Five WSL clubs, five Impetus writers attended their media conferences today. They report below (13/10/23).
Above: Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall, who spoke to the media, including Impetus’ Morganna King, today. Photo: Arsenal.
Arsenal
by Morganna King
Arsenal preparations are in full swing ahead of Sunday’s home game with Aston Villa with over 33,500 tickets sold for the WSL match at The Emirates.
In his media conference today, Gunners boss Jonas Eidevall revealed that Beth Mead could be about to return: “We have one more training session to go, if she goes through that training she should be 100% ready for squad selection.” Her return is highly anticipated after sustaining an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury last November.
Another highly anticipated return is the likes of Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema. It’s still unclear when she will be making her return to the matchday squad but Eidevall was keen to iterate that “at the end of the day everything is going to be unique to you as an individual and things need to be tailored towards you as an individual as well”. As both Mead and Miedema ruptured their ACLs at a similar time there is often a pressure for them to be at the same stage in their recovery however it’s important to note that every injury is unique.
With Arsenal’s Lionesses’ captain Leah Williamson still also in recovery mode, with Eidevall revealing that she is “not close to playing but is progressing well”. She is back on the pitch doing basic ball work but it is completely certain that we won’t see her return until after the Christmas period.
In terms of Arsenal having a number one goalkeeper, Eidevall doesn’t believe in that philosophy; “We don’t think like that, it’s not a permanent jersey that we stick upon one player” he revealed. “But of course, there’s always competition and to see which one will be in our best starting XI”. Manuela Zinsberger started in goal against Liverpool whereas Sabrina D’Angelo started against Manchester United, so it will be interesting to observe who will make it onto the field against Aston Villa.
Scheduling is still a prominent issue in women’s football as it’s known that the turnaround after the World Cup was a very short period before the season commenced. When asked about how this is impacting the players at the club Eidevall answered “When you step in and you train with Arsenal I demand 100%, there is not room for coming in and saying oh i’m having a 90% day today. That’s not the environment for you to be here at Arsenal.
“So when you step in here we want 100% but that also means more from a mental side of playing a big tournament and getting too little time to reset, that we manage time individually with the players that were staying long in the World Cup and they’re getting complete time off from the training ground.”
In the previous match Arsenal played at the Emirates Stadium, they were defeated 1-0 by Liverpool on the opening round. “We are not a finished product” Eidevall affirmed. One of the flaws in the squad that day was the lack of reciprocation of energy from the crowd by the players, but also their ability to take the chances to counter press at every opportunity.
Going into Sunday’s match and every match from there on out, there’s confidence that the Emirates will become a fortress as more games are played at the main stadium, which will subsequently result in building on their winning mentality.
Aston Villa
by Emily Brown
This Sunday Aston Villa will face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. As of yet, neither team have come out with a win so far into this WSL season. In the Villains’ last match against the Gunners, they shocked with a 2-0 win with goals from Rachel Daly and Alisha Lehmann, ending Arsenal’s rollercoaster of a season with a dramatic loss.
Ward firstly confirmed that Kenza Dali will remain unavailable for this weekend’s match, with her anticipated return realistically being expected following the conclusion of the upcoming international break. She further expressed, without confirming who, that there are a “couple of illnesses in camp which will be assessed today but other than that everyone’s good to go”.
The potential of Dali being available to play any sooner looks unlikely with Ward mentioning that it is “really important that we don’t rush Kenza, she’s such a big part of what we’re trying to do” adding that the club will be sure to “make sure that when she does come back, she’ll be ready to go.”
There continues to be a slight ambiguity surrounding precisely the extent of Dali’s injury towards the media, but Ward explains that after Dali picked up a “couple of niggles”, during and in the space after, this summer’s World Cup, the club have “assessed and scanned and realised she needs a bit of rest and rehab”. In short, it is clear that Dali is suffering with a “knee problem” but is fortunately “close to being at the end of her rehab”.
On the impact of the continued absence of Dali and Kirsty Hanson, Ward recognised it as “huge” but remains positive and has faith in her squad to rise above it:
“Kenza and Kirsty were pivotal in everything we did well in last season. Kenza links the front-half and back-half very, very well and obviously, Kirsty’s pace and power is something that’s rare in our game. We’ve missed them massively but the group’s tight-knit and honest. We’re disappointed but we’ll keep working like we always do”.
