Everton’s interim manager Chris Roberts says that his side must treat this afternoon’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester United like any other game.
The Blue Girls are Manchester United’s first opponents at Old Trafford with fans present in the stadium. There has been much media hype leading up to the game while well over 20,000 fans have purchased tickets for the match.
When speaking in his pre-match press conference, Roberts said that he is urging his side to deal with the game like any other and not focus on the big occasion.
“You have to treat every game the same no matter if you are playing at Goodison, Old Trafford or at a facility with a tiny stand and no fans,” Roberts said. “Regardless of where you are playing a game, you have to prepare the players with a consistent message in how we approach it, not to change what we do because we are playing at a certain stadium.
“In reflection after the game, I am sure that it will be nice to look back at a game played at Old Trafford but it’s only nice if we win, perform or get something from the game. Ultimately, our preparation has not been any different, reflection might be something that we look back on fondly but that only happens if we get a favourable result from the game.”
In 2019, Everton played out a Merseyside derby in-front of a crowd of a similar size at Anfield. The squad has changed a lot since that game but Roberts feels that his players are more than capable of handling another big occasion.
He said “We have got a lot of players who have played in-front of big crowds either with Everton, their former clubs or with their national teams. We have got experience of that in the dressing room which definitely helps.
“From my point of view in terms of preparing the group, it is the same as any game – manage the game well, recognise when the opposition are having a good spell and understand how we stop that and when we have momentum, recognise how we capitalise on that. Ultimately, if we get that right, that in itself will affect the crowd and the noise and we can always count on our fantastic support who will be there in their numbers supporting us at Old Trafford.”
Everton’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester United at Old Trafford kicks-off at 12.30pm.
About The Author
