READY: Liverpool eager to step up

Liverpool’s 2025-26 season was one of two halves. In the first half they were relegation contenders, and in the second half they fought for ‘best of the rest’. If they can continue that momentum from the January restart onwards then a place in the top half of the table is not out of reach.

Gethin Thurlow speaks exclusively with centre back Jenna Clark about the campaign, Gareth Taylor’s style of play, and the new signings.

Gareth Taylor’s arrival at Liverpool was never going to be a simple transition. Having been a defensive, counterattacking side for years, bringing in a manager obsessed with controlling the game and keeping the ball meant there had to be an adjustment period.

Things were looking pretty dismal by the winter break, with a lack of points and a flurry of goals against Liverpool. Maybe this is what prompted such a busy window for the Reds or maybe they were simply taking advantage of the opportunities that are always there from Scandinavia in January. But by the time football was back, Liverpool were a team transformed.

As is often the case in football, it was changes at either end of the pitch that kickstarted Taylor’s team. Beata Olsson (above, right) brought goals, a sustained presence at the top end of the pitch, and she was one of the most exciting players in the league for few months. Sweden’s Jennifer Falk proved that she wasn’t just a shoot-out merchant as she delivered save after save after save, keeping Liverpool in games, and securing points in almost every match she played. Another arrival, Alice Bergstrom (below, right), is nominally a defender, but showed she also has long-range, worldie goals in her bag of tricks.

While Beata Olsson’s move was permanent and she will be carrying on in Merseyside for the 2026-27 season, Falk was only on loan, so Liverpool had to go out and get another keeper, alongside Rachel Laws (above, left). Khiara Keating is about as close as you’re going to get if replicating Falk’s run is what you want. As a pure shot-stopper Keating (above, left) is as good as they come. The way she can move around the goal and reach pretty much anything coming towards goals is incredible, and as a young player she can only get better. Of course, this could also help Keating get back in contention for the Lionesses as the 2027 World Cup looms.

Vivien Endemann could be expecting an equally big role in her new team as the German striker makes her move to the WSL. Signing from Wolfsburg, Endemann has had an outstanding last few years, and in that time picked up more of a role for the German national team. It could be exciting to see her link up with the Reds’ Welsh wizard winger Ceri Holland (below, centre). There’s more optimism with both Sophie Roman Haug and Marie Höbinger (below, right) recovering from injury. And young Mia Enderby (below, left) always has goals in her.

Eredivisie player of the year Mao Itamura adds another exciting Japanese option to the midfield, which is also bolstered by experienced Spaniard Natalia Ramos, while defenders Sara Agrez and Mari Ward complete a strong window for Liverpool. Meanwhile Gemmas Bonner and Evans, Leanne Kiernan, Hannah Silcock and Sofie Lundgaard all depart.

JENNA CLARK

Thinking back to last year, probably not the league placing that you wanted. How is the team trying to get back to the top half of the table?

Jenna Clark (below, right): Going into preseason it’s a fresh start, and you’re looking forward to a new season. We’ve got a new group with a couple of new players, so I think that just brings a really exciting factor.

We’ve been working hard, and you can see the progress already. So just really looking forward to getting started.

What do you think was different, what made last season more challenging for you as a group to compete compared to previous years?

I think there’s probably a number of factors. We’ve had time to reflect upon that, and you do take a lot of time at the end of the season to look back on the challenges you have, the positive moments, the moments you can work on.

I think a lot of that reflecting has been done and now that we’re back into preseason, it’s yeah very much looking forward.

In terms of looking forward, obviously the WSL has got two more teams in it. How exciting is it going to be to play in that expanded league for the first time?

I think it’ll be really exciting. Lots more competition. A lot more opportunity as well.

Games are the most exciting part of your week, so to have more of them is always a good thing as a player and something we’re excited for.

Another format change is the newly renamed Players Cup. That obviously doesn’t include the three Champions League sides. Does that give you an opportunity to try and get after that trophy?

Yeah, as I say more football is what you want. I think every game we go into with the same intention and you know that won’t change that. And it’s another opportunity maybe for different teams to compete.

You’ve been at Liverpool for a few years now. In January there were a lot of new additions, in the summer as well. How excited are you to have those players fully embed within the squad and see the team gel a bit more?

It’s always more difficult coming in halfway through a season because there’s not a big pre-season to get players settled in and get them used to the style of play. They get thrown in the deep end.

So the summer has been a good opportunity – not just for the new ones coming in, but the ones that have come in in January to settle in a little bit more. Also for the players that have been with us longer to build and gel together, and I think that’s been going really well so far.

Gareth Taylor joined last summer. He has quite a unique style of play, maybe a bit different to what you were used to. Do you think another year of learning under him is going to give you more opportunity to get used to that?

Definitely, I think time only helps with things like that. The first season’s very much about building the fundamentals and the basics of Gareth’s way of playing. For all of us that have been here since he started that’s kind of embedded in us now, and we can now help the newer players with those learnings.

Whereas last season when he first came in, it was very much everyone was starting from the same place. So now it can hopefully speed things up and we’re all going to progress again the more time that we play under Gaz.

And for you, as a centre back, specifically, has there been a change in terms of maybe more emphasis on playing the ball, and with your feet, as opposed to just off the ball, and defending?

Yeah, I think there’s always been an emphasis on that. The way modern football’s going, you see a lot more of that in centre backs. It’s no longer just being a good defender off the ball.

I think that’s been a part of the game that’s been growing for a while now. There’s definitely more emphasis on it playing under Gaz, but yeah it’s a part of my game that I’m looking forward to developing more this season.

Finally have you and the team got any kind of goals for the season you want to achieve?

Yeah, I think it’s very early days just now. We’re still just thinking about going into training and running and working really hard.

We know where we want to get to as a team, and we know this will be a massive season for us because we know what we’re capable of and it’s about reaching the levels that we believe we can. We’re really looking forward to seeing us hopefully achieve that.

Photos: Liverpool Women FC, Helen M Jerome