Carla Ward addressed the media at Bodymoor Heath to preview Aston Villa’s game against Manchester City.
The manager looked ahead to taking on of the Barclays WSL's elite sides at Joie Stadium and coming up against Gareth Taylor.
Here’s what she had to say…
On Manchester City…
“Manchester City, and Gareth Taylor in particular, don’t get the credit they deserve. He’s done an unbelievable job. They had a big turnover of players in the summer and I think what he’s done has been brilliant. He deserves an awful lot of credit. They’re an unbelievable team who play with a lot of freedom and quality. It’s going to be a tough game. They’re a team you don’t want to face off the back of their last two fixtures.”
On their chances of winning the title...
“I think they’ll be right in it, I really do. The way in which they brushed Tottenham aside before the international break and Manchester United at Old Trafford can’t be taken lightly. You don’t do that unless you’ve got all the qualities to compete at the top end. Come the end of the season, I think they’ll be up there.”
On injuries and team news...
“The honest answer is I don’t know. A lot of [the internationals] arrived back this morning and you’ve got a couple on the other side of the world who don’t arrive back until [Thursday evening]. It really will depend on how players come back. A couple came off playing for their countries so we’ll have to assess that.”
On the disappointment for the Lionesses...
“I spoke to Rach [Daly], she’s gutted. She’s a passionate person who takes a lot of pride in playing for her country. It’s not just Rach, we’ve had an awful lot of players playing for their countries and there are always different emotions you have to manage when they all come back in.”
On preparing for a game after an international break...
“You have to plan effectively before the players return so it’s as clear and clean as possible when they come back. Every single manager’s in the same boat, so we can’t make excuses. You have to prepare the players and it’s something we’re used to following an international break.”