Women's

Powell wants to build on United display

Hope Powell wants her team to use the momentum gained from Wednesday’s performance against Manchester United, heading into today's crucial Barclays FA Women’s Super League with West Ham United.

By James Hilsum • 19 January 2020

By Paul Hazlewood
Hope Powell speaks to the media ahead of Sunday's game.

Albion were edged out in a 2-1 defeat to Casey Stoney’s side, but Powell says there were plenty of reasons to feel optimistic and challenged her players to produce a similar display today.

She said, “Wednesday’s performance was probably the best we played this season. We showed a lot of fight, determination and had a really good go.

“We were quite unlucky and missed a penalty. They’re a good side, but it was quite an evenly balanced game with end-to-end action.

“Where we are just lacking is that clinical finish in the final third. But they put everything in it and wanted to win the game

“Despite the result, it felt like a win. Now we’ve got to do it again on Sunday. The consistency of our performances hasn’t been there so far this season. If we find that, then we’ll give ourselves the best chance of getting something from the game.”

03:56

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Women's highlights: Man Utd 2 Albion 1

A win for Powell’s team will see Albion leapfrog the Hammers in the table, and the manager is anticipating another evenly-contested match similar to the recent game against Liverpool.

“They have players with a good experience of this league, have got pace in certain areas, but not so much in others. They’re quite a balanced team and it’s going to be end-to-end and a scrap.

“If they lose, we jump above them. If we lose, they pull away from us. They’ve got a couple of games in hand on us too, so it’s a big game.

“We experienced that against Liverpool, and we went in going to win the game. We went out there and really went for it. It will be no different on Sunday.”

08:50

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Powell's West Ham press conference

The Seagulls boss also spoke about trying to maintain a level of consistency throughout the season, and highlighted the importance of managing the highs and lows in the game.

“It’s all part of the preparation. Sometimes when you haven’t played well, you want to prove a point. Whereas when you’ve played well, you might relax a bit.

“Psychology plays a big role in this, and it's less about the football. It’s about having the right state of mind and that preparation in your head.

“It’s about getting that right, which is what we’re trying to do.”