While most of the focus over the past week has been on the Liverpool men’s team and the scramble to get the necessary business done before the close of the transfer window (spoiler: they did not get the necessary business done), the women’s team has been finishing their preparations for the 2026-27 season.
Liverpool FC Women struggled mightily through the first half of last season and for a time seemed quite heavy favourites to end up relegated, but a strong second half with the help of a few key
January signings helped to turn things around for Gareth Taylor’s side and expectations are for them now to carry that improved form into the new campaign.
“Looking ahead to this season, I really believe this team can kick on,” Taylor noted ahead of their season opener on Sunday away to Charlton Athletic. I don’t like to set markers, particularly if it’s outside of winning the title, because I think that can limit you, especially when you put a cap on what you are trying to achieve.
“I expect us to be really competitive against every team that we play against. There will definitely be many games I expect us to win. So for us it’s about really kicking on. I don’t know what’s going to happen but what I do know is we are going to be really competitive every game we play.”
The Reds’ first three fixtures run the gamut and could prove telling for just what this team might be capable of. Charlton up first on Sunday are the league’s newly promoted side, while Spurs the next week on Sunday the 13th finished fifth last year, 19 points back of title winners Manchester City—who Liverpool then face on September 18th.
Four points from that run would seem a solid return—and one that suggests this side is at least good enough to compete with the Tottenhams of the league and target a top half finish. Anything less that three points would get people wondering it a hurry if it’s going to be another relegation battle.
“We have good memories of Charlton last season when Zara Shaw got our winner in the Women’s FA Cup,” Taylor added. “But it was a tight game and we had to show personality to get through, which we did. I expect this game to be different—for us to be different and for them to be different as well—but we are looking forward to it.
“Our fantastic supporters, as always, are going to be really important for us during this first month of the season. We played in front of our supporters for the first time in pre-season against Durham, which was really nice, and the support we got was excellent [to see] them excited for what’s to come.”
