Team updates

Robert was first questioned with the most recent team news.

Robert: “The three players that haven’t returned to the group yet are Ella Morris, Shuang Wang, and Amy James-Turner. After that, there are a few unanswered questions, but we’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out about a few more players. Everyone should be able to play aside from that.

Robert was questioned about Man Utd and how he would counter a team that hasn’t given up in their first two games.

Robert: “With two wins and a clean sheet, they have gotten off to a great start. We know they are really strong defensively since Marc Skinner has been working with them for a few years. We played them in our final preseason game prior to the league’s commencement. They have a solid structure and balance, but we are winning games and playing well right now.

With eight goals in the last three games, solid offensive patterns, and some extremely great players, we want to make sure we play really good football and create opportunities. Although we are aware that they will have a strong team, we do have some quick players that could prove useful in this game. It follows that we should take advantage of any chance we receive.

The following question was, “Do you think Man Utd will be well rested and fresher, or a sharpness that could help your side?” in reference to United’s rescheduled match against Chelsea.

Robert: “It will be beneficial for them if they have an extra weekend off because they will use it to train hard and build their confidence.” We obviously lost the match, but overall, we had a great battle and are tired from it. We’re going to use that for our energies and be ready because we want to try to win this game when we return. This game is going to be fantastic, and we’re going to be incredibly fit for it. The schedule is not to fault.

Hunt, Clare

“What are your thoughts on how Clare Hunt has become a valuable asset she has become to this squad in such a short space of time?” Robert was then questioned.

Robert: “It’s not easy to try to fit in this league. She is undoubtedly a very excellent player, having represented her country in many games, but it has been impressive to watch how she has adjusted to this league and managed it. In particular, her handling of set pieces and out of possession during games shows that she is a very skilled football player who can control the game.

It will take time for her to adjust, but in the long term, I believe she will rank among the league’s finest center backs due of her exceptional versatility. However, you can still see certain errors she makes while switching up the play speed in this league. It has been an excellent first month with her, and she has even more potential. She is powerful enough to handle the big strikers in this league. Last but not least, despite just being 25 years old, she exudes leadership and speaks and behaves like a 35-year-old.

Recovering from the Liverpool match

Robert was questioned about his team’s drive to win after losing to Liverpool the previous weekend.

Robert: “Liverpool is among the league’s best teams; they placed fourth last year.” Because of their extreme aggression, excellent pressing, and straightforward style of play, they are incredibly challenging to play against. It’s difficult because they are there to personally assist you if you make a mistake or something similar. The first half was difficult, in my opinion, but we managed to turn things around and I believe we played better in the second half.

We had several opportunities and scored twice, but they responded with a goal to tie the score at 2-1 and a penalty kick in the final minute to make it 3-2. It’s obviously very difficult for us to play well in the first half of the game and then lose it in the closing seconds. We are ready because the players have put in a lot of effort and have excellent training.

After analyzing the first three games, Robert was asked, “Where do you feel your team is right now in relation to where you want them to be?”

Robert: “Looking at the three games, we’ve scored eight goals, which is a respectable total. We seem to have given up goals rather easily, so it would look good if we can keep scoring goals and take away the goals we have given up. However, if you look at our performances, particularly against Aston Villa and in the first half against Liverpool, we haven’t really controlled the games for a long time.

We must improve in those three halves because we need to have the ball more, generate more opportunities, and ensure that we control the game. We simply need to figure out how to control the games more. Crystal Palace was a fantastic game, and Liverpool was a terrific game in the second half.

“We’re making progress, but we’re not there yet. We have more goals and create more chances for goals. We may not have converted many of those opportunities, but when you look at our chances against Liverpool, we had five or six in the second half that, in my opinion, could have resulted in a goal if we had been a little more clinical in our finishing.

I’m not anxious about it. It’s more about how difficult this league is; you can’t expect us to win 3-0 in every game right now because it’s too hard. The balance is for us to learn how to play the Tottenham style while adhering to the game model and taking each new game as it comes and finding a way to win. Although we are doing well, we still need to work on improving our game because we have a couple really difficult games coming up. We must prioritize scoring points over anything else.