Man City must forget about the WSL and concentrate on the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League to get anything out of a cursed campaign

City never came into this season with the biggest squad. With just one fit senior right-back and one fit senior left-back, they were never going to be able to battle across all four fronts to the degree which a team like Chelsea can, with the strongest squad in the division.

However, the WSL was the priority for Taylor, given the disappointment of falling at the final hurdle in last season's quest to deliver a first league title for the women's side since 2016. It felt like that extra motivation, combined with star summer signings like Vivianne Miedema, could help drive them to success this time around.

Sadly for them, though, it is the league form which has been hit hardest when injuries have made that small squad even smaller. While there are certainly questions that can be asked of City's squad-building this year, it has to be said that they have had some bad luck, too.

At the Olympics, Risa Shimizu suffered a brutal ACL injury with Japan just two weeks after signing for the club, then Miedema, Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood all underwent knee surgeries in successive months. Laia Aleixandri, Khadija Shaw, Laura Blindkilde Brown and Aoba Fujino have all spent time on the sidelines as well, with the absences of the latter two certainly felt in Wednesday's draw at West Ham.

When City brought in defensive reinforcements in January, the misfortune still didn't stop. Rebecca Knaak had performed brilliantly in Greenwood's place, after arriving from Swedish side Rosengard, so much so that she won a first senior call-up for Germany in February. Then, on international duty, she suffered a hamstring injury that has ruled her out for several weeks.

Knaak's absence was another that was telling on Wednesday. Gracie Prior, the young academy product who has shown promise when given chances this season, played at centre-back instead. That is her natural position but it was her first time starting there in a senior match, having played as a right-back otherwise this term. That she was out-muscled with ease by Pavi for West Ham's equaliser will be a learning moment for her.

It's a position that has become a real issue for City this season, so much so that Miedema revealed to Dutch reporters last month that she was asked if she had ever played at centre-back before. "It was because we don't have that many defensive options at the club," she said. "The question was whether - with my height - I could step back when defending a lead. That suggestion did go a bit too far for me. Fortunately, we haven't been in that situation yet. I hope it won't happen either."

While clearly just an enquiry rather than an attempt to find a regular solution, the quotes highlighted the situation that City find themselves in defence after losing Greenwood and Knaak to injury, while letting Alanna Kennedy leave for Angel City in the January window.

That said, Taylor did have a more senior option than Prior for Wednesday's game in Naomi Layzell, the 21-year-old into her fifth season already after debuting for Bristol City at 16. However, she was one of several possible starters he left on the bench alongside Miedema, Shaw and Spain international left-back Leila Ouahabi, with others given a chance in a rotated XI.

It was clear he had one eye on Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa and, just generally, the month ahead. The trip to West Ham was City's second match of eight in March, with four games against Chelsea - in the League Cup final, the Champions League quarter-finals and the WSL - among those remaining. It's a huge month that is likely to define their season.

Taylor has to find the right moments to rest key players and he can be forgiven for thinking that this match was an opportunity to do exactly that. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't until Shaw and Miedema came off the bench and combined to score that City were able to find a breakthrough in London, and then came the late equaliser. With Chelsea playing at the same time and using their squad to greater success in a tough 3-1 win over Leicester, it just further underlined what was already known - City do not have the ability to compete on four fronts, unlike Chelsea.

However, what City still do have is a fantastic first XI, even without Hemp, Greenwood and others. Layzell would be the only player in their best line-up right now who isn't a senior international, though she is a regular in England's U23s and has trained with Sarina Wiegman's senior side.

Featuring world-class players like Miedema, Shaw and midfield lynchpin Yui Hasegawa; a top centre-back in Laia Aleixandri, whose quality is emphasised by Barcelona's ongoing pursuit of her signature; in-form Australia forward Mary Fowler; Netherlands star Jill Roord; and Japan's Fujino, who is perhaps the most outstanding winger in the WSL this season; Taylor is still able to put out a team that has the ability to beat almost anyone.

That is a strength they have to lean into in these final two months of the season. In Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa, in next week's League Cup final against Chelsea and in those Champions League clashes with the Blues, City need to go as full-strength as possible because it is in those competitions, rather than the WSL, that their chances of success remain.

Sitting one point off the European places in the league might make that sound ridiculous. However, it's likely that they will be four points adrift by the time they next kick a ball in that competition, trusting that Arsenal beat manager-less Liverpool on Friday, and their next fixture is then against Chelsea. Their rivals for the top three are in much better positions than them - Arsenal with a kinder run-in and a healthier, bigger squad; Man Utd without the need to worry about the Champions League; and Chelsea stocked to the brim with star talent.

The WSL presents a desperate battle that would require all of Man City's energy. Instead, that should be thrown into the FA Cup, into the League Cup and into the Champions League, where they have the potential to beat most on their day. That is their best chance of turning a tough season into a successful one.