Liverpool have been a tough watch this season. While the ambition of Gareth Taylor's possessional play model has drawn praise, the execution has failed to live up to billing. It's actually landed Liverpool in a relegation scrap.
When Taylor outlined his bold plans for a revamp of playing style in back in September, he was sure he could match the change with proper results. Twelve games into the WSL campaign, his side had still not won a football match.
Their squad had been ravaged by injuries and the downward spiral was taking its toll. Liverpool won the fewest points of any ever-present side in 2025 (19) and suffered the most defeats (14); they were also the lowest scorers (21 goals).
When the league returned from its winter hiatus in January, the Reds' chances of finishing last stood at 38 per cent. Generally, the outlook was pretty grim.
But here is where the narrative pivots.
Liverpool have won four of their last six matches across all competitions, as many as they managed across 23 outings prior. Taylor was even named January's manager of the month in a drastic break from the dire straits of the last calendar year.
This upturn has not removed Liverpool from the reaches of relegation yet, though. Their chances of finishing last might have improved, now 17 per cent, but danger still lingers - a meeting with fellow strugglers Leicester this weekend, live on Your Site, offers the opportunity to pull clear.
Your Site reporter Harriet Prior takes us inside camp at Melwood ahead of Sunday's big game.
Four wins from six felt like a distant dream towards the end of last year when Liverpool had gone 12 games without victory - but January has changed everything.
It's not just about recruitment, but its knock-on effect. Six new faces arrived in the winter window and instantly lifted form on the pitch as well as raising the standards of those existing players who were perhaps suffering from confidence loss.
Speaking to those close to the club at the time, it felt like a huge wave of positivity swept across everyone. There was suddenly hope for the future, a renewed sense of belief and a feeling that everyone had to raise their game to a different level.
Trust in the process has always existed, but it's gone up a notch. It's difficult to look past the goalscoring form of Beata Olsson - responsible for a third of Liverpool's league goals - as evidence, but others like Mia Enderby are starting to have a real impact too. There is fight in every performance now.
Taylor's appointment last summer was heralded as a new era for Liverpool, but externally towards the end of the year the pressure on his job was ramping up. Crucially, though, that feeling never translated internally. There has always been a real sense of calm about the progress being made, despite results, and confidence that Taylor was the right man to lead the transition.
It took a long time after Matt Beard left the club for Taylor to begin his charge. He had limited time before the season started to sign players geared towards his playing methodology and there was an initial failure to reinvest the money from the sale of Olivia Smith to Arsenal. There was also a mismatch between the style of play he wanted to implement and the players he had available.
January recruitment helped both of those factors immeasurably. Identifying the right profiles to fit specific positions - club-record signing Denise O'Sullivan has been a revelation - has bore witness to a massive shift. That relates as much to the versatility of performance as it does to results. It has allowed for, or perhaps even directed, a willingness to adapt the tactical approach.
Consider the win over Aston Villa, where Liverpool conceded more possession and were unafraid to go direct, but still pressed aggressively in order to force turnovers high up the pitch. They scored four times from an xG value of just 1.54.
There was always frustration over results, but even after such a wretched run of defeats Taylor remained measured, knowing they were on the right path. A lot of what his side were doing between the two boxes was smart, if the final actions were often lacking.
Now, with a facelift in terms of playing personnel, a shot of confidence and a couple of positive results, it feels like things are starting to click.
Important to note that this is a side that fell victim to plenty of late equalisers and winners because they didn't have the strength of squad to change things off the bench in the latter parts of games. Depth was a real issue and has been addressed well by a targeted drive to plug specific gaps in January.
Martha Thomas, Alice Bergstrom and Anna Josendal all bring significant quality and experience, improving fluidity in attack no end.
This year's FA Cup run has actually been a massive help in terms of rhythm and, most importantly, confidence.
You can never frame a derby win (beating Everton 2-1) as bad for morale or spirit. Liverpool haven't exactly got a packed schedule so it's not a distraction. And they have a big chance to make the semi-finals of the competition having been drawn against Charlton.
Clearly the focus has to be wins in the WSL but doing both suddenly feels possible. Nine of their 10 points in the WSL this season have come at home - another three on Sunday would be a huge leap towards a safer footing.
