Everton’s interim manager Chris Roberts says that his side must be compact in their off the ball work if they are to have a chance of defeating Manchester City in their Vitality Women’s FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
The Blue Girls travel to The Academy Stadium as underdogs and they will undoubtedly have to weather a storm against a Manchester City side who are very possession-based.
When speaking to FAWSL Full-Time ahead of the match, Everton boss Roberts said that being tight and compact off the ball may be where the tie can be won or lost by his side.
“Against Chelsea in the second half, we were much tighter especially in our own half of the pitch, much more aggressive in our defensive actions, much more compact against the lines,” Roberts said. “Regardless of whether you are playing a low block or mid-block it doesn’t really matter, the compactness of the team has got to be good.
“That is something that we spoke about at half-time against Chelsea and is something that we implemented well in the second half and we will look to do the same against Manchester City. We need to be compact and make sure that the spaces between the lines are tight.”
Despite many expecting Manchester City to prevail against Everton this weekend, Roberts issued a reminder that anything can happen in a one-off cup tie.
He said “The FA Cup is a very special competition and regardless of whether you are the underdog or the favourite, the FA Cup always has the potential to throw up surprises across the rounds. Manchester City will be favourites based on form and where they are in the league table but we feel that we have an opportunity to go and get something from the game.
“We know that it is going to be tough and we know that we are the underdog but for me, it is not important to talk about who is underdog or favourite it is about making sure that we set up a game plan and perform in a way that allows us to get something out of the game. We want to be competitive, take the game into the latter minutes and make sure that we are in and amongst it in that last 10-minute period so that we have got a chance of progressing into the next round.”
Everton’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup quarter-final tie at Manchester City kicks-off at 12.30pm on Sunday.
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