Football News
Inside the story of Man City's historic double-winning season
Never be satisfied. The words of Andree Jeglertz. His guiding principle for success.Manchester City have completed a first league and FA Cup double, only the third team in the country to do so, all within the first campaign under the judicious Swede.Even he is partly surprised by what has been achieved in year one of his tenure, with the caveat that he was always convinced, from his very first conversation with the club, that major trophies would be a part of their future together. "That's the main reason I wanted to have this job," he tells Sky Sports.Those inside Manchester City describe the subtleties of Jeglertz's style in a nuanced way, making small but deliberate tweaks that have transformed the club's outlook. It was all about installing the habits of champions before having the medal to prove it. About changing the language used. About walking the walk even if it felt unnatural or uncomfortable.In truth, Jeglertz landed upon a squad with the capacity for distinction. They had the tools, just had trouble believing it. His job was to convince them of their readiness to own the narrative around being one of the best, most complete teams the WSL has ever seen.Such swift dominance has been made possible by a collaborative conviction that was absent before. For the first time in a long time, City felt as if they were the ones dictating. The culture has been described as confidently controlled, allowing the football to take care of itself."He's been a massive reason for the culture change, the mindset change," captain Alex Greenwood says. "He listens. He listened to everyone's feelings at the beginning of the season about what was stopping us from getting over the line. It kept coming back to mentality and belief."The 10-year wait between City's first and second title successes is the longest by a team in the WSL. City had developed the unwanted reputation of 'always the bridesmaid' after finishing runners-up six times since the league's rebrand in 2011 - comfortably more than any other side.They had to be rid of that unwanted stigma. And the wait has been more agonising for some than others. "We had been so close before and always fallen short," says Lauren Hemp, who is a WSL champion for the first time in her eighth year at the club."We've played fantastic football at times but even when we've not we find a way to win. We spend a lot of time together outside of football and that has helped the group's togetherness - this is just the start of something even more special."No doubt the benchmark has been pushed this year. City first went top on November 9 following victory over Everton and never surrendered their lead. They were chased but no team came close to threatening. At points across the season they were 11 clear of the competing pack.They went on to match their best-ever points return (55), also equalling their tally of most victories in a campaign (18) and won 100 per cent of home games by an aggregate score of 38-8.Inside the City walls there was, and is, a new kind of calm. A reassurance of possibility and a plan to make it reality. Those who work closely with Jeglertz describe the effect he has had on the team as game-changing, and yet if you probe on the reasons why most will cite quite simple customs.They will tell you he's a good listener, a great communicator, he's welcoming, maintains an 'open door' policy, and he'll never walk past you without engaging in a friendly hello. Above all, he really cares about the person behind the footballer.But the sporting side had to be just as compelling to create hard-nosed champions, and that is what the very talented squad at Manchester City have responded to with most noticeable impact.'We always find a way' is the phrase inscribed on the wall of their brand new £10m complex, the last words players read before entering the training pitches. They were put there deliberately at the request of Jeglertz.Greenwood describes it like this: "We had to change the language we used and be comfortable to talk in a certain way. The manager challenged me, I challenged him. We agreed to speak like we wanted to win the league, because if we don't air that then nothing would ever change."It's uncomfortable to speak like that when you haven't done it, but then it becomes normal. It's a set of standards: perform like champions, recover like champions, eat like champions."This is no longer a side that buckles at the first sign of resistance, and not because they have not faced adversity. They were defeated by Chelsea on the opening day of the season. They lost to Arsenal. They lost to Brighton and then had to labour nervously past Liverpool in a must-win. Top scorer Khadija Shaw had one foot out the door. Splinters appearing.What was the approach on the inside? "In previous seasons I've felt it," captain Greenwood admits, the 'it' being crippling doubt. "This year I never felt like it was creeping in. The mentality is different. Better."Shaw stayed at the club because of it. The striker's dramatic u-turn - on the verge of signing for Chelsea merely a month ago - shows renewed intention. A calculated and ambitious plan to dominate. Never before have City been willing to break from their financial model to sign or retain any player. Shaw's signature sets a new precedent.Speaking to Jeglertz on the topic of transformation is fascinating. "They didn't dare to talk about winning the league at the beginning of the season. I asked why."In this case, the 'why' is multifaceted. Jeglertz represented a clean break from the scars of the past; the baggage that was weighing down a team that had underachieved against its vast potential. The false dawns were forgotten, no longer able to inhibit. "I've seen myself change," says Hemp. "We've been given freedom".Assistance of course arrived in other forms, too: Chelsea unravelled early, Arsenal could not cope with the insane demands placed on them as European holders, and Jeglertz's squad stayed relatively injury free in a campaign with far fewer games than both of their closest rivals. Timing all aligned.But Jeglertz had more than just favourable circumstances on his side. He had the secret sauce: "Never be pleased, never be satisfied." He calls this stoicism boring but necessary."I'm a positive person but the players ask me to show them negative clips because they want to be better. We brought that focus into every training session."When I first started, they were coming to training to be trained. That is the biggest difference I see. The training session after we won the league, I had seven or eight players wanting to stay behind to do a bit extra. That shows me winning mentality."Jeglertz's vision is not exactly revolutionary. He has not ripped up the rule book. But his adjustments have helped elevate City from also-rans to conquerors, discreetly allowing individuals to unlock new levels to their game.At the heart of the Jeglertz way is simplicity, a commitment to getting the very basics and fundamentals that underpin any good football team right."As a captain, he is someone who I've been able to be vulnerable with," says Greenwood. And really, that is what Manchester City were crying out for. A leader with a clear vision but one that empowers and implores to the point of exhaustion.It says a lot about where the club are at right now that every member of staff, from coaches to the medical team to the media crew to players' dogs, were all gathered together to watch the game - Arsenal's draw with Brighton - that confirmed them as champions. They wanted to rejoice as a whole.Jeglertz met them where they were, a team already on course for greatness, perfecting the many strengths that were there all along.He adds: "It was so important to build from where the team started, which was not zero. It's a great squad. I needed to know what was already good and then figure out how I could help."Now we see ourselves as winners, but what is typical for a winner is to always want more. We have to keep thriving this way, with ambition. We've done so many things right this year. We must take time to celebrate that."And after, we look at how we improve again."
