Brian Sorensen cut a calm figure ahead of Everton Women’s crunch clash with Aston Villa and insists he has seen progress that his team need to build on, despite the Blues being winless in the league since
the opening day of season.
The Toffees sit in tenth spot in the WSL but have Japanese duo Rion Ishikawa and Hikaru Kitagawa in contention, while Ruby Mace has returned to training ahead of Sunday’s clash at Villa Park.
Netherlands’ forward Katja Snoeijs remains unavailable, though, having yet to overcome a hamstring strain.
Victory over the Villans would see Everton rise above Natalia Arroyo’s side, but need to alter a run that has seen frustration rise amongst the fans, particularly due to the signings made by Sorensen this season, coupled with a dominant display at Anfield on the opening day that has not since been replicated.
But the Blues’ coach refuses to panic and feels that it is a case of building on progress and getting things right
“It’s a process, we are working on a lot of things with a new team,” said Sorensen. “I’ve seen progress. So it’s about building on that.
“It’s been challenging with all the injuries and not having any consistency in player selection.
“Hopefully we are on an upward spiral now rather than downward and we get more people back.
“For me there is no panic, we are still early in the season, let’s see where we are at in May.
“For now it’s about working hard, getting the details right and getting better.”
The Opposition
Sitting two places above Everton and two points better off, only Chelsea has managed to score more than one goal against Arroyo’s team, whose defensive prowess this campaign has only been bettered by the current champions and title-chasing Manchester United.
Scoring goals have not been as big a success as keeping them out, however, with the Villains netting just four so far, three less than their weekend opponents.
The Blues will be wise to the fact that England international Rachel Daly only has one goal so far this season, something she will keen to add to.
Previous Meetings
Everton claimed four points from Villa last season, three of which were earned on the road, with goals from Maren Mjelde and Honoka Hayashi capping a very good performance in the Midlands.
Sorensen will be hoping that history repeats itself in this fixture, which usually sees the away team claim the win, with the Toffees victorious at the home of the Villains in their last five league visits, as well as a resounding 3-0 victory when the two sides met in the FA Cup in January 2024.
And while the Dane is remaining calm and focusing on progress he has seen, he will know that wins ease the building pressure and growing dissolution amongst a fanbase that is demanding more results and less excuses.
Everton Women take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday, 2 November, with kick-off in the Midlands at 12pm GMT (7am ET, 4am PT).