After Manchester City manager, Gareth Taylor, spoke out about the officiating of the match between his side and Chelsea where two of his stars Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp were issued with red cards, with a surprising number of players receiving yellow cards across both halves, Ward seems to be in agreement saying, “I would echo Gareth Taylor’s comments, I think he’s hit the nail on the head.”
Much controversy has surrounded Greenwood’s red card with many contesting that her actions were undeserving of one. Aston Villa too have had a lot of talk around Hanson’s three-match ban after her red card. There are thoughts in particular that a three-match ban is perhaps too harsh, with both incidents begging the question of how sound the officiating of matches in the WSL have been recently.
Following on from this, surrounding the topic of officiating matches Ward was asked her thoughts on the potential for the introduction of VAR technology into the WSL:
“I think we can’t run before we can walk. I think we have to professionalise referees within our game first, I think that’s really important because we’re going to be asking those officials to work on VAR and VAR is a hugely complicated technology. I think it’s really important that we have professional people working that.”
Understandably, Ward believes that the focus shouldn’t be on VAR just yet and that there’s “areas in the game that certainly needs improving and needs a lot of focus before we even think about VAR.”
Villa were “disappointed” with their performance against Liverpool last week, but Ward chooses to focus on the “bigger picture” and asserts that “there’s no problem with losing to a Liverpool side that’s just beaten Arsenal.”
With matches coming up against Tottenham Hotspurs and Emma Hayes’ league-winning Chelsea, Ward remains calm: “There’s no panic here whatsoever. I think it’s clear that we’re very focused on what we want to try to achieve. The focus and the aims haven’t changed from what we set out in pre-season. We’re only two games in and we’ll continue to work and go after those targets.”
In regard to Jonas Eidevall’s team, Ward commends them: “I really enjoy watching Arsenal play. They were excellent against Manchester United. They’ve got a world-class squad and a top manager. We’re under no illusions, they’re a top side and we’re going to have to absolutely be at our best”.
“We’ve got to try and dominate the ball as much as we possibly can. In both games last season, we matched them in areas. We set up in a way that allowed us to get on the ball a lot more and it will be the same again this weekend.”
Overall, Ward seems to have a quiet confidence in her team at Aston Villa and described her squad as an “honest group” focussed on doing “everything” they can do to pick up points and reassures that it “won’t be long” till they do just that.
Brighton and Hove Albion
by Genevieve Henry
The media heard from Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Melissa Phillips and their Lionesses star Katie Robinson ahead of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.
Phillips and the squad are feeling prepared for their tough clash against Tottenham. Although they are aware of the attacking talent they possess, Phillips feels that there are weaknesses Brighton can capitalise on, but they are focusing on what they can bring as a team, saying “Ultimately we know we can put out a team and a performance out on the pitch that makes our fans really proud.”
It will be a tough matchup between two highly organised teams, but Brighton are feeling confident going into the weekend. The team is looking forward to playing at the men’s team’s Amex Stadium and are hoping for a good atmosphere. When asked about her feelings on playing there again, Robinson was excited and hoping to get on the scoresheet again, as she did last season. Coming off of the women’s World Cup, Robinson was thrilled to be a part of such a successful England squad and is looking forward to more growth from the league.
In terms of grounds, the Brighton city council are considering a new stadium for just the women. Phillips spoke of the club’s communication with the council saying, “We’re just really focused on the football side of it.” Robinson said she was excited for the potential to have a ground to call home. The club is proud to be a part of the growth of women’s football and feel exceptionally lucky to have a great training facility at home, but are excited by the potential of more growth. They are very focused on making an environment and team for the fans to be proud to be a part of.
Brighton went through some rebuilding over the summer, and while losing many influential players, they gained some promising and experienced new ones. Robinson spoke of the team getting along well, with the relatively fresh squad growing together and hoping to achieve big things this season. One to pay attention to in particular is recently appointed captain Vicky Losada. Phillips spoke highly of her, saying “She has a really uncanny ability to relate to all sorts of different people and that is what put her in positions to wear the armband across multiple squads.
Two players that have impressed Phillips are the young Australians Charlize Rule and Mackenzie Hawkesby. One thing that gives them an edge is the desire to fight to get onto the senior national team, which Rule has now done for the Olympic qualifiers. “They are both very exciting players in the attack. They are very competitive and work incredibly hard. They’ve shown a lot of quality for their young age.” According to Phillips, the Aussies slid into the squad seamlessly, adding value both on and off the pitch.
