Jeglertz praises work rate as City prepare for Villa Park clash

After a successful and busy international break Manchester City are preparing to jump straight back into wsl action as they regain their momentum to stay at the top of the Barclays Women’s Super League table facing Aston Villa.

After the mid season international break Manager Andrée Jeglertz is roaring and ready to continue their strive for silverware at his first season with the club.

The extended international break

As most of the squad temporarily departed to join their nations Jeglertz spoke about the importance of training with the rest of the team in Manchester and how it was nice to give “a little bit more attention to the players not on national team camp so get some extra sessions from them”.

With the break consuming three weeks of the team’s season with the club, they are eager to fall back into the super league schedule. When asked on how the international break will effect the teams momentum and flow as a team and their play style, he added it takes extra preparation to return to full momentum:

“Their mind is also what they did in the last weeks and they have been with national teams and playing different styles, so it takes a couple of days to get into it.”

But that has been no challenge for the team as the training sessions and regrouping has gone smoothly and the team are back in the flow of playing alongside each-other:

“We have been very clear on what we have been doing during the year, I think the players are familiar of our way of training and how we are playing, so I think it has been okay.”

To no surprise, the team took “a couple of days” to grasp back their routine and play style due to the separation but are back determined to uphold the standards of their game as we see majority of those players return fit minus midfielder Grace Clinton who is being assessed due to small issues.

Laura Blindkilde-Brown’s success

During the international break for the English side we saw Manchester City’s midfielder Laura Blindkilde-brown aquire more minutes under her belt for the Lionesses as more of an attacking number 10, rather than her usual position with the club:

“In how we play, they need to be able to play a 6, 7 or an 8 because we want them to be very fluidly and dynamic so she’s having those qualities and I think she’s best when she can be both in the pocket in front of the back line but also being part of the buildup.”

Asian Cup absentees

However Manchester City are still without some of their big game players with the likes of Yui Hasegawa, Ayaka Yamashita, Aoba Fujino and Mary Fowler all taking part in the Asian cup for Japan and Australia.

Both respective national teams are thriving within the tournament however these key players are still postponed from rejoining their club, which poses challenges for Jeglertz in his starting XI options and tactical plans.  

Alex Greenwood MBE

For defender and Captain, Alex Greenwood international camp wasn’t the only thing she was attending as she proudly collected her MBE this passing Thursday:

“It’s a fantastic honour for her of course and for club and for everybody around women’s football. I think it’s a fantastic thing and well deserved, she’s a great leader, football player and person” he says as he congratulates and honours the English defender.

The women’s game is at an all time peak as it begins to rise and rise with every ongoing season and tournament and it’s crucial that young girls can see it being honoured:

“She’s one of those that is always talking, focusing on the next target, not thinking too much what happened, just focusing on each training session” he praises her again.

Facing Aston Villa

After Manchester City secured a big win over the Villans on their previous meeting, it is important they don’t underestimate their opponents:

“Watching Aston Villa in many games I think it is a good team, they have been struggling in a couple of weeks but at the same time in all those games they create chances and they score some goals” he says as the team is one that will inevitably challenge them if they let their defence and composure slip as they “perform on the level we need to” as their previous meeting consisted of some tight challenges and moments.

Manchester City travel to Villa Park (11:55 BST ko) in a must-win fixture to continue their dominance at the top of the WSL table.