Taylor on “Playing the Game and not the Occasion” ahead of WSL Merseyside Derby
As Liverpool look forward to encountering familiar foes Everton at Anfield on Sunday, Manager Gareth Taylor spoke with a real sense of conviction at his pre-match press conference on his team’s ability to rise above and channel the pressure of the derby.
After a positive start to the season, Liverpool will be going into the match with a new found confidence. They will certainly aim to capitalise on the momentum of their 4-2 win over Sunderland on Wednesday in the Subway Players Cup, and use their fresh attacking voracity to earn three points against the Toffees.
The Battle in Merseyside
Taylor spoke with a real understanding surrounding the gravity and excitement of the Merseyside Derby, and what it means for the players, but also on the importance of preparing as they would for any other game:
“It's still three points that we're battling for. Nothing changes on that front. If we win, great, but it won't last long. We'll be moving on to the next one. And we'll have another busy week. If we don't, the process still remains the same. So, yeah, I feel really confident that the team's in a good play. I feel confident that we are, um, really starting to gel and be a version of, of what we want to be. So, I think that's exciting and, yeah, of course, I think when you're at home, you're at Anfield in front of our fans, in a derby. There's no better place”.
“I think, inside the building, it's pretty calm in a sense of... paying attention to the noise is at a minimum. I think that we, as footballers, of course, you know, we're playing Everton at least twice this season. Guaranteed. So I think it's to normalise it, is the hardest thing to do, but also the way we do things, we treat each opponent the same. We have an awareness of their strengths, areas that we can hurt them. But yeah, of course, I think it's, it means more. Of course it does. If you win these games, it means more if you lose these games. I think that there's no denying that because we all want to be a part of something special, and I think that's the same in any Derby you encounter, and anywhere in the world in the men's and the women's game is, they are special games”.
When asked about having the opportunity to play at Anfield for such a notable game, he reinforced what an exciting occasion it is, but also that he hopes that this will start to become the norm for his side:
“Just really looking forward to it. I think it’s what you want to do as much as possible, and slowly, we're getting there with more games, but you want to try and normalise the experience, rather than it be something that's, like, daunting or makes you anxious. I think it'd be individual for each player. Of course, we've got some players who played there a few times, lots of times, never. So, that's exactly the same for Everton. And for myself, it'd just be, it'd be nice to get a win there”.
When asked about his experiences in the city of Liverpool itself, beyond the rivalry, Taylor was full of praise for the sense of belonging and community he has found, and how this network of support has extended into the club:
“The city's a great city. The club is fantastic. I think that I've always spoken about how I'd admired it from afar. When you're actually here, you really experience the sense of belonging to a fantastic city and a fantastic football club, where you feel that people do things the right way. And certainly, like I mentioned before, the way that the city stands together in difficult moments, moments of celebration. What underlines all of it and underpins all of it, is the people, and how engaging they are, and how supportive they are, and how loving they are. And I think that's been really important in a difficult season last year.
Of course, we don't want to dwell too much on last season, but they were experiences that were really tough to go through and, you know, never ever an experience you want to encounter, but actually, if you're going to do it anywhere, it will be here and do it this club, because the way that they, you know, we supported each other in a way we, like, looked after each other and stood side by side, was really impressive”.
Injury and Squad News
Taylor provided a number of important updates on the fitness of the squad ahead of the match, concerning injured players Mao Itamura, Lucy Parry, and Mari Ward:
“This is a bit too soon for them. I think, anything up until the international break is gonna be too soon for them. I think they'll be back after the international break, and I think that's a good opportunity for us to get them really ready for that period afterwards”
He also shared further news on other previously unavailable players, confirming that Holland and Josendal will not be ready for the weekend, as well as sharing some more positive news about Khiara Keating and Kirsty MacLean:
“Ceri [Holland] and Anna [Josendal] will be a little bit longer, unfortunately. So, but the good news is that Kirsty [MacLean] is back in team training, and so is Khiara [Keating], so they were two that we couldn't use, mid week, whether we wanted to or not. So that's really good to have them back”.
After suffering an ACL injury last season, Marie Höbinger scored twice in Liverpool’s win over Sunderland on Wednesday, and Gareth Taylor was full of praise for her mentality, as well as hope for her coming back to the club and fulfilling her potential this season:
“She's done really well, Marie, because the season after an ACL injury is always... There's no set pattern to it. [..] I think that, you know, she has built her way up to getting further and further into potentially starting a game, and because that's not easy either. But I think certainly when you turn to the bench and have a player that can potentially unlock something, it’'s a really good option for us to have”.
“She's worked tremendously hard to get back. She's being supported really well, here by us. She's been really positive about a number of things, and I think she needs to hold onto that, and I think she has done more recently that, you know, whether she plays or doesn't play, gets onto the pitch, doesn't get onto the pitch, I think her attitude has been first class.”
A ‘New’ Liverpool this season?
After a rather turbulent 25/26 season in the WSL, Liverpool have had a much more promising start to this one, something that Taylor sees as a really exciting shift for his team:
“The old us last season, a little bit of playing backwards to the goalkeeper too much, not staying through, not staying on the ball, not moving into position quick enough [..] I think more, we want more control, of course, but I think it would be more playing forward quicker, and you can, and people can analyse that in many ways. So I think for us, we've got speed in the team. We have speed on the front line. We have players that can handle the ball in tight areas, through midfield areas. And we want to play forward quickly when we win the ball back. We want to be a really engaging pressing team, which I think we are, when we're in the ball back, we want to go to goal as quickly as we possibly can.”
New signing Vivianne Endermann has been key for Liverpool in unlocking this potential, as her work in the front line has pushed the team forward on and off the pitch:
“Yeah, she's been really important, a really good addition for us. Gives lots of pace to the team. Interestingly, is probably, when I was describing our new style and our new way, our slight innovation, if you want to call it that, is Viv probably epitomises that. I think she'll make errors in her decisions, but we want to encourage her to continue to do that, because we know that she brings big moments, and her keenness to win the ball back, as well, when she loses it, is high. And that's what you can ask for in a young player. is go and show us what you can do as a winger. Be exciting, be difficult to play against, and if you lose the ball, no problem, just get it back”.
When asked about the team’s mentality, Taylor was insistent that this has been, and must be, a shift that will play key part of Liverpool’s progression this season:
“I think there is one [a shift in mentality] , and I think there needs to be one. Yeah, for sure. I think that you can improve in so many areas. Technically, tactically, physically, um, I feel like we're physically very good now. We've had a good preseason, spent a lot of time, and the players work tremendously hard to get us to this point, that there also has to be a shift in mentality as well. And I think that's easier said than done. And the players, mentality grows when they have success, gains confidence”.
Liverpool’s fixture against Everton on Sunday promises, once again, to be one of the most exciting games in the WSL calendar, as it remains to be seen who can successfully stake their claim as Liverpool’s winning team this weekend at Anfield.