ReactionGareth Taylor on LFC Women 1-3 Arsenal, player potential, transfer plans and more
The Reds trailed by three goals at half-time due to Alessia Russo’s double and a Mariona Caldentey strike.
Teenager Zara Shaw came off the bench and pulled one back at the Kop end with her first WSL goal, but the Gunners were well worthy of their victory.
Post-match, Liverpool head coach Taylor spoke to Sky Sports. Read his reaction in full below.
On his assessment of the game and Liverpool’s performance…
Like a game of two halves for us. I think you can see, obviously, in the first half our intention is to be that kind of team, to be really on the front foot. But we're playing against the European champions and there's a big gulf in levels, and that's what we're striving to be. In the second half we have to fall into playing in a way that we don't really want to, but of course we want it to be respectable.
So, I think it's a good one for us today because the easy thing for us to do is just pack the play up and try and defend, but Arsenal will undo you at some point. I prefer to try and be what we were in the first half, we just got really outdone by their level of physicality, and fitness as well was a big one. But particularly the physicality and the way they were able to move the ball quickly and run past us. The girls are aware of where we need to improve and where to get better, but there's been some positive signs and like I say it was a bit of a game of two halves.
On Shaw and the potential of the youngsters in his squad…
Yeah, there are good young players here, there are, but we need to build on that. We can't be super reliant on these young players, we need to help them and surround them with better players, and I think Zara's an exciting prospect, I really do. Maizie Trueman has been in exams all week, she's 16 years old and sat on our bench today, and has sat on our bench for a lot of the season. So, we're excited about where the future goes for those guys but of course we need to build on that and not be super reliant on them.
On his expectations for the summer transfer window…
I think it's important, you know. We have targets, we have some areas of the pitch we need to fill, so I think the people behind the scenes are working hard on that. The problem is these days that everybody's trying to improve, trying to get better, so the fight is on.
I think we look at the squad as a whole and I think in each line of the pitch we're really trying to strive and improve. Of course, Jennifer Falk has been really big for us, we're trying to keep her at the club if we possibly can. We're really sensitive to her family situation that she has back in Sweden, so we are trying. But [I would] suggest it's all over the pitch [we are looking to strengthen].
On whether it was always the plan for Gemma Bonner and Gemma Evans to make farewell appearances off the bench…
You're never really too sure how those [appearances] work but yeah, of course, definitely trying to get them onto the pitch where appropriate. We probably felt that Bons could have maybe come on at half-time to help and solidify us, but just because of her comeback she was limited to about half an hour.