Manchester City WSL Champions: Season Ratings for a Relentless Squad
The trophy is in the cabinet, the confetti has settled, and Manchester City’s WSL champions can finally be judged. This was a campaign built on a cold, methodical spine and lit up by some of the most devastating attacking football the league has seen.
Here is how the champions measured up.
Goalkeepers
Ayaka Yamashita – 7
Seven clean sheets, a Golden Glove contender, and a calm presence behind a high defensive line. Yamashita has been more than a shot-stopper; her distribution has underpinned Andrée Jeglertz’s insistence on building from the back. When City have looked composed in tight spaces, it has often started at her feet.
Khiara Keating – 6
Four league appearances, two wins over Tottenham, a victory against Brighton and a clean sheet at Aston Villa. Keating has done little wrong. At 21, she stands at a crossroads: stay and scrap for minutes behind an established No 1, or move and demand to start every week. Her development is on track, but the next decision will define her trajectory.
Defenders
Kerstin Casparij – 9
One of only two ever-presents in City’s WSL XI, and it shows. Casparij has patrolled the right flank with a mix of stamina, intelligence and precision. Her overlaps and whipped deliveries have become a staple of City’s attacking patterns, and her reliability is almost unnerving. Week after week, she hits the same high level. One of the most dependable full-backs in the league, and a pillar of this title win.
Alex Greenwood – 8.5
A captain who has worn the tension of a title race lightly. Greenwood’s leadership has smoothed out the nerves that so often creep into a run-in. Calm in possession, ruthless in her organisation, she has finally claimed a WSL crown more than a decade after featuring in the league’s inaugural season with Everton in 2011. For a player who has come close with City before, this feels like overdue reward.
Rebecca Knaak – 7.5
Not the headline act, but absolutely part of the story. Knaak’s late goal against Liverpool at the start of the month carried enormous weight in the context of the title race, and her performances have been quietly authoritative. Strong in the air, tidy on the ball, she has helped City absorb the loss of Laia Aleixandri to Barcelona without losing their balance at the back.
Jade Rose – 7.5
An astute piece of recruitment. The Canada international has slotted into the backline with impressive speed, forming a solid understanding with her defensive partners. At 23, with three more years on her deal, Rose looks like a long-term cornerstone. This season has been about adaptation; the next few could be about dominance.
Leila Ouahabi – 6.5
There is threat in her game when she goes forward, and at 33 she still carries the nous to exploit space on the left. Yet the defensive side has not quite matched the standard set by Casparij on the opposite flank. With City operating at title-winning standards, an upgrade at left-back this summer feels like a very real prospect.
Gracie Prior – 6.5
Used sparingly but with credit. Prior has handled her handful of outings with assurance and looks to be growing into a useful squad option. The next step is clear: turn solid cameos into serious competition for a starting spot.
Naomi Layzell – 5.5
Layzell’s season never really got going. A hip injury on England Under-23 duty in October and subsequent surgery in December cut her campaign short. Before that, she had offered reasonable displays, but this year will be remembered more for rehabilitation than rhythm.
Midfielders
Yui Hasegawa – 9
Pure class in the middle of the pitch. Hasegawa’s close control, ability to pivot out of pressure, and composure on the ball have given City a metronome with bite. Playing slightly higher this season, she has timed her runs into the box to telling effect, adding another layer to City’s attacking threat. A technical leader in a team full of them.
Laura Blindkilde Brown – 8
The unsung heartbeat of the first half of the season. Blindkilde Brown looked to have nailed down the holding role with a maturity beyond her 22 years. The January arrival of Sam Coffey nudged her down the pecking order, a harsh twist after such a strong start, but it does not diminish her impact. This has been the best campaign of her young career.
Sam Coffey – 7
A mid-season signing who brought steel and experience. Coffey has added a touch of US international know-how to City’s midfield, the kind that becomes invaluable when the stakes rise in Europe. Her presence has deepened the squad and sharpened competition in the engine room ahead of next season’s Champions League tilt.
Laura Coombs – 6.5
Not a regular headline-maker, but a valuable presence. At 35, Coombs has embraced the role of senior squad member, setting standards in training and helping to keep the dressing room aligned. Her decision to retire comes with the perfect parting gift: a title-winner’s medal to close the book on a long career.
Grace Clinton – 6
A debut goal against former club Tottenham in September hinted at a starring role. Then came the setbacks. Injury has disrupted Clinton’s first season since crossing the city divide, blunting her influence just as she looked ready to kick on. At 23, time is on her side; next year becomes a crucial platform.
Sydney Lohmann – 5
Arrived from Bayern Munich with a strong reputation and looked bright on opening night against Chelsea. Then fitness troubles took hold. Lohmann’s season has been stop-start, her promise glimpsed rather than fully realised. City will hope a clean bill of health unlocks the player they thought they were signing.
Forwards
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw – 10
The standard-bearer. Shaw is set to claim the Golden Boot again and stands as the outstanding player in the WSL this season. She has terrorised defences, from the biggest clashes to the routine assignments, and her movement in the box has bordered on unplayable. City’s title has many contributors, but its defining edge has been the best striker in the world at the peak of her powers.
Kerolin – 8.5
When she clicks with Shaw, City become frightening. The Brazilian’s understanding with her centre-forward has grown into a genuine partnership, and nowhere was that clearer than in February’s season-shaping 5-1 demolition of Chelsea, when she produced a stunning hat-trick. A lower-body injury disrupted the first half of her campaign, yet she has still managed to swing games as an impact substitute and starter alike.
Lauren Hemp – 8.5
Full-backs have had enough of her. Hemp has been a constant menace out wide, carving out more than three chances per 90 minutes on average. An ankle injury in the autumn likely cost her the top spot in the assist charts, but once fit again she resumed tormenting defenders on a weekly basis. Direct, inventive and relentless.
Vivianne Miedema – 8
Only at City could the WSL’s all-time leading scorer drift almost quietly through a season. Even in a supporting role, Miedema has delivered. She has reached double figures for goals and supplied a steady stream of assists after adjusting to a deeper No 10 position. At 29, she remains a world-class operator, now adding craft between the lines to her finishing instincts.
Aoba Fujino – 7.5
A crowd-pleaser in sky blue. Fujino’s close control and imagination have regularly lifted supporters out of their seats. A minor injury in January and a concussion in February interrupted her momentum and slowed the electric form she showed in the first half of the campaign. Still, at 22, her ceiling looks high and the flashes have been thrilling.
Iman Beney – 7
Minutes have been limited, but moments have been huge. The 19-year-old’s ruthless late winner in the pivotal 3-2 victory over Arsenal was one of the defining strikes of the season. She followed it up with another crucial goal in the 2-1 win at Anfield a week later. In a title race decided by fine margins, Beney’s contributions cut deep.
Lily Murphy – 5
Her campaign effectively ended before it began. A shoulder injury deep into stoppage time of the opening-night win over Chelsea stalled Murphy’s progress and kept her out of league action. Since returning in December, she has watched on from the bench more often than not and may feel she deserved more chances. The talent is there; the opportunity must follow.
A title secured, a squad stacked, and standards now set. The question for City is not whether this group can repeat it, but how far they can push their dominance when Europe comes calling.
