Carla Ward addressed the media from Bodymoor Heath on Thursday morning as she looked ahead to Saturday's game against Tottenham Hotspur.
There were plenty of topics discussed as Aston Villa’s manager previewed the clash at Poundland Bescot Stadium.
Here’s what she had to say…
On team news…
"Same situation as the first three weeks. Kenza [Dali]'s back on the grass which is excellent, and on track for the international break. She'll be back for Chelsea. Georgia Mullett missed out last week because she wasn't well. She's back in the squad, but apart from that everyone is fit and healthy."
On the defeat to Arsenal...
"It was heartbreak, there's no other words for it. We've conceded two late goals against [Manchester] United and two late goals against Arsenal. We've analysed and we believe we know why. We believe we have a key understanding of elements that have played their part. It was disappointing, but the girls were sensational. If we can take that into this weekend, we'll put ourselves in a good position."
On the need to get a result...
"The reality is, we've had [big games] in succession. But what it does do is it puts us in good stead and we can take positives from all three games. Is this a must win? No, when you talk about pressure. But it is a must-win because we want to win these games as a group. We wanted to go and win the last three games. The only pressure on us is what we put on ourselves. We'll focus on what we can focus on whether we're winning games or losing games. That's really important."
On Tottenham...
"They've got a new manager. I met him in pre-season and he seems a really good guy who is clearly getting a tune out of his players. I think they'll be a tough opposition. They've shown what they're capable of and they've got off to a good start. The second half against Chelsea was very good, and they've had a convincing couple of games this past week. They're going to be a good, tough side. They're going to be a side that'll knock on the door of the top six."
On limiting chances for the opposition...
"A lot has to be about us this week. We've worked an awful lot off the ball but I think the moments where we were on the ball the last couple of games weren't good enough. There's been a real focus on what we do with it than without it. Out of possession in all three games we've shown a lot of quality. We've defended the box well. So this week it's got to be about us and what we do with the ball."
On our fans...
"I love the Bescot, I think the players love the Bescot. The fans are close and we've got a really special connection with our fans. You saw at the Emirates [Stadium]... we had nearly 800 there. That's a lot to travel down to London. They'll be there in their numbers again. They've played a massive part and I have absolutely no doubt that they will play their part this weekend."
