Taylor expecting a reaction from Manchester City against Brighton

Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor is expecting a strong reaction from his side when they travel to Broadfield Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion this afternoon.

The Cityzens have exited both domestic cup competitions in the last fortnight and their only remaining focus is on winning back the Barclays Women’s Super League title.

Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Manchester City in the reverse fixture before The Cityzens went on a nine-match winning run in the Barclays Women’s Super League. Head coach Taylor says that he is expecting a similar reaction from his side following their domestic cup disappointments.

“When we had the situation earlier in the season [against Brighton], we dominated so much but sometimes, you get that type of game where nothing seems to go in and the one opportunity that they get goes against you,” Taylor said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “That’s football, it never changes. It was a tough moment for us to take but on the back of that, we went on a fantastic run.

“The reaction of the players has always been something that I have spoken about a lot in terms of being really positive and I’m expecting the same now. We’ve played some good stuff in the last couple of games but haven’t been successful. We are really disappointed that we weren’t able to progress and take a trophy but it’s really tough. If we’re not quite at our very best at the top end of the pitch, it’s going to be really difficult. 

“We’ve trained well this week, the players have prepared really well for this game. We need to be prepared for the conditions and everything else and obviously, there’s new ownership with the coach. We are prepared, we are ready and we are looking forward to this final part now.”

Exiting the domestic cup competitions after being in such good form was a huge blow for Manchester City, however, Taylor is looking at the positives when it comes to the Barclays Women’s Super League’s title race.

He said “It’s pretty much one-game weeks for us now in the remainder of the season. That’s good because it gives us chance to recharge and get ready, not just physically but mentally as well.

“Location-wise, this is our longest journey and the pitch at Crawley is not conducive to playing exactly how we want to play but it’s the point of the season where we really wanted to be in touch with [the top of the league] and we are. We need to try and maximise that by approaching it game-by-game.”

Manchester City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Brighton & Hove Albion kicks-off at 12.30pm this afternoon.