Powell: Silly mistakes proved costly

Hope Powell praised the performance from her side after conceding an early goal against Arsenal, and felt that individual errors proved to be costly in a 4-0 defeat to the Gunners today.

James Hilsum

2020-01-12T15:32:00Z

Hope Powell

Albion were on the back foot very early on following Danielle van de Donk’s fourth-minute opener, and Powell said that individual errors from her players gifted the Gunners with three fortunate goals.

She said, “I was disappointed with the fact that we conceded so early. That being said, I’m pleased with the way the girls kept going, stuck to the gameplan, and tried to press higher up the pitch.

“It was a bit unkind [the scoreline], as three of the goals were down to our errors, certainly the last one.

“When you are playing a team that’s top of the league and a top team in Europe, they will punish you if you make those silly mistakes. It was a big lesson for us today, but I’m pleased with the performance overall and 4-0 flattered them.”

Dani Bowman in action against Arsenal.

The Albion manager highlighted where Albion need to improve going forward, and says cutting out the individual mistakes is crucial against a side of Arsenal’s quality.

“If you give the ball away too easily then you end up being on the back foot, so that has got to be better. We did improve on that from the Liverpool game, but you have to improve even more when you’re playing against a better side.

“It’s just about avoiding those silly errors. Head the ball away if it’s coming near you, and don’t give the ball away too cheaply. It’s all about those small details.”

Aileen Whelan delivers a ball into the box.

It is a quick turnaround for Powell’s squad with a match against Manchester United next Wednesday, and the Seagulls boss will use the match as a chance to rotate her squad.

“Now it’s all about rest and recovery. That’s another big game for us and it will give us an opportunity to play some different players, and give them some minutes.

“It’s not the priority, but we’ll go there and give it a good go.”