Manchester United led the WSL for much of the first half of last season, only to run out of steam and fall away after Christmas as injuries piled up and frustrations rose.
Five defeats in nine games between January and early April, starting with a narrow loss to champions Chelsea, was ultimately the difference that made United finish 10 points off the leaders in the end, as well as agonisingly only point off a Champions League place.
Frustrations over training facilities led manager Casey Stoney to quit in May and it took the club 11 long weeks to appoint a successor, during which time the squad had approached the PFA to seek advice and express concerns over a perceived lack of organisation.
Key players also left and recruitment was delayed, although fans are generally happy with those new faces that have been brought in, even if more arguably needed to be done.
Ultimately, it has been far from the ideal preparation for a United side that has so far only ever known forward progress since the club was re-formed in 2018.