Manchester City have announced their intentions far earlier than most of their competitors, and captain Alex Greenwood made that clear during the pre‑season. She said, "A true champion is someone who goes and wins again.
A winner might be one‑off, but a champion does it over and over." This distinction between a fleeting victory and sustained excellence underpins the narrative surrounding the club as they embark on a new campaign. Starting the season with two consecutive wins – the only side to achieve that feat so far – reinforces Greenwood's belief that there is a tangible gap between simply being a winner and being a champion.
A champion, in her view, is forged through a process that demands constant validation of past successes. Consistency, resilience and the ability to replicate high‑level performances week after week are the hallmarks of that process. After the opening two rounds of matches, City sit alone atop the table with a perfect points tally, a situation that has not occurred in the Women's Super League since 2015.
The defending champions appear poised to dominate the race, picking up the metaphorical baton and attacking the early stages of the season with the professionalism of a side that knows what it takes to stay on top. Their rivals from the north of Manchester have been left trailing in their wake. Greenwood herself has become a model of reliability under manager Andree Jeglertz. The beauty of this Manchester City squad lies in how each individual component blends into a cohesive whole, unified by a single guiding principle: "We always find a way." This mantra is not just a slogan; it is a lived reality that the players reference in training, in the dressing room and on the pitch.
In a candid conversation at the club's training base, just before a ball was kicked, the 32‑year‑old captain explained that her mindset for the season would be framed differently from the previous year. "Because we are title holders, I could have been presumptuous and relaxed," she admitted, "but that’s not the case." "I needed a mental switch‑off," Greenwood said. "This summer I had freedom, no schedule, and that is why I feel so fresh now. I can't remember the last time I got that long off, so I definitely enjoyed it." The period of rest proved transformative.
During that time she became engaged to her long‑term partner Jack, a milestone that added a personal layer of happiness to her professional preparation. She recounted the evening of the proposal with a smile: "If I'm being really honest, the day of, I tried to cancel plans. I wasn't in the mood to go out. But Jack had already paid a heavy deposit on the restaurant.
He kept it cool, didn't give much away, and it turned out to be amazing." This anecdote illustrates how even off‑field moments can provide a necessary reset for a player who constantly carries the weight of captaincy. Greenwood described the summer as a "necessary reset" because the responsibilities of a captain mean she is rarely able to fully switch off. "I always have tabs open," she explained, "I'm on the majority of the time. I reflect a lot.
I needed a break, because a captain has a huge role off the pitch. But I'm lucky with the dressing room we have – we are very close, it’s an open environment to speak. I'm not the only one with the authority to make big calls." Reflecting on last season brings back fond memories of dominance.
City seized the WSL lead as early as November and secured their first league title in a decade. The football was freer, more inventive, guided by Jeglertz's philosophy rather than constrained by it. The team reinvented itself across the pitch, with each player adapting to new roles and each match presenting fresh tactical puzzles for opponents, who never quite knew what to expect. Even on nights when the performance was not spectacular, City almost always secured the three points.
Greenwood acknowledged the pressure that accompanies success: "I get asked a lot about pressure, and certain results created pressure moments last season. We don't enjoy losing, but we were in control. That helps with preparation. We had setbacks but we also had a safety net.
That's what we do – we always find a way." This season, City possess a brand of tenacity that felt missing in earlier title pursuits. The manager has not overhauled the squad but has introduced subtle tweaks that have yielded significant results. Jeglertz describes his approach as "never being satisfied," a relentless pursuit of improvement down to the minutest detail. Greenwood added, "He's very open to challenge.
He invites it. He wants us to challenge him and each other.
It's such a competitive league. Teams have strengthened so much this summer, I love it. We remind each other we are winners, that fuels us to want to remain that.
But we have huge respect for the level of opposition we face." Momentum is firmly on City's side. The team has cultivated multiple solutions for most problems, moving beyond the days when a single poor result would raise questions about their mental toughness. The new challenge is to sustain these high standards across every competition, especially with the added demands of European fixtures.
"I live for European nights," Greenwood said, expressing frustration at having to watch last season's Champions League matches from her living room. "Do you know how hard it is to watch those games and not be involved?" Her words highlight the ambition to not only dominate domestically but also make a deep run in continental competition. These considerations extend well beyond pre‑season speculation. How will City manage the increased workload of three games a week?
Does the squad have enough depth and quality to compete on every front? Greenwood believes the answer lies in learning from the previous season's shortcomings. "We weren't there last year and we have to use that feeling to our advantage. We cannot waste our opportunity," she asserted.
City have invested heavily over the past decade to unlock the secret of sustained success: a state‑of‑the‑art £10 million training facility, an inspirational manager with lofty targets, a pipeline of WSL‑ready talent, a superb captain, and star players like Bunny Shaw, the PFA Player of the Year, who have already started the season brightly. In a Women's Super League campaign where consistency has already hampered their biggest rivals, City's resolve appears stronger than ever. They refuse to be a one‑hit wonder; they have worked too hard to be labeled merely winners.
Their aim is to be recognized as champions – a title earned through relentless effort, strategic evolution, and an unwavering belief that they will always find a way to win. Watch Manchester City versus Liverpool live on Sky Sports+ this Friday at 6.30 pm (kick‑off at 7 pm) and follow the team's journey as they strive to turn their early dominance into a season‑long championship.