Ruiz: It'll take time for the team to fully understand my tactical ideas

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Albion boss targets first points against the Blues.

Heather Miller

2026-09-11T00:00+01:00

Arturo Ruiz joined Albion following the departure of Dario Vidosic. 📸 by Kyle Hemsley

Albion continue their new WSL campaign this weekend as they travel to the Midlands to face Birmingham City.

Despite a narrow defeat against Arsenal in his opening match, Ruiz highlighted that there were plenty of positives to take forward.

“It was very exciting, and I enjoyed it a lot. While I obviously wanted to pick up points in our first match, playing at home was an important milestone. It helped introduce me to our supporters and our club environment.”

Although his tenure as head coach of the women’s first team has just begun, the Spaniard is already focused on establishing a clear tactical vision.

Arturo Ruiz takes Albion to London City Lionesses on Saturday. 📸 by Kyle Hemsley

He continued, “Right now, we are designing deep, opponent-specific game plans each week while building our underlying identity.

“Our tactical foundation will naturally take time to mature during these initial weeks. I can't give an exact timeline, but once the squad naturally commands the core principles I expect from them, we will transition to just fine-tuning the details.

“Growth will be exponential, so we just need to remain calm, patient and trust the process.”

Turning his attention to Sunday’s fixture, Ruiz shared his thoughts on the opposition following their first game back in the WSL after promotion. The match will also see a familiar face in the dugout, with former Albion assistant head coach Amy Merricks now leading Birmingham.

He added, “I was very impressed with them as well. I've analysed that match, and we know this will be a tough test - there are no easy fixtures in this league, especially away from home.

“I feel very comfortable with our preparation and our understanding of their setup. We have one final session and our travel remaining, which will be more than enough to ensure we are solid, compact, and ready to bring three points home on Sunday.

“They had an incredible campaign last year to win the Championship, so congratulations to them for that. They are going to perform very well this season - Sunday will be a highly competitive and challenging game.

“We know how difficult it will be playing at their ground but we are looking forward to the challenge.”