Beard Report: “The Biggest Positive Is The Clean Sheet”

Liverpool Women’s season has been consistently stellar (with a little hiccups here and there), and Saturday’s match was no exception. Marie Höbinger scored in the first half to take the lead and the Reds were able to control the match for the rest of time to manage three points and a clean sheet on the road at Bristol City.

The win moved Liverpool Women into fourth place ahead of Manchester United on the WSL table, and Matt Beard had plenty of positives to recognize after the match.

“It was important to get three points. I think the biggest positive is the clean sheet,” Beard said following the match.

“Performance-wise, a little bit inconsistent, I think our use of the ball could have been a little bit better. But Bristol City are fighting for their lives so we knew it was going to be a tough game.

“I felt when we got in front we should have controlled the game a little bit better, it became too transitional for my liking. Second half, I think we probably should have been out of sight. But credit to Bristol City, obviously with the position they’re in they were fighting for everything and put us under a lot of pressure. And I think defensively, to be fair, we stood up to that. So, really pleased with that.”

The return from an international break can often be tough, with rhythm disjointed and players often having to relearn how to play with each other. Three weeks in and of itself can be a long layoff for anyone, and the manager recognized it as a challenge going into Saturday’s match.

“We changed the system today because when we have played Bristol City, the last two games it just hasn’t clicked in the 3-5-2. I felt the first half was too transitional,” the manager explained.

“We controlled a lot of the second half without really being hurt. If you look at their best chance, it came from Paz [Lucy Parry]’s backpass and Teagan [Micah] stood up and made a great save. Apart from that, we sort of restricted them to set-plays and strikes from distance. It does have an impact, of course. But still, when we don’t have any pressure and we turn the ball over, we need to be a little bit better in those moments.”

Young goalkeeper Teagan Micah was given the greenlight to start on Saturday as well ahead of mainstay Rachael Laws, and her ability to keep the clean sheet under pressure was another positive for Beard following the match.

“I think for her there were three moments. Obviously the cross that came in and she was fouled. That save from Paz’s backpass. And I also felt her distribution at times was good,” Beard said.

“Just needed to mix it up maybe sometimes a little bit more. We’re conscious she’s got the Olympics, she has been patient this year, she has had a tough first year in the WSL. We spoke to Lawsy [Rachael Laws] in the week; Lawsy has been fantastic for us. So it’s great to have two goalkeepers of that ability and for us to be able to change it.”

The difference on the day came from Höbinger’s first half strike, earning her a striking comparison from Beard. Having a midfielder that talented, finding herself in the league, will only be an asset as long as she’s with the squad.

“As I’ve said before, she reminds me of Fara Williams, can play off right foot and left foot. I’d like her to shoot more. We said after the game jokingly, ‘See what happens when you shoot!’,” Beard continued.

“You’ve got to remember she’s young, it’s her first season in England – it’s a tough league – and she has been great. Her set-plays are such a threat as well. I’m delighted for Marie. The great thing is she’s only going to get better.”

Not only did the starting XI perform well today, considering most of them are younger, the wealth of experience coming off the bench helped maintain control of the game, even as the system entirely changed.

“If you look at the players we brought on, Emma Koivisto, Ceri Holland, Mel Lawley, all experienced players. Gemma Bonner, and then Yana [Daniels]. It was a young line-up today,” the manager said.

“I don’t know what the average age was but it was a young line-up. I felt we needed to gain better control in the second half and I think we did that with the experience we brought on. It’s good for me because tactically we were a little bit flexible today – we started with 4-3-3 and went to a 3-5-2. There were a lot of positives from that.”