Ladies Head Coach Andy Spence says he has been encouraged by what he has seen as his players work on a new formation in pre-season.
Having utilised a back four throughout the 2017/18 campaign - Everton’s first back in WSL 1 – with great success, Spence is looking to add a degree of tactical flexibility within his squad.
Having utilised a back four throughout the 2017/18 campaign - Everton’s first back in WSL 1 – with great success, Spence is looking to add a degree of tactical flexibility within his squad.
That has seen a back three formation deployed in pre-season tests against the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal, with England Under-20s international Megan Finnigan moving from her usual holding midfield role to slot in alongside regular centre-halves Gabby George and Georgia Brougham.
The signings of Dutch midfielders Inessa Kaagman and Dominique Bruinenberg, plus forward Hannah Cain, have also allowed for greater options in terms of systems.
Spence has been buoyed by his side's progress so far and praised his players’ courage in embracing an approach he also used in the Spring Series title triumph back in 2017.
“It takes bravery on the players’ behalf when you are asking them to work the ball out from the back and through the thirds of the pitch,” he said.
“I feel we have done that really well. We have players who want to play that way, which is important, and have the technical capability to do that.
“That formation suits our personnel and the profile of the players we have in the squad, and also those who we've added this summer. So there have been plenty of positive signs so far.”
Having recently come away with a pair of draws in friendlies against Liverpool and Arsenal, the Toffees step up their pre-season preparations when they travel to Gibraltar for the Friendship Tournament next week.
During their stay on the island, Spence’s side will face American side LA Salsa and La Liga winners Atletico Madrid, with fellow Spanish clubs Huesca and Betis, and French outfit Paris FC, also set to compete.
“We have to test ourselves,” Spence added. “You can look at pre-season as an opportunity to get games under your belts and feel great about yourselves because you’re winning all the time.
“But we want to test ourselves against the best and win as well. That will make us feel good about ourselves.
“We deliberately set out to face some high-calibre opposition, and quite early as well.
“With the tournament we have in Gibraltar, we know they are all really tough games and they come thick and fast.
“That is our thinking behind introducing the work we want to do this season. We are introducing those ideas and making sure we get those concepts across in each game we play.”
The signings of Dutch midfielders Inessa Kaagman and Dominique Bruinenberg, plus forward Hannah Cain, have also allowed for greater options in terms of systems.
Spence has been buoyed by his side's progress so far and praised his players’ courage in embracing an approach he also used in the Spring Series title triumph back in 2017.
“It takes bravery on the players’ behalf when you are asking them to work the ball out from the back and through the thirds of the pitch,” he said.
“I feel we have done that really well. We have players who want to play that way, which is important, and have the technical capability to do that.
“That formation suits our personnel and the profile of the players we have in the squad, and also those who we've added this summer. So there have been plenty of positive signs so far.”
Having recently come away with a pair of draws in friendlies against Liverpool and Arsenal, the Toffees step up their pre-season preparations when they travel to Gibraltar for the Friendship Tournament next week.
During their stay on the island, Spence’s side will face American side LA Salsa and La Liga winners Atletico Madrid, with fellow Spanish clubs Huesca and Betis, and French outfit Paris FC, also set to compete.
📸 | A good pre-season workout. 💪⚽🏃♀️ #EFC pic.twitter.com/PacI2Gd1nZ
— Everton Ladies (@EvertonLadies) July 22, 2018
“We have to test ourselves,” Spence added. “You can look at pre-season as an opportunity to get games under your belts and feel great about yourselves because you’re winning all the time.
“But we want to test ourselves against the best and win as well. That will make us feel good about ourselves.
“We deliberately set out to face some high-calibre opposition, and quite early as well.
“With the tournament we have in Gibraltar, we know they are all really tough games and they come thick and fast.
“That is our thinking behind introducing the work we want to do this season. We are introducing those ideas and making sure we get those concepts across in each game we play.”
