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Manchester City have won council approval to build a new £10m training complex for the women’s team, which heads into the drama of the final day of the WSL.
Gareth Taylor’s team currently share the City Football Academy (CFA) with the men’s teams, but construction of their bespoke facility will begin before next season.
The 2024-25 campaign begins in September and Bunny Shaw and company will continue to call the CFA home while construction is completed.
The project will include a hydrotherapy area, a high-performance gym and an analytics space, sharing similarities with the resources available to Pep Guardiola.
Before all that, City will find themselves in a direct shoot-out with Chelsea on the final day of the season (May 18) for the WSL title, and will be relying on rivals Manchester United to get a favor.
Manchester City have released CGI images of their new bespoke women’s training centre.
The reforms planned in the project will have some similarities with Pep Guardiola’s lateral train
On the pitch, Gareth Taylor’s side are stepping up preparations for the deadline day drama in a bid to overtake perennial champions Chelsea.
Chelsea are three points behind with a game in hand at Tottenham next week before traveling to United. Chelsea’s goal difference is slightly better, while City are at Aston Villa trying to lift their first title since 2016 and prevent Emma Hayes from winning five in a row before leaving for the United States.
City aims for glory in the Youth Cup
The City boys are looking to claim the club’s second Youth Cup triumph in four years when they take on Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
As of Thursday morning, City had sold 17,500 tickets for a clash that has a maximum capacity set at 20,000 spectators.
Ben Wilkinson’s under 18s will want to follow in the footsteps of the promotion of 2020. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and James McAtee scored the goals in a thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea and the trio have since impressed in the Premiership League. .
Tommy Doyle has also starred for Wolves, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Liam Delap regularly earn England Under-21 recognition. Levi Colwill was a notable name on the Chelsea team sheet that night.
Youth Cup-winning Class of 2020 beat Chelsea 3-2 in their final at St George’s Park
Two of the biggest names in that team are Morgan Rogers, now of Aston Villa (left) and Chelsea star Cole Palmer.
The exploits of those involved back then provide added incentive for Wilkinson’s team when they reach a home final, with a sizeable Pennine following expected.
While this is Leeds’ first appearance in a final since 1997, City’s academy is set to win trophies, but make sure parents are also aware of the difficult path to professional football.
Inside the academy building at the club’s training ground, there are messages on the wall for families, asking if their son scoring a hat-trick is a reflection of his fatherhood. Below you then ask whether, in fact, the boy or girl’s personality traits (humble, respectful) are actually a better measure of that.
The City captain rejected United
As Doyle did in 2020, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey will captain the Under 18s in a final to be broadcast on FA Player. The central defender has been at City since he was seven years old and revealed that he had the option of choosing local clubs when he was discovered playing for Deighton in Huddersfield.
“I was between teams: Everton, City, Manchester United,” Simpson-Pusey said. “At first I didn’t like being at City and I went to United. I liked United because all they did was play mini-games and it wasn’t really proper training.
“My mother ended up receiving advice from people who had been in football and asked what would benefit me the most. They said to go to City because they did adequate training to help the player technically and individually.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey’s (left) decision to bet on a future at Manchester City could result in United’s loss
That has proven to be a smart decision. Simpson-Pusey is one who has been asked to train with Guardiola’s first team and has now begun trying out the John Stones role in a couple of recent matches. He has also operated as a lone defensive midfielder as City look to broaden the 18-year-old’s horizons.
“It’s becoming second nature,” he added. ‘When I was a child I used to watch Sergio Ramos because I like his aggressiveness. I have been watching Rubén Dias, he is a very good leader and he is aggressive on and off the ball and Stones because of the way he plays.
“With the Youth Cup final, they kind of remind you because it’s such a big tournament in England so it’s inspiring to see all the previous City players playing first-team football.”
Haaland stares at the heroes of ’99
On the subject of United, a new Prime Video documentary series about the Treble of ’99 will premiere at Printworks on Thursday night. Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke are among those expected to attend, but when they enter they will be kindly reminded City’s treble triumph last season.
There’s a huge Erling Haaland poster above the entrance to Printworks, an advertisement for the mobile game Clash of Clans. “He stole your trophies,” is the motto.
Presumably its location there is simply a coincidence.
Erling Haaland is a sinister presence dominating the venue at the launch of United’s new Treble 1999-98 documentary.
No votes? Because everything is very normal for the top scorer.
Phil Foden received the well-deserved Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award last week after an impressive season. City did well in the awards, with Rodri coming third just behind Arsenal’s Declan Rice.
But there was one interesting detail that emerged from the voting process: Haaland, the leading scorer and almost certain to win back-to-back Golden Boots, did not receive a single nomination.
And that sparked some thoughts. Firstly, scoring 20 or more Premier League goals in a campaign is now considered normal for Haaland. An excess expected from someone who can boast of being the best striker in the world. That just tells you how good it is.
There was also the element that, if you voted for a City star, then the aforementioned midfielders had played out of their skin.
But, while researching an article about Haaland and Roy Keane this week, a source offered a theory about the FWA vote and the broader overview about the 23-year-old. They believed Keane is an expert who contributes to the narrative that Haaland is simply a goalscorer, and there is a suggestion that subconsciously creeps into people’s minds when they talk about him.
Phil Foden was the well-deserved Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award
But there were far fewer votes than expected for star striker Erling Haaland in this campaign.
“It is now a common story that Erling needs to score goals to justify his place,” the source said. “His best game last season was against Arsenal, the decisive game. He didn’t score until the last second and his holdup game killed them.’
Meanwhile, Haaland is believed to have spent some of his three days off in Bryne, as Keane’s latest comments, calling him a “spoiled brat” over the weekend, circulated.
Legend on the field, legend in the stands
David Silva wasn’t the only one receiving a warm welcome at the Etihad last Saturday. The 38-year-old, who returned to a match for the first time since leaving the club during the pandemic, received a lifetime season card from president Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the training ground on a day when his genius was remembered. . Some of Guardiola’s players seemed genuinely surprised to see the old maestro when they arrived for work.
And someone who actually bought a lifetime ticket back in the 1950s was honored for his support of the Premier League champions.
Manchester City legend David Silva returned to the Etihad for Manchester City’s 5-1 thrashing of Wolves.
Lifetime subscriber Inez McKee was rewarded for her loyalty by Mike Summersbee
Inez McKee started going to Maine Road in 1951 and has purchased a season ticket for each of the last 72 years.
The city invited the former school teacher to the corporate Tunnel Club and Mike Summerbee presented her with a framed jersey. West Ham next Sunday will be her last game as a season ticket holder.
“It breaks his heart to have to give up his season ticket, but now it’s harder for him to go to games,” said McKee’s son, David.