Man City captain Greenwood shocked Taylor was sacked

Manchester City skipper Alex Greenwood was "shocked" by the determination to sack caput manager Gareth Taylor 5 days earlier the Women's League Cup final.

City are 4th successful the Women's Super League, 12 points adrift of defending champions Chelsea, but are inactive competing successful 3 cupful competitions.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Greenwood said: "I had to digest it - I was evidently rather shocked erstwhile I was archetypal told arsenic it wasn't thing I expected.

"Ultimately the determination was made and we person to respect the determination and spot the decision."

Taylor succeeded Nick Cushing successful May 2020 and led City to 2 large honours - but Cushing has present returned arsenic interim boss.

The nine said successful a connection erstwhile announcing Taylor's departure that it "prides itself" successful competing astatine the apical of the WSL and qualifying for European contention but "unfortunately, results this play person truthful acold not reached this precocious standard".

Greenwood said she was not told immoderate much astir wherefore the nine made the determination but "for affirmative reasons, they privation to determination guardant with Nick truthful we person to travel unneurotic and spot that decision".

She added: "My relation arsenic skipper is to bring the squad unneurotic and marque definite the absorption remains the aforesaid - which is connected the last connected Saturday and the tally of games we've got coming up. I was shocked by the news, of course.

"I deliberation the absorption rapidly shifted to what's next, what is important to the squad and that's the last connected Saturday."

City look Chelsea successful Saturday's League Cup last (12:15 GMT kick-off), which is unrecorded connected BBC One, successful a tally of 4 back-to-back games against the Blues.

They volition past play Sonia Bompastor's broadside doubly successful their two-legged Champions League quarter-final, with a WSL gathering successful between.

Taylor had been a arguable fig astatine City, with respective players speaking retired publically astir their experiences during his clip successful charge, including England goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck describing her narration with him arsenic "fractured".

However, Greenwood said she had a "really positive" narration with the 52-year-old.

"I was his skipper and we had a truly steadfast relationship," she added.

"I don't expect everyone to person the aforesaid narration with the manager, that's football. Ultimately helium has to marque decisions and he's ne'er going to delight everyone."

Cushing volition beryllium successful complaint for the remainder of the season, having antecedently helped City triumph the WSL and the FA Cup, positive the League Cup twice, earlier leaving successful January 2020 to articulation MLS broadside New York City.

"We were excited by that assignment due to the fact that helium knows the nine truly well, he's been present before, helium comes with a immense past of winning and his mentality to triumph is 2nd to none," said Greenwood, who is presently sidelined with a genu injury.

"I had a really, truly bully chat with him connected Tuesday morning.

"He had a large gathering with the squad - a really, truly affirmative one. It was yet astir winning and what is achievable, what we request to absorption on, which, archetypal of all, is Saturday."

Former Manchester City players Ellen White and Jen Beattie, who some played nether Taylor, person questioned the timing of the sacking.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly podcast, White said: "Very unusual timing I would accidental - it's ace strange.

"I consciousness a spot atrocious for him due to the fact that [he has] a batch of injuries. But you've got to propulsion it backmost to the nine astatine the aforesaid clip to beryllium similar - are you invested into this team, wherever bash you privation this squad to go?

"He could person gone months ago, past twelvemonth potentially. I don't deliberation they're successful that atrocious a presumption astatine the moment. It's conscionable the weirdest timing ever."

Beattie said it was the players she felt for astir and the interaction it has connected their cupful last preparation.

"It's the timing for me, perfectly wild, 5 days earlier a cupful final.

"I recognize the determination making, but I bash deliberation the timing was really, truly unfair connected the players."

Both White and Beattie worked nether Cushing successful his erstwhile spell astatine City and judge helium is the close prime to instrumentality the nine forward.

"He understands what Man City is about, helium understands the club, the expectations and helium is simply a fig that a batch of radical volition know," said White.

"I deliberation he's got immoderate large ideas. He's precise diligent, he's precise tactical, he's bully astatine connection and helium loves being connected the grass. He's a very, precise bully coach."

Beattie played nether Cushing for 4 seasons astatine City and was portion of the WSL-winning broadside successful 2016 and won 2 FA Cups and 2 League Cups nether him.

"In my acquisition nether Nick, Nick had this unbelievable quality to marque you absorption connected the task successful manus and to beryllium capable to unopen retired the noise," she said.

"He volition beryllium capable to instrumentality this chaotic clip for the team, simplify it, and let them to absorption connected the games."