In Willie Kirk's latest column, the Everton Women's manager looks ahead to Sunday's cup clash with Birmingham, explains why his team's physical effort in their 2-0 win over Bristol City last week was '"the best I have ever seen" and reveals that Chloe Kelly's spectacular strikes in that match came as no surprise...

We have a break from Women’s Super League action this week as we travel to the Midlands to take on Birmingham in our opening FA Continental Cup group-stage match.

They’ll be looking for revenge after we beat them on the first day of the season in the league but we’re determined to improve on our performance from that game. We were disappointed with that, even though we won the game. We were much, much better in the Bristol game, so can we improve further?

With Manchester City and Manchester United also in our group, we’ve been drawn in the toughest section, there is no doubt about that. But that’s the main reason we want to qualify.

People will automatically think it will be City and United to go through. We want to make sure we are in the top two and playing in a quarter-final at the turn of the year.

PHYSICAL EFFORT

We go into Sunday’s game at Solihull buoyed by a solid start to the season which has seen us win our opening two WSL games.

We followed up our win against Birmingham City with a 2-0 victory against my former club Bristol City in Southport last Sunday. There were many facets of our performance in that game that were very pleasing. If you compare our statistics to our opening-day win at Birmingham, we had more shots, a greater percentage of efforts on target and more possession.

For me, though, the most striking aspect about the collective performance was our physical output. It was the best I’ve seen in my nine years in the women’s game.

That’s not just about getting players fit, it’s about getting the players tactically aware – that has a big part to play in their physical output. The energy and fitness levels they showed in offensive and defensive transitions was outstanding.

When I joined the Club last December, what I wanted to introduce was a real competitiveness. We wanted the players to compete with each other and the easiest way to do that is to aim to outrun, outsprint and outfight your teammates.

We had to make sure there was a competitiveness in training every single day. And without a doubt, we’ve got that.

And if we ever feel it is dropping for some reason, we gently remind the players there has to be that intensity.

We want our players to be able to physically dominate their opponents.

KELLY’S A REAL TALENT

Chloe Kelly is an incredible talent and her goals in our 2-0 victory over Bristol City last week are just a glimpse of what she is capable of.

Her second strike from 35 yards, in particular, has got a lot of attention. It’s something we see from her on a daily basis in training.

In fact, when it went in on Sunday, our substitute goalkeeper Kirstie Levell said: “It’s about time another WSL goalkeeper had to put up with that because I have to deal with it every day.” The power Chloe generates from a standing start is unbelievable.

She is a player with a big future. She has got a lot of improvements to make, especially out of possession. She can also improve her decision-making.

But her creativity and directness are things I love. She is huge player for me in terms of the way I want to play. We’re trying to improve her every day to make sure she hits the levels she is capable of. She has the ability to be a regular in the England squad.

GAP CLOSING

Goals like Chloe’s highlight the quality that’s in the women’s game.

On a physical level, of course, it will never be the same as the men’s game. From a purely scientific perspective, that is impossible.

But we’re seeing things every week – Chloe’s strike is just one example – that show the gap is closing. The pace of the game is increasing all the time.

Some of our one-touch combination play against Bristol was fantastic. It wouldn’t look out of place in a men’s Premier League match.

We’re seeing the women’s game is a something that everyone can appreciate and enjoy.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Finally, I want to mention the excellent work our squad has been doing recently with Everton in the Community.

We had players out and about in Merseyside this week supporting one of the charity's mental health initiatives, Girl on Side, others meeting people at Knowsley Veterans' Hub, while a few of the girls helped out with an Under-13 disability football session.

We’re more than just a football club and we put a real focus on being grounded, being humble and being part of the community.

It’s even more important for us now we are moving to Walton Hall Park. We want to connect with people in L4.

When they take part in work for EitC, our players are always very engaged. They are good people and want to help and inspire others in any way they can.