Manchester City captain Alex Greenwood has underlined her side’s determination to defend their Women’s Super League crown after making the only perfect start to the new season.
City have collected six points from their opening two matches, beating Birmingham City 3-1 before recording a convincing 4-1 victory away at Aston Villa.
That puts the reigning champions two points ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham after the second round of fixtures.
Chelsea responded to their opening-day draw with Aston Villa by producing an emphatic 5-0 victory over Manchester United, but City’s early form provides another reminder of the challenge facing Sonia Bompastor’s side this season.
Alex Greenwood sets out Man City title ambition
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Greenwood has made clear that City are not satisfied with winning the WSL once.
Speaking in an [interview with Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13579874/man-city-vs-liverpool-why-graduating-from-wsl-winner-to-champion-is-so-important-to-alex-greenwood?utm_source=chatgpt.com), the City captain drew a distinction between simply winning a title and establishing sustained success.
“A true champion is someone who goes and wins again,” Greenwood said.
“A winner might be one-off. But a champion does it over and over.”
City’s maximum return from their first two matches is particularly notable because they are the only WSL team to have won both opening fixtures. According to Sky Sports, it is the first time since 2015 that only one club has held maximum points after two rounds.
Andrée Jeglertz’s side scored seven goals across those victories, with City picking up where they left off after winning both the WSL and Women’s FA Cup last season.
Chelsea already have Man City benchmark
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For Chelsea, City’s start provides an early benchmark rather than a reason for alarm.
Bompastor’s side remain unbeaten after two league games and demonstrated their attacking potential with five different goalscorers during the victory over Manchester United.
The title race will not be settled in September, but Chelsea know first-hand how strong City have become under Jeglertz.
City finished last season as WSL champions and also knocked Chelsea out of the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals before going on to win the competition.
Greenwood believes small changes introduced by Jeglertz have helped establish a different mentality.
“The manager made subtle differences with big results,” she told Sky Sports.
The England international also described City’s dressing room as highly competitive and said the champions continue to remind one another of what they achieved last season.
Champions League could shape Chelsea and City battle
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One difference this season is that City will have to balance their domestic title defence with European football.
They did not compete in last season’s Women’s Champions League, something Greenwood admitted was difficult to watch from the outside. This year, City have qualified for the league phase and begin away to Bayern Munich on September 22.
Chelsea have the same challenge.
Bompastor’s side begin their league-phase campaign against Austria Wien on September 23, four days after hosting Birmingham City in the WSL.
The first direct league meeting between Chelsea and City is not until **November 14 at Stamford Bridge**, meaning plenty can change before the two title rivals meet.
For now, however, City have made the strongest possible start.
Greenwood’s message is that winning last season’s championship was not the end goal. Chelsea’s task is to ensure the defending champions are not allowed to build an early advantage before the title race properly takes shape.