Could Liverpool be in trouble with five consecutive losses to start WSL campaign?

Following the appointment of ex Manchester City manager, Gareth Taylor, Liverpool FC Women’s form seems to have taken an even harder hit.

Heading into the first international break of the season, the Reds have only scored two goals in the Barclays Women’s Super League in the opening five fixtures: they currently sit in eleventh place with zero points to their name.  

But what has contributed to such a challenging start to the season for the Reds? Can they regain form to avoid a fight to remain WSL competitors next season?

Pre-season overview

Pre-season was anything but promising for the Reds. With a lack of good form, this foreshadowed how the first part of the Barclays Women’s Super League season would play out for Taylor and his team.

The most convincing game of pre-season was a 2-2 draw between Liverpool and rivals Manchester United Women. During this fixture the team seemed to look in confidence and solidified, considering the shift of management. Ball distribution and attacking chances were high. The Reds came from behind to play a period of the game in the lead; this is something atypical for Liverpool at present, who seem to struggle to score goals once behind.

However, the rest of pre-season wasn’t smooth sailing. Taylor’s squad suffered defeat in every other friendly leading up to the 2025/26 season: they not only lost to WSL sides, but also WSL 2 competitors.

When asked about looking ahead off the back of pre-season at the time, Taylor remained optimistic:

“Theres an excitement in the air…the signs have been really good in the training pitch and some of the things we have seen, it’s about trying to build on that and improve.”

The Taylor trade

Taylor brings his own trademark style of play to the table, which influences and shifts Liverpool’s identity.  

In their opening WSL fixture, Liverpool created lots of chances, especially during the first half. Cornelia Kapocs opened her 2025/26 campaign with a well-taken goal, giving the Reds a huge confidence boost in the first forty-five minutes. She became only the fourth Liverpool Women’s player to score at the home of the Reds.

Alongside Kapoc’s goal, Liverpool seemed positive in their attacking play, registering shots on target and goalscoring opportunities. Defensively, a goal line clearance played a huge role in their first half lead.

However, this Merseyside Derby at Anfield soon became one to forget. The Toffees came out stronger in the second half and summer signing, Ornella Vignola sealed a hattrick on her debut to end the Reds’ hopes.

With such a promising first half display, why did Liverpool suffer a defeat and fall short in the Merseyside Derby?

A depleted squad

Losing Canadian forward, Olivia Smith to Arsenal on a record fee this summer was a huge blow of Liverpool. The club did not reinvest the money from her transfer into experienced attacking threats; this contributed significantly to Liverpool’s downfall.

Ultimately the lack of signings will be the cut that keeps on bleeding for Taylor’s team. The January transfer window will play a role in giving the Reds a shot of survival in the WSL.

On top of this current lack of squad depth, several players suffered injuries in the opening weeks, adding to their availability crisis. Whilst ranging in severity, all absentees are important members of the squad.

Last season’s loanee, Alejandra Bernabé made her move to Merseyside permanent over the summer but is yet to feature in the backline this season. She suffered an injury that cut her impressive loan spell short, during April. Alongside that goalkeeper, Rachael Laws found herself out for an extended period with a hand injury; this resulted in a scarce keeper choice for their opening game, as Rafaela Borgräfe wasn’t available for selection either. New signing Lily Woodham is also sidelined after picking up a knock against the reds defeat to Manchester United.

However, the biggest loss for Taylor is forward, Marie Höbinger, who sustained an ACL tear after returning from a minor injury a couple of weeks prior. The Austrian attacker is a bright spark for Liverpool and inspires their build up play and clinical movements in the box. Without her in the front three, the head coach will face a dilemma with limited options.

Lack of goals

Liverpool’s biggest downfall is arguably the lack of finishers in front of goal .    

Without slotting balls in the back of the net, the Reds have been unable to grab some points against lower-table opponents, such as Leicester City Women and London City Lionesses. Although these games have been narrow defeats, with Taylor’s side dominating the ball for large periods of time, ultimately the Reds have been left merciless.

Both fixtures ended in 1-0 losses, which came from arguably lucky goals (one being a controversial penalty, and the other Leicester’s only shot on goal up to that point). A recessive major weakness in the current Liverpool squad is their struggle to come from behind, meaning they could not salvage even a point from these fixtures.

Heading into international break without a single point to their name is a tough blow for Liverpool. Now, it is essential they regroup and assess the situation promptly on the WSL return.

Looking forward for the Reds

Although this has been the worst possible start statistics-wise for Liverpool, they will look forward to regaining some form after the international window.

After the loss to Manchester City in their WSL fixture at Anfield, some positives could be taken: the team were agonisingly close to an equaliser in added time, as Gemma Bonner’s finish was ruled offside. This proves they do have the ability to find the back of the net but must work on their consistency and composure to more often attack the ball.

Building upon this performance, Taylor’s team secured another three points in the Subway Women’s League Cup with a. 2-1 victory against Durham Women’s FC last weekend. Currently, the Reds top Group B with a maximum six points in two matches. Whilst all other Group B competitors are Barclays WSL 2 sides, Liverpool have netted seven goals so far in the competition and comfortably lead; this brings a confidence boost needed at a tough time.

In November, they face Sheffield United Women in their final Group B match, whilst WSL focus shifts to their travels to London post-international break, where they face in-form Tottenham Hotspur. It is vital that Taylor’s squad address this dip in form and fight back after the international break, otherwise they could be facing a twelfth-place finish.