Column: World Cup performances place the spotlight on Manchester City
One title in 10 years, a head coach on a one-year deal and no European football, but this summer showed what this Manchester City team should have to offer...
Last season ended with some very mixed emotions for Manchester City fans. Whether it was the reality of a season with no European football, being usurped by their neighbours, Gareth Taylor's omission he would make just one signing or the club's continued backing of Taylor himself, it was a time of great thought for many City fans.
While Taylor's previous two seasons and slow starts could be put down to an injury crisis, last season's zero points from six across their first two games was placed on the fact this was a very new-look City side, with the likes of Laia Aleixandri, Leila Ouahabi, Kerstin Casparij, Mary Fowler, Deyna Castellanos and co arriving from abroad - with Yui Hasegawa from West Ham - while key midfield trio Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanyway and Caroline Weir departed, along with Lucy Bronze and retiring duo Jill Scott and Ellen White.
Post-season though Taylor was bullish and confident about his and the team's chances, safe in the knowledge he would be given another year in charge.
On one side of the argument is City need some continuity after last summer's major turnover, with Head of Football Nils Nielsen also a new cog to a wheel which needs nurtiring, not reinventing.
The other is only a one-year deal shows a lack of long-term faith in Taylor, and gives City a get out of jail free card next summer should things not improve. It is worth remembering Taylor has won both domestic cups in his time with the team, and was an Ann-Katrin Berger flick of the rest away from a potential Women's Super League title.
City's fourth place finish and nine-point gap to both Manchester United and Chelsea meant there were many sceptics when the head coach came out publicly and said he believed the squad didn't need another major overhaul, with Netherlands international Jill Roord the sole addition so far, coming back to the league for a big fee from Wolfsburg.
Roord scored four goals at the World Cup this summer and while overall some of her performances were quiet, she has proven to have a nack of linking midfield and attack and popping up with big goals herself, something City lacked after the departures of Weir and Stanway in particular.
Fellow quarter-finalist Hasegawa also made a big impression on the tournament, while six more of City's stars remained there until the end, whether it be the third-place play-off or the final between Spain and England.
Greenwood, Hemp and Kelly were all big players in their own right for England, and there were many people stating their cases for centre-back Greenwood to be named player of the tournament.
Fowler too, sparsely used during her first season in England, showed exactly why she is so highly rated with a string of impressive performances, while Alanna Kennedy was an almost constant presence for Australia and similarly Filippa Angeldahl for Sweden.
Khadija Shaw had a quieter tournament but helped Jamaica out of the group for the first time, and even just those nine alone show what City could be capable of achieving if Taylor can get the correct tune out of them.
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Add that talent to the likes of Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi, who were both part of the 'Las 15' group standing their ground, as well as up and coming young players like Julie Blakstad, Jess Park and Kerstin Casparij, and on paper at least things look a little bit rosy.
Unless another injury crisis grips the club, there's currently little excuse for a slow start. Everyone has come back from the World Cup fit and many off the back of excellent individual tournaments, and there's been no rebuild which will mean it should take time to build into the campaign.
Several head coaches in the league have said on their day that City are the toughest team to stop, and when they've been at their best under Taylor it's easy to see why.
He has shown he is capable of guiding this team to trophies, and with likely on this season remaining to walk the walk before risking beind moved on, he and his team have to show it from day one of the season.
City have at times, rightly, been accused of not properly backing their women's team as they've been overtaken over the years. That much is true, but over the past couple of years they have provided the array of international stars their coaches have wanted, and put a large financial outlay on Dutch international Roord to get her out of her Wolfsburg contract.
They have also realised leaving key players to run down their contracts is neither a viable financial or business plan, and despite significant interest from Lyon and PSG, City have convinced striker Shaw to pen a new long-term deal to keep her at the club.
This summer, there was no big overhaul, and only one player in Hayley Raso walking out of the door for free. Those whose contracts were expiring had them extended, and now several of their top youngsters are tied down to long-term deals, and therefore long-term plans, including Jess Park who will be part of the squad once more after an impressive year with Everton.
The World Cup taught us many things, and one of them was City have some absolute stars on their hands. With just one WSL title in their 10-year history, that's a stat nobody at the club wants to stretch any further.
I genuinely think this will be a successful season for City. Anyone who watched them regularly last year will recognise that massive strides were made during the season. They have had a much better preseason this year and will hopefully hit the ground running, avoiding the poor starts of previous seasons. The squad is settled and packed full of quality and experience. Roll on 1st October!
As a City fan, it'd be easier to feel some enthusiasm if we'd not had such a significant and prolonged difference between the club's stated ambitions and intent, and what we've seen them do in reality. When the club are talking about winning titles at the same time as opposition fans across the league are celebrating the manager's renewal, well, one side must know something the other doesn't!
The club don't have any real credit in the bank as far as I'm concerned, but I really hope this is the season they actually live up to the promises.