Manchester’s skyline is a battleground for architects aiming to reach new heights but there is another growing rivalry in the city amid a fight for Women’s Super League glory. Manchester City are currently looking down on Manchester United as they aim to secure their first title since 2016.
City host United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday with the ambition of going top, for 24 hours at least. Their success has been built on a fine defence, conceding only 10 goals in 16 matches. A key component of the back four has been the Spanish left-back Leila Ouahabi, who is in her second season in England after moving from Barcelona.
Sitting 23 floors up in the Beetham Tower, Ouahabi is overlooking the city she calls home. The mid-March drizzle is not what a Barcelona native is used to but she is settled in the north-west of England, so knows the derby’s significance. “I think it will be a really good game, we are really excited for the game and playing at the Etihad,” she says. “We are very happy for this opportunity to play in front of so many of our fans. They are very competitive games that attract a lot of interest because they have great history.
“They are the matches I like to play in because there is so much at stake. It is true that each time we play derbies there are more fans and it creates a fantastic atmosphere for games because the fans are incredibly animated.”
Ouahabi, 31 today speaks in a mixture of English and Spanish. She is taking lessons to improve her language skills and is helped at City by her fellow defender Laia Aleixandri. There are a few more Catalans at the training ground too. “I see Pep [Guardiola] now and again, we have a good chat because I know him from his time at Barcelona,” she says.
Ouahabi’s first season in the WSL was a disappointing one for City as they finished fourth, nine points behind second-placed United and a further two back from the champions, Chelsea. “We are more compact this season and we played really well in games,” she says. “We have increased our competitiveness and we are fighting to win every game and this is an improvement on last season. For us it is very important to stay near the top of the table and to improve on last season. We want to fight for the title this year.”
With six matches to go, City are level with Chelsea and their lunchtime kick-off offers the opportunity to put pressure on their rivals. City pummelled United in the reverse fixture and confidence is high in east Manchester after 10 league victories in a row. They possess the league’s top scorer in Khadija Shaw, who has scored 16 times in 15 appearances, and after being knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup, they have only one competition to focus on, while Chelsea are still battling on four fronts.
United’s visit will be City’s first game at the Etihad this season, with the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium across Ashton New Road their regular home. More than 43,000 people were at Old Trafford in November and expectations are for a similar crowd on Saturday. With no Premier League games, the Women’s Football Weekend turns the focus on to the WSL and Women’s Championship. In addition to the Manchester derby, Everton host Liverpool at Goodison Park, while a London derby (West Ham v Chelsea)and Championship north-east derby (Sunderland v Durham) also take place. Chelsea’s win over Arsenal last Friday attracted 32,970 people, helping break the WSL’s season attendance record with six rounds to go. A total of 717,721 spectators have passed through turnstiles, surpassing the previous record of 689,297.
“It is true that women’s football is growing in popularity in England in general,” says Ouahabi. “When England won the European Championship, we saw a great increase in the support for the game and the potential it has. I think that the English league has fantastic crowds and it is a great boost for women’s football. You can see many great things being done in England to help generate interest in the women’s game. In the stadiums there are a lot of girls that come to watch our matches, which is very positive. It implies that we will have a great following for years to come and it is a great boost to all of us.”
Ouahabi has been part of the evolution of the women’s game. She was a Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2021 and secured six league titles in her native Catalonia, experiences that could help get City over the line. Her body is decorated with a series of personal tattoos – one of her sister and niece – while another celebrates the European triumph of three years ago, depicting a butterfly, which her friend and former teammate Patricia Guijarro also had done to commemorate the occasion. Maybe a Manchester bee will be the next tattoo? “If we win the title, maybe,” Ouahabi jokes. “I might get the date.”
Beating United will not define City’s season – nor will it change the Manchester weather – but it could provide Gareth Taylor’s side with the momentum required to end it on a high and with a trophy in the cabinet. “If we win on Saturday, it will be sunny,” says Ouahabi.
