz admitted. “They were tactically very good and destroyed all the space on the field, defending low and their transitioning was very good. There are threats in their team we need to give attention to.”
That respect is underpinned by a warning. Promoted teams often arrive with a surge of energy, and City’s head coach is braced for it.
“Playing against a team that is new in the league is always a challenge because I know they are coming in with a lot of energy in the first game.”
City’s challenge is different. They are no longer the hunters. They are the target.
It is their first league title defence in 10 years, but Jeglertz is determined to keep his players in a chasing mindset, not one that protects what they already have.
“We are still chasing, chasing to win again,” he said. “If you start protecting things, I don't think that will help us. We need to be in a mood of hunger, trying to win again, to compete in different tournaments.
“If we drop a little bit in performance or attitude, teams will go past us.”
Early injury tests for City
City will begin that defence without one of their headline forwards. Vivianne Miedema is sidelined with a knee injury and will not feature until at least late autumn. Defender Rebecca Knaak is also out of Sunday’s opener with a foot problem.
There is some relief elsewhere in the squad. Defender Jade Rose and midfielder Grace Clinton have returned to training, giving Jeglertz extra options as the season kicks off. But there is fresh doubt over summer signing Niamh Charles, described as “a big question mark” for the visit of Birmingham.
So the champions start slightly patched up. The promoted side arrive full of belief and goals from a rampant second-tier campaign. One club guarding a crown. The other intent on proving it belongs back among the elite.
On Sunday in Manchester, we find out which story lands the first blow of the new season.
