Everton Women manager Jean-Luc Vasseur insists his side are ready to battle the storm against Sunday's visitors West Ham United as the Blues return to action in the Barclays FA Women's Super League (1pm GMT).
Only two points separate the sides heading into this weekend's clash at Walton Hall Park and the Blues boss is expecting an encounter as challenging as the recent weather on Merseyside.
The Frenchman also hoped his Everton team could give fans a treat, with free tickets available to Season Ticket and Official Members.
“It’s like the weather in Liverpool, it can be stormy at times!" said Vasseur in his pre-match press conference. “When there is a storm, you need to protect yourself.
“It’s important for us to make a good start against West Ham and perhaps start with more intensity than them.
“We have the home advantage and we need to make a good start and play well in front of our fans.
“The Club are offering free tickets for Season Ticket and Official Members so we hope to give them a good game when they come support us on Sunday."
Both teams head into this weekend's encounter with identical records, unbeaten in three matches with two wins and a draw registered in that time.
✖️ | @JeanlucVasseur confirms Claire Emslie and Valerie Gauvin will miss Sunday's #BarclaysFAWSL game against West Ham. pic.twitter.com/G5zbGvESpr
— Everton Women (@EvertonWomen) December 10, 2021
However, Vasseur knows Everton will be expecting a tough game and emphasised the importance for his team to start Sunday's match on the front foot.
"They are a good and strong team," he added.
“They play with a lot of intensity and have an outstanding midfield.
“They’re a counter-attacking team so they’re going to be dangerous.
“However, I know a good way to counter this strength and we can find the weaknesses for us to exploit.
“It is important that we prepare for the game well and play well to make the difference.
“If we perfect the finer details then we can make the difference."
Vasseur returned to USM Finch Farm on Friday following a period of self-isolation following guidelines from the Government's track-and-trace COVID-19 programme.
📈 | "We need to be confident in ourselves, get the fans behind us and get two wins in the league so we can start climbing the table."@toniduggan looks ahead to our final games of 2021.#EFC 🔵 #BarclaysFAWSL
— Everton Women (@EvertonWomen) December 8, 2021
While Vasseur was frustrated to have been unable to prepare his team for last Sunday's match against Durham and a majority of this week, he explained he was still able to help coach the team from afar.
"It was very frustrating to stay at home," he added.
“It was the first time in my career that I haven’t managed the team during training sessions so it was difficult to take.
“We were able to keep in contact via Zoom calls with my technical staff.
“All the training sessions were filmed so I was able to deliver feedback after I reviewed the footage.
“It was difficult but we managed the situation."
In his absence, the squad secured three points in the Continental Cup against Durham and earned a second consecutive clean sheet.
Vasseur was delighted for his striker Toni Duggan to get her first goal this season and hopes her confidence can grow along with his defenders.
“It’s good for her because as a striker you need to score," he added.
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“I don’t care who the opponent is, it is important for her to score to grow her confidence.
“There at times can be thoughts that run through your head when you have been on a run not scoring.
“You might lose a little bit of confidence so it’s important for us and for her that she’s got off the mark and it was a great goal as well.
"As for the clean sheet, this is important to build our foundation.
“It is a good opportunity to be efficient in our defensive organisation.
“To get two clean sheets in a row is good because it is important for the confidence of the team.
“When you have good confidence with your goalkeeper and your defenders, you can allow the attacking side of your game to be more efficient and score more goals."
Vasseur's reign as manager of the Women's team has spanned over six weeks now, but when asked about the future of eight players who will be out of contract at the end of the season, he stated he still needs more time to come to a decision and to grow their confidence.
"It is still too early to decide to extend contracts or release players," he explained.
"My team isn’t 100 per cent confident yet but we are getting there.
"I need time to build this team, a team for the future.
"It’s too early to decide at this moment."
Season Ticket Members and Official Members can attend Everton Women's final two home games of 2021 FOR FREE!
All other fans can secure their places at Walton Hall Park for £8 for adults and £4 for concessions here.
Matches Everton Season Ticket Members and Official Members can attend for free in December:
Sunday 12 December: Everton Women v West Ham United Women, Women’s Super League, 1pm.
Wednesday 15 December: Everton Women v Manchester United Women, Continental Cup, 7pm.
