Women's FA Cup: More challenges in five games than an entire season for Man City, says Taylor

Gareth Taylor says FA Cup holders Manchester City have faced more challenges in their first five games than they would in an entire season.

Last season's WSL runners-up have lost two of their opening three league games, as well as being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

As the FA Cup resumes on Wednesday (19:00 BST). City face Leicester City in the quarter-final.

"We're suffering in many areas at the minute," said Taylor.

City, without a number of key players through injury, go into the match on the back of a 5-0 league defeat by Arsenal at the weekend.

Taylor added: "In our first five games we seem to have faced more challenges than we would in a whole season..

"But we've got character, determination, personality and fight - that's very much apparent. So we'll be there and we'll keep facing up to the challenges that lay ahead of us."

The FA Cup, which started in December 2020 after City beat Everton to lift the previous season's trophy a month earlier, had to be paused mid-season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was last played without crowds in May.

Amid the growing list of injury concerns for holders City, guidelines for the restarted competition mean Ruby Mace and Alanna Kennedy are also unavailable due to playing for teams - Birmingham and Tottenham - last season, who remain in the competition.

"It's not ideal, we didn't get the information until very recently which causes us more frustration," said Taylor.

"When you carry a competition over into the next season, it's really difficult to enforce those types of restrictions on players.

"There is an argument that the sporting integrity has been lost when you look at all the changes among clubs, but at the end of the day we have to get on with it and make the best of the situation."

Ten of Taylor's squad represented Team GB in the Tokyo Olympics in the summer, leaving them stretched in pre-season, with a further seven called up to Sarina Wiegman's latest Lionesses squad earlier this month.

He said: "People in football have a job to do and everyone wants the best outcome, but it does draw a heavy load on the players at times. It's not always ideal especially with Team GB.

"I think we had two thirds of the squad involved. It's something we have to consider going forward, but we're having those discussions and it's important that we continue with that."