Scott Phelan has revealed that he and his team are fully focused ahead of the weekend’s game against Birmingham City as Everton Women look to get back to winning ways when they welcome Birmingham City to Goodison Park.
The Blues suffered a setback last week in the Merseyside derby but Phelan is only focused on the task at hand and getting a win over Amy Merricks’ side – the last game ahead of the first international break of the season.
The Goodison clash represents an ideal chance to put right what
was lacking last week at Anfield, which left some fans venting their frustrations against the head coach’s tactics and line-up.
But Phelan has pointed towards a growth and development within his team, but has still warned against the threat posed by Birmingham, something he will address without emotion.
“The mood was not affected too much – the girls have been in good spirits. We are fully focused on the challenge ahead of us this weekend against Birmingham City,” he said
“There is always a process to follow, win or lose. The derby is done. We take the learnings from it and go in to the weekend. We want to win games of football. If we do win on Sunday, that will be four wins from six. That will be a decent enough start and something to build on.
“Personally, there has been lots of growth and development. In terms of the team, that is something that we are continuing to improve on.
“The most important thing is points – hopefully, we can add more before the international break.
“A quality of a coach is to be adaptable. You need to take emotion out of decision-making. Birmingham have a number of good players that we need to be aware of.
“We are aware of their threats.”
The Opposition
The champions of last season’s WSL 2 last season, Merricks’ side are still yet to win a league game in the top flight, with Birmingham’s last outing being a six-goal thriller with fellow newbies Crystal Palace.
Oceane Hurtre has been the team’s main goal threat; the French star has four in four so far, and will arrive on Merseyside in a confident mood of adding to that tally.
It is at the back, however, where Merricks has her biggest woes, with her side having shipped 12 in their quartet of league games and are still yet to keep a clean sheet, something defender and former Toffee Millie Turner will be keen to rectify.
Previous Meetings
Having met less than ten days ago (at the time of writing) in the Subway Players Cup, both sides will be well aware of each other, as cautious hosts meet maverick visitors.
Everton had no problem on that evening as goals from Zara Kramzar and Yuka Momiki settled matters, although Phelan will be well aware of the scrutiny that will be placed on his selection.
And the weekend would be the perfect time for the Toffees to show they have the personality and grit to overcome setbacks, and show both their fans and opposition alike exactly what they are made of.
The head coach has pointed to a lack of belief in his young sides as well as individual errors, so perhaps places in the starting XI for the experienced Momiki and Maz Pacheco may be called for, while Aurora Galli has impressed in her only start of the season so far – the cup win against Birmingham.
With goals continuing to be a struggle – just two in the four league games – the fitness of Noemie Mouchon and Jutta Rantala may come into Phelan’s thought process, with the former getting her first taste of action in the derby.
And with the Blues set for a few weeks off after Sunday, it is no exaggeration in saying that this is probably the most important game in the manager’s brief tenure in the Goodison hotseat.
Everton Women take on Birmingham City at Goodison Park on Sunday, 4 october, at 2pm BST (9am ET, 6am PT).
Tickets for the clash are still available here.