Manchester United
by Ruby Perry
Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner revealed to the media today that he has no new injury concerns ahead of their home game with unbeaten Leicester City on Sunday.
Aoife Mannon and Emma Watson remain unavailable and Geyse Da Silva Ferreira had a little knock against Arsenal a week ago but is back in full training and after coming on as a sub in midweek, and could play a fuller part on Sunday.
The Red Devils boss recognises that it will be a tough game with the Foxes winning both their opening games. He particularly pointed to Leicester’s greater attacking intensity and confidence this season.
Skinner believes that his players need to find the intensity that they generated against Paris St. German in midweek as they managed to recover from a tough start and a 1-0 deficit to draw 1-1. If they can do that, they can find the spaces necessary to break down Leicester and get the all-important three points.
Tottenham Hotspur
by Rachel Cohen
In his pre-Brighton and Hove Albion press conference, Spurs manager Robert Vilahamn provided some insight into his squad selection decisions.
After two games in charge, Robert Vilahamn’s Spurs are on track. They have played well but lost to a team they were expected to lose to (Chelsea) and beaten a team they were expected to beat (Bristol City). Vilahamn then made ten changes and the team put six past second-tier Reading in the Conti Cup. So this Sunday’s game against Brighton will be a good indicator of where his team are on their “journey”, not least because Brighton were many people’s picks for potential surprise package in the WSL this season.
Talking to the press before this game, Vilahamn praised the improvements that he has seen in his squad since he joined as manager:
“I think they are really good players with the really good attitudes. I’ve been impressed with how they actually can take the tactics, the strength, the conditioning training and try to take that on the field.”
We also got some insight into how Spurs’ existing players are fitting into Vilahamn’s high-pressing attacking style of play. Vilahamn offered fulsome praise for Molly Bartrip, who has worn the captain’s armband for the first two WSL games of the season, in Beth England’s absence.
“I think I quite soon realized both as a person when you meet her and speak to her, she’s a really good person and she’s a really good, you know, calm leader in the, in the squad. And then when she plays, she never loses the ball. She wins every duel. She have a really high potential. I think she’s been brilliant, and she has even more potential. So for me, she’s possibly a next national team centre-back.”
Vilahamn also explained one of his tactical changes that has seen Angharad James starting at fullback – a new position for her. “When I came here, I was supposed to start with the build-up and see how we can improve and dictate games. And for me, I need the players that can keep the ball.
“For me, James was one of the best ones actually keeping the ball. And then you had Evelina [Summanen] and Olga [Ahtinen] as well. And then I’m like, Okay, I have a problem here. If I just need to put one of those on the bench, right.
“So I played a little bit with her position and I thought, James, had a good, friendly game at right back. And she’s stayed there for a while. And now she was back as a six last game so I know she can play both. And now, Asmita [Ale] is taking steps to show me that you really want to play as well. So now I’m ending up having problems or actually very good stuff to work with. But for me, bringing James down as a right back that’s because I want to dictate the game and I want to have good players on the ball.”
Focusing on the other wing Vilahamn confirmed that, long-time fan-favourite, Ashleigh Neville will be remaining as a fullback for the foreseeable future. But we will still see her getting forward.
“My fullbacks are very offensive and hopefully in in the long run, they can be even more offensive and overlapping those wingers. So I think you will see her as a fullback but she will quite often and be up there anyway, so I think you will kind of see her as a winger, but she’s a fullback for me.”
Wednesday’s game was the first sighting of new signing Zhang Linyan, who scored ten minutes into her debut. Vilahamn revealed that Zhang has been a long-term target for him as a manager – a player he had previously tried to sign for BK Häcken. He praised her effusively as “a really big talent.
“She’s gonna be great in the long run. She’s a different kind of player. I don’t think it’s so many players who can play in the pocket, who can do those smaller movements with the ball and actually never lose the balls. I think she has something extra.”
Looking forward to next opponents Brighton and Hove Albion, Vilahamn took positives from a behind-closed-doors friendly the teams played this summer. “We had we had a good game, one of the best at the friendly game stage, where we actually dictated the game and so on, but we didn’t score any goals.”
But the Spurs boss noted that Brighton have switched formation since then in league games “so we don’t really know how they’re gonna play. So we just need to be really sharp and take steps in our journey.”
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