“We call it the old Liverpool.”

The sentence is uttered nonchalantly, but carries real meaning. It says so much about the change in Gareth Taylor’s women’s side.

The Reds have started the 2026/27 season impressively and sit sixth in the table at this first pause of the WSL season. That’s a far cry from 12 months ago, when Liverpool lost all of their opening seven games and didn’t experience victory before Christmas.

More seismic events around the club understandably impacted performances during the traumatic period that followed Matt Beard’s passing last year. A late-season surge ultimately saw the side pull away from the relegation picture, and that form has bled into the new campaign.

With four wins from seven in all competitions, there’s a different outlook on this Liverpool.

“Everything has gone up a level since they [the coaching staff] have come in,” said midfielder Zarah Shaw, speaking exclusively to Redmen TV before the international break.

“In terms of how much we’ve come on since they’ve come in, the improvements we’ve made and the intensity of everything. Getting into positions to play quickly, one, two-touch passing. I think that’s now our identity and how we want to play, and everyone knows that.

“I think how we want to play has been drilled into us since this time last year when the manager came in. But I think the progress we’ve made has been leaps and bounds. We’ve come a long way, and it’s really exciting that you can see the progress we’re making as a group.”

Shaw’s assessment isn’t exactly a revelation. Multiple players have passed a similar judgement this season, as well as Taylor himself, who has repeatedly referenced the team’s development in a few short months.

The former Manchester City coach previously spoke of his desire to make Liverpool the best pressing team in Europe, while his system requires the team to dominate possession and then spring into rapid attacks.

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Taylor is an intense and demanding figure. That, according to Shaw, has helped push Liverpool to new heights.

“Off the pitch he is quite chilled. You can sit with him and have a coffee and a chat, but I think on the pitch he demands high standards.

“I think all the staff do and I think we as players know that when we go out to train, we’re training to win every day. You can see how much that has helped us to progress.”

Patience and planning

As a local girl who came through the Liverpool youth ranks, Shaw knows more than most about the expectation to succeed at the club.

Yet her ability to impact events on the pitch has been limited this season. That is mainly due to her involvement in the Under-20 World Cup, where she captained England.

“It was an unbelievable experience, one I will never forget,” she reflected. “My family came out [to Poland] for a week while I was there. They just said it was such a proud moment for them to see me lead the team out with the armband.”

Her participation meant Shaw missed the first three matches of the season, and she has since been eased back into the team by Taylor. But the defender has shown her qualities in two Players Cup appearances, providing a goal and assist in Liverpool wins.

And after two serious knee injuries in recent years, there is obvious caution around pushing her physically. Shaw is ambitious and confident, yet also realistic.

“Everyone wants to play as much as they can, but I’m also very aware of where I am in terms of I’m still a young player.

“I still back myself to think I can compete in this group,” she hastened to add. “That’s the really positive thing about this group; it’s really competitive, which ups the levels of everyone in training.

“I’m just trying to get better every day and reflect. I’m sort of playing a new position, so it’s about picking up all that information and experience playing there. I think that has been beneficial. I just want to play as many minutes as I can.

“Going away with England and playing consistently was really positive. I got a few 90 minutes under my belt. I’m feeling good. Hopefully that can continue.”

Raising expectations

As Shaw alluded to, given the competition for places, she may not immediately force her way into the team. Taylor has selected the same back four in all five WSL games this season, with Grace Fisk and Jenna Clark looking particularly solid at the heart of defence.

The Reds’ squad depth was bolstered significantly over the summer with six new arrivals. Khiara Keating, Natalia Ramos and Vivien Endemann have made an immediate impression, and there’s no doubt they are helping to bolster this improving Liverpool.

“Credit to the girls who have been brought in; they have got their heads down straight away and done everything the manager has asked of them,” said Shaw, speaking from Liverpool’s Melwood training base.

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Along with Tottenham Hotspur and London City Lionesses, Liverpool are part of a cohort of ambitious clubs looking to push up the table, with aims of challenging the WSL’s established elite.

Last month’s comfortable win in the Merseyside derby underlined the belief that Liverpool may be a step above the mid-ranking sides, even if an underwhelming 1-0 loss at Manchester United before the international break provided the season’s first real disappointment.

Liverpool return this weekend with a trip to struggling Aston Villa, which begins a run of nine games in 35 days that will define what is realistically achievable this campaign is. There’s no chance of being drawn into another relegation scrap.

“We don’t want to talk about last season in terms of where we finished,” said Shaw. “I think we obviously want to build on that this season and get this club back fighting where it belongs.

“I think the top four is definitely where we want to be aiming for.”

For now, the challenge is to ensure the progress Shaw described remains the new normal – and that the old Liverpool stays firmly in the past.

Interview conducted by Michael Plant