Gareth Taylor's Liverpool: Formation, style of play and key players

Tactical deep dives on all 12 Barclays Women's Super League sides from The Cutback and Football Manager

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The Cutback has partnered with Football Manager to deliver a series of articles that go deeper on the tactics and gameplay of the world’s leading football management simulation game.

This year, women’s football features in Football Manager for the very first time, so to get fans ready for a brand new experience, The Cutback has put together the ultimate insights on FM26. Find out about the secrets of building FM26, dive into the tactical details of all 12 Barclays Women’s Super League sides and hear about the next gen talent that will feature in the game.

The next team to be profiled in this deep dives series is Liverpool.

Formation

Liverpool have undergone a radical shift in identity between last season and the current one. Gareth Taylor has moved away from the team’s previous style of defensive blocks and counter-attacks, and imposed the same principles he used at Manchester City, installing a 4-3-3 aiming to control possession.the current one. Gareth Taylor has moved away from the team’s previous style of defensive blocks and counter-attacks, and imposed the same principles he used at Manchester City, installing a 4-3-3 aiming to control possession.

The base of midfield is occupied by Fuka Nagano, who serves as the pivot. Unlike the classic deep-lying playmaker profile Taylor had at City with Yui Hasegawa, Nagano interprets the role more as a defensive midfielder: dynamic, combative, and offering herself as an outlet in build-up, but not the main source of tempo-setting or long-range distribution. Ahead of her, Cornelia Kapocs operates as a fairly attacking central midfielder, with freedom to push high into the final third and connect with the forward line. While Denise O’Sullivan acts more as a box-to-box midfielder, supporting both phases of play.

Out wide, Liverpool use 2 wingers: Ceri Holland inverts, cutting in from the left with her right foot, and Mia Enderby, being either footed, can start on the right and add unpredictability with both crossing and driving inside. Both full-backs, Lily Woodham (or Alejandra Bernabe) on the left and Risa Shimizu on the right, push forward in support, offering overlaps and wide combinations but still supporting the two centre-backs. Jenna Clark provides more standard cover, while Grace Fisk uses her athleticism and technical ability to act more as an overlapping centre- back. Abilities that allowed her to play as a fullback in the early stages of the season. At the tip of the system, players like Beata Olsson and Aurélie Csillag can lead the line as an advanced forward, tasked with stretching the defence vertically. But in the most recent games, Martha Thomas’ physicality and link- up play have been preferred up top.

This setup does mirror Taylor’s philosophy at City, but, especially after O’Sullivan joined the team, it does so in a more balanced way: the double interior line is still pushing high, but with more defensive-minded personnel on the field, wide players stretching the pitch, and a single pivot orchestrating from deep. It is a structure designed for long phases of possession, slower tempo circulation, and patient probing rather than rapid counter-attacks. Liverpool needed a huge January transfer window to help manage an injury-depleted squad after Taylor lost both Marie Höbinger and Sophie Roman Haug to ACL injuries at the start of the season. And they delivered, bringing in (other than the aforementioned O’Sullivan and Thomas) several new names in Anna Josendal, Alice Bergstrom and new starting goalkeeper Jennifer Falk.

In possession: Liverpool’s build-up mirrors Taylor’s City blueprint but is adapted to the current personnel. The centre‑backs split to open the first lane and draw pressure. The first phase forms a 2+1 with Nagano in front (and at times a 3+1 when a full‑back tucks in). As the pivot, Nagano offers simple outlet passes and stabilises circulation rather than acting as a true regista; her interpretation is more defensive and dynamic, helping the team escape pressure by playing quick horizontal passes without being the primary source of tempo.

Progression is routed wide to the full‑backs, both encouraged to advance on their natural sides and link quick patterns down the flank. The wingers start out maintaining width and then move in synch with the central midfielders to combine in short triangles with them and their full‑backs.

For instance, when Enderby or Olsson (if deployed on the wing) comes deeper to aid ball progression, Kapocs inverts more into the gap created to overload the centre of the pitch. On the flanks, overlapping or underlapping depends on space and natural instincts of the players, Taylor gives their attackers freedom in movement as long as the right areas are occupied. This gives his teams high unpredictability and potential for players to associate with one another in many different ways.

The absence of Olivia Smith, sold to Arsenal in the summer, has deprived Liverpool of its most decisive player from last season. Without her, the team relies more on collective circulation and structured movements. The upside is a clearer identity in possession, though it will take time for automatisms to settle. Against Everton in the opener, Liverpool enjoyed long spells of control and created chances, but struggled to finish them, highlighting the adjustment period still ongoing.

Out of possession: Defensively, Liverpool’s shape is again a clear departure from the past. Instead of a deep block waiting to counter, Taylor has them pressing higher in a 4-3-3 shape. The striker and the 2 wingers initiate the press, screening inside passes and forcing circulation wide.

The line of engagement is higher than last year, with the team looking to recover the ball closer to the opposition’s half. Both full-backs step high to close wide players, leaving just the pivot to aid the centre-backs if the press is bypassed. This risk-reward dynamic is deliberate: Taylor wants his side to dominate territory and keep opponents under pressure. However, as shown in the derby, the coordinated movements of a 4-player high defensive line are still imperfect, with Everton finding great success with direct balls in behind and crosses aimed between the 2 Liverpool centre-backs, at times unsure of their marking assignment or correct positioning. All signs of a new defensive system that still needed time to properly gel. With more weeks under their belt the improvement was clearly visible, even in difficult games like against London City Lionesses, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Key players:

Beata Olsson - Olsson has been a key addition to Taylor’s squad since arriving in the summer transfer window from Kristianstad in Sweden. The Swedish U23 international has scored five goals and produced one assist so far this season. In December, she became the first player in WSL history to score in four of her first five starts in the division.

Fuka Nagano – Since joining Liverpool, she has been one of the most consistent performers, combining composure on the ball with the work rate needed to cover large areas of midfield. Her intelligence and calmness under pressure have already made her a trusted presence for teammates. The challenge this season is heavier: she must provide the balance in a new system and with a new role. Her growing into the lone pivot role is directly tied to Liverpool’s growth in this second half of the season.

Mia Enderby – With Olivia Smith gone, Liverpool needs someone to pick up that mantle and provide drive and unpredictability on the flanks. Enderby hasdone it so far this season. She can carry the ball, beat defenders, and contribute goals as well as service from both wide and central areas. For both her own growth and the team’s ambitions, this feels like the moment to make the step up.

This is a paid partnership between The Cutback and Football Manager.