‘It’s a good opportunity’ – Liverpool boss Taylor previews Merseyside derby
· Yahoo Sports
Liverpool head coach Gareth Taylor says that this afternoon’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Everton presents a great opportunity for his side to reach the latter stages of a major cup competition.
The Reds have a poor recent record against their city rivals but they’re improving game-on-game off the back of some January investment.
When speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Liverpool boss Taylor said that this afternoon’s tie is a great opportunity for his side.
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“I think it’ll be big [to qualify],” Taylor said. “Most competitions are really difficult to win or even to get to the latter stages. For us, it’s a good opportunity. The next period after the international break, we don’t want a free weekend, we want to be in the quarter-final of the FA Cup.
“We know the challenge but it’s a good home tie for us with our fans right behind us and it’s one that we are looking forward to.”
Opponents Everton have won their last three games, two of which have come under the interim management of Scott Phelan. Taylor highlighted some of the changes to Everton’s playing style since the change of leadership.
He said “They’ve been successful and Scott [Phelan] has come in and given them a platform to build from.
“They’re a bit more rigid in their formation, particularly in their defensive formation and they’re playing more from a shape, so I think that they’ve probably given away less to oppositions.
“They’re been a bit more pragmatic in their defensive shape and they’ve taken their opportunities when they’ve had their moments. It makes sense the way that they’ve gone, being a bit more pragmatic and trying to hit teams on the break a bit more. They drop deep to expose teams in attacking transition. Their players have good capabilities.
“For us, we have a real awareness of that, how we can potentially hurt them in the spaces and what type of spaces they are leaving.”
Liverpool added several new players to their squad in January but Taylor says that the new arrivals need no introduction to the Merseyside derby.
He said “The players are really good in onboarding new players. They understand what it means to play for this football club and they understand the importance of these kind of games. I don’t think there needs to be any education on that front, the players are really up to speed on that.”
Liverpool’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Everton kicks-off at 4.30pm this afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.