Reading boss Kelly Chambers says that strength in depth is helping to drive on the standards at the club going into the new season.
The Royals begin the 2022/2023 campaign with a tough fixture at Manchester United this lunchtime.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Chambers acknowledged the fact that her side will be underdogs in Leigh but standards are increasing at the club and Reading have a game plan.
“They are a team who are competing to be in the Champions League and for a club like Manchester United, that’s where they should be,” Chambers said.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game but this season, I feel like we’ve put together a real good squad in terms of strength in depth. The competition for places and having a challenging environment is so key. I feel like that is what is really driving the standards and us as a club right now.
“We know it is going to be a tough game but for us, it is about staying in the game as long as possible. We know that a past weakness for them has been towards the end of the game, they’ve thrown a lot of points away in latter stages of games.
“I’ve got a team that is full of confidence in terms of the way that we are playing and with the plan. It is important that they turn up at United, they put a mark on the pitch and make sure that we are fully in the game.”
Reading will be greeted by a record-breaking home crowd of around 6,500 at the Leigh Sports Village and Chambers wants her side to use that as a positive.
She said “I’ve got lots of internationals who will have experienced playing in front of big crowds before. I’ve got individuals who can deal with playing in this situation and it is just about more education around that. We can only prepare as much as we can for the situation but we’ve got to use it to our advantage, regardless of if the majority of fans in that stadium are Manchester United fans. We’ve got to use them as much as Manchester United would to make sure that we stay focused and switched on.
“For us, playing in an atmosphere like that is what we want to do. Preparing for it is hard but it’s a fact of the game now and will be part of the game going forward.”
Reading’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Manchester United kicks-off at 12pm.
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