Gareth Taylor believes Liverpool Women can carry their stronger second half from last season into the new campaign, and he is expecting them to be competitive against every opponent. That starts on Sunday when Liverpool open their 2026-27 FAWSL season away at Charlton Athletic.
The match gives Liverpool the chance to set the tone after a year that began badly but finished much more positively. At one stage last season, Liverpool were heavy favourites to be relegated, yet a strong second half helped Taylor’s side turn things around and change the mood around the club.
Taylor is not hiding from the challenge of a season opener against the league’s newly promoted side. He said: “Looking ahead to this season, I really believe this team can kick on,” and added: “I expect us to be really competitive against every team that we play against.”
Charlton vs Liverpool: a different test this time
There is already a recent reference point between these two clubs. Liverpool beat Charlton in the Women’s FA Cup last season, with Zara Shaw scoring the winner. Taylor remembered that tie as one in which Liverpool had to work for it.
He said: “We have good memories of Charlton last season when Zara Shaw got our winner in the Women’s FA Cup. But it was a tight game and we had to show personality to get through, which we did.” His point is clear: even against a newly promoted side, Liverpool are unlikely to get an easy afternoon.
Taylor expects this meeting to feel different from that cup tie, and he wants his players ready for whatever version of Charlton turns up on Sunday. “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,” he said.
Why the first month matters
Liverpool’s opening run is demanding. Their first three fixtures include Charlton, Spurs and Manchester City, so this is a period that will quickly show whether last season’s improvement can be sustained. Taylor admitted there will be matches he expects his side to win, saying: “There will definitely be many games I expect us to win.”
That expectation comes with responsibility, especially after the way Liverpool recovered last season. If they are to build properly on that second-half surge, they need to show it from the first whistle of the new campaign rather than waiting for the table to tell them they are behind.
Taylor also pointed to the importance of Liverpool’s supporters during the opening month. He said the club’s “fantastic supporters” will be “really important” over the coming weeks, and added that playing in front of them for the first time in pre-season against Durham was “really nice”, with the support “excellent” and a sign of excitement for what is to come.
For Liverpool Women, the task on Sunday is simple enough to state but never easy to complete: start well, stay competitive and prove that last season’s recovery was the beginning of something more lasting.
