The Strategies That Shaped the Barclays WSL & WSL2 This Year 

We’ve seen so many teams evolve, adapt, and try out new strategies in pursuit of Barclays Women’s Super League glory. Sometimes, as with Birmingham and Manchester City, it’s paid off handsomely, while for others like Leicester, all their tactical tinkering has had minimal impact.

Here, we’re going to look at the changes that did move the needle: those that built champions, created compelling contenders, and not only shaped the BWSL and BWSL2 this year, but have also set the stage for seasons to come.

From Possession to Pressure: The High-Octane Evolution of Manchester City

After several stints as respectable runners-up, including missing out on the title in 2023–24 despite equalling the BWSL record of 55 points, Man City rolled the dice with the appointment of Jeglertz and his free-flowing football philosophy. And it came up snake eyes.

Aggression has been the name of the game this season. They lead the league in direct attacks and are averaging 24.5 crosses per game, up from 19.8 last season. And when City get into the opposition’s box, they make it count. Their touches in the box have risen from 33.9 per 90 minutes last season to over 40 this year.

All of it has come despite a drop in possession, from 65.7% to 56.5%. It’s no longer about keeping the ball, but making the opposition pay every time.

The result? A goal difference of +43, driven by a staggering 154 shots on target. That’s up from +21 last year and is 19 more goals than runners-up Chelsea, their long-time tormentors, who finished on +24.

We’re talking constant pressure, backed by some of the finest creators in the league, including Vivianne Miedema, Kerolin Nicoli and, of course, Khadija Shaw, whose eye-watering 21 goals account for almost a third of Man City’s total output at 33.8%.

It is not a risk-free strategy. A greater emphasis on attack naturally increases the pressure at the back. As shown by the rise in passes per defensive action from 8.9 last season to close to 10 this year, the defensive workload has clearly increased.

But when you have a squad as complete as this Man City side, that’s a gamble worth the risk, as the newly crowned champions have proven.

How Liverpool Stopped the Flood and Floated to Safety

Liverpool survived relegation for one key reason; their strategic changes paid off while Leicester’s didn’t. The nadir for the Reds came at the end of last year. They sat at the bottom of the league with just two measly points to their name, and had just come off a humiliating 9-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Women’s League Cup, without a single win to their name all season.

The problem was really very simple. Liverpool were leakier than a chocolate teapot. They conceded 19 goals with a -13 goal difference. Bottom line: The Reds needed to do everything possible to slow down the onslaught.

So Liverpool went all out in the January transfer window, bringing in reinforcements across the pitch to try to stop the flood before it got out of hand. No signing was more important than Jennifer Falk, who has been preventing an average of 2.91 goals since coming into the side. She has been well supported by the likes of Jenna Clark, Grace Fisk and Ceri Holland, all of whom have taken on more disciplined defensive roles, helping to build a far more organised and resilient back line.

It didn’t take long for the changes to pay off. Liverpool won their first game of the season against Tottenham at the end of January, which included impressive debuts from Alice Bergström and Aurélie Csillag, immediatelly looking like a reinvigorated team.

Not to say it has all been plain sailing, but wins over Villa and Leicester, plus a clean sheet against Brighton, have been enough to pull them out of the abyss. Perhaps most important of all, the Reds no longer resemble the side that were lambs to the slaughter against Chelsea at the end of 2025. A more defence-first approach may not have turned Liverpool into a perfect team, no songs will be sung about their 2025/26 BWSL campaign, but they have lived to fight another day.

Relentless by Design: Birmingham City’s Strategy for BWSL Promotion

Last year, Birmingham City began their “BWSL Ready” infrastructure plan. In other words, they invested heavily not just in the transfer market, but also in training facilities, staff, and performance analysis, all with the aim of reaching the pinnacle of women’s football. The idea was simple: if you want to be a BWSL team, you’d better start acting like one.

For Blues manager Merricks, that means a “relentless” pursuit of success, with attacking full-backs pressing high, a deep-lying build-up, and a 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 shape. This setup allows Birmingham to use the movement of the right winger to turn promising moments into goals and points.

But of course, such an ambitious style of play requires the right talent to make it work. That’s where players like Wilma Leidhammar, signed in January 2026 for a record fee, come in, alongside the likes of Batcheba Louis and Oceane Hurtré, helping to plug those gaps and make those risks pay off.

And who could argue with them now? Birmingham are averaging 57% possession and 17.77 shots per match, with a 12% conversion rate for 46 goals for a +22 goal difference. Above all, they’re through to the top flight. Birmingham played like the team they wanted to be, and by doing so, became it.

Arsenal and the Art of Friendly Fire

The Gunners are a side that knows exactly which weapons work against most opponents. They have successfully used several attacking patterns consistently across both the BWSL and the Champions League.

One of their favourites is a triangle structure in wide areas. This forces the opposition’s defensive line to stretch, often creating direct confrontations with defenders and opening up valuable space to progress the attack.

Isolating defenders has worked brilliantly for them. For example, against OH Leuven, Arsenal created 31 separate 1v1 situations in the opposition half. This is a confident, aggressive approach that opens up passing lanes into the penalty area.

This is not a system that suits every team. Put simply, you need a squad capable of winning those individual duels most of the time. Arsenal do, however, have that depth of talent, with the likes of Olivia Smith, Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Frida Maanum, and Chloe Kelly all capable of finishing chances, alongside outstanding playmakers such as Mariona Caldentey, who has registered over 40 key passes this season. That blend allows them to create opportunities where other teams might simply run into trouble.

It has worked so well that not too long ago Arsenal looked like serious contenders for both the Champions League and the BWSL title. The Gunners may have come up a little short, but a goal difference of +39 and a place on the podium domestically, alongside victories over some of Europe’s top sides, shows this approach is definitely paying off.

Built from the Back: Charlton’s Defensive Blueprint in BWSL2

The heart of Charlton’s efforts in BWSL2 comes from an exceptionally organised back line courtesy of Karen Hills. There’s little sacrificing players to runs that leave them scrambling back when a play goes awry. Often utilising three centre-backs, Charlton have resembled a tank this year, slowly making ground but very difficult to stop.

It’s been a smart move. The fact is that Charlton do not have the budget to go all out on big players. There’s no Shaw-like figure lighting up The Valley. So, the Addicks instead invested defensively and focused on moving forward as a singular force.

And that strategy has seen Charlton Athletic W.F.C. exceed all expectations. They’ve conceded a mere 21 goals throughout the campaign, the lowest in the league, and kept six clear sheets. Most importantly of all, they finally achieved their dream of reaching the top flight after emerging victorious from a scorching war of attrition against Leicester in the play-offs.

Special praise must of course go to goalkeeping phenom Sophie Whitehouse, who saved four penalties following a star-making performance to seal their promotion. This was the cherry on top of a season which featured three Save of the Month awards, including her stunning denial in the 95th minute against Newcastle United.

The move to the BWSL won’t be easy, and it’s tough to foresee how they’ll fare against the very best in women’s football. But one thing’s for sure, no team should overlook this sturdy, resilient, defence-first iteration of Charlton.

Word credit: Ben Gibson