Press conferenceMatt Beard on West Ham clash, goals, fitness update and more
Liverpool FC Women manager Matt Beard previewed Sunday's home fixture with West Ham United Women in a pre-match press conference.
Following two successive 3-3 draws in the Barclays Women’s Super League, the Reds got back to winning ways last weekend with a 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in the Continental League Cup.
On Friday morning, Beard was quizzed on several topics by the media ahead of the clash with the Hammers at Prenton Park – read a summary below...
On going into Sunday’s game on the back of a victory and a clean sheet as well…
It has been a good week for us really. We are starting to convert some of the chances we have been creating, if we go back to the games away at Brighton and Reading. We had a lot of travel last week and it was good to finish two positive results on the road with a win at home and a clean sheet, and to top it off with a good performance. I said after the game it was a great workout for us in so many different ways. We managed to get minutes into players that needed them, we were able to rotate and keep everyone fresh for going into this week ahead of a big game for us on Sunday.
On 18-year-old goalkeeper Faye Kirby keeping a clean sheet on her debut…
Faye has been fantastic since she came in. We knew she was a good young goalkeeper but she really has surprised us. She trains really well day in, day out, and she deserved that opportunity last weekend. We were really pleased with her performance and hopefully that will now give her even more confidence to keep progressing and kick on.
Highlights: Liverpool FC Women 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
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On scoring seven goals in the last three games being a step in the right direction…
Definitely. Shanice van de Sanden is back fit and she obviously gives us another dimension going forward, especially with her pace. Melissa Lawley’s form has been absolutely fantastic. When we give her the ball she is creating chances for us and I think she is playing her best football for a long time. We’ve been really pleased with how she has kicked on last season and she has even improved this season as well. That will have something to do with our form, for sure.
I know Katie Stengel can score goals. She is one of the best finishers I have ever worked with in women’s football. When she was with me at Boston Breakers I saw first-hand how she can finish, all different types of finishes, not just tap-ins. We also have Yana Daniels, who has been outstanding for us as well and it’s great for me to see us firing and also a great selection headache for me.
On the 5-0 pre-season win away at West Ham and whether that gives him confidence ahead of Sunday’s game…
It was a good win for us but West Ham had a lot of players missing that day. They were without Lisa Evans and a few players also out and they have had a bit of a turnaround in personnel since then as well. Paul Konchesky has done a fantastic job since he took over in the summer. It’s his first job as a manager and if I look at their performances they have done really well. This will be a tough game for us on Sunday.
On whether he feels his team is starting to settle now into top-flight football again…
I think we have always had a grip on it. We didn’t get to play Reading in the first game with it being postponed and then we played five teams who all finished in that top five, top six last season. It was always a tough start for us and we did OK. I think the biggest difference in this division is if you don’t take your chances and the opposition do then you are going to get punished. That has probably been our biggest learning curve.
I think we have been competitive in the games. We have created but we’ve just not taken the chances, but I do think in the last few weeks we have started to do that. That will give everyone confidence. I’m pleased with where we are. We have got two big league games coming up, both at home. We’ve got to keep creating chances and if we keep doing that then I’m confident we will win football matches.
On how the squad is looking and the fitness of goalkeeper Rachael Laws…
We’ve got everyone fully fit apart from Leanne Kiernan now. I’ve got a full squad to choose from and that has been the first time since the first day of the season.
On going three games unbeaten in all competitions and breaking that losing streak…
It was important to break that cycle. If you look at the Brighton game we probably could have won it in the end and we were disappointed we never held out for the win at Reading. To get points on the road is tough in this division but we’ve been pleased with how we’ve progressed. Apart from the Anfield game when the occasion got the better of us, I think we have done OK this season. If we weren’t creating chances that would be an issue but we are now starting to convert them. We’ve just got to keep believing in ourselves. We believe we are good enough to compete at this level. Hopefully we can now go on a little run between now and Christmas and finish strongly.
On the strong togetherness in the squad…
I think it’s the most important thing in team sport personally. If you look at a lot of the games we have played so far, we have never given up. We haven’t had maybe the rub of the green in certain areas or certain situations but we’ve kept going. It was always going to be an adjustment coming back into the WSL. It is a tough division, probably the toughest in women’s football worldwide. Togetherness is the most important thing and nine times out of 10 the together team is normally the most successful. We have just got to keep that belief, stick together and when we have good times we stay grounded and if we don’t win we stay positive. I’m really proud of this group because in those situations we’ve always done that.
On the performance of youngster Hannah Silcock against Blackburn last weekend…
Hannah is a fantastic talent. She is balancing education with professional football as well. From our perspective, this first part of the season has been about getting that balance right for her and helping her to being able to cope physically with the demands of professional football. She has been fantastic. She is a great character and she is going to be a huge talent in the future. I’ve got every faith and confidence in her that she will have a very successful career at Liverpool and possibly international level as well.
