Sørensen previews Brighton in the WSL following FA Cup dominance

Everton manager Brian Sørensen spoke to the media ahead of the Toffees’ Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday evening. 

The Toffees take on the Seagulls at Goodison Park under the lights: a fixture set to entertain with expected goals and tight margins. 

He outlined squad updates and team mentality, alongside discussing Everton’s performance against Brighton, and what he expects from the players as the season continues.

Team news and injuries

Midfielder, Karen Holmgaard tore her ACL in the team’s fixture against West Bromwich Albion in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup and is out for the rest of the season. Sørensen shared an update on this heartbreaking news for the Danish international:

“Yeah, for sure, especially with the history of unfortunate injuries she had last year. She struggled to get back to full fitness, but she’s been doing great for quite a while now, and then it happened a minute into the game.

There’s a push, and she lands awkwardly. So now it’s a big blow for Karen and also for us as a squad. We’re a little light at the moment, but like we always do, we’ll get the best treatment for her and help her through this situation.”

The transfer window

Sørensen spoke about whether injuries would impact decisions made in the transfer window, potentially now with the need to boost player recruitment following the news of Holgaard’s long-term injury:

“We are looking. We want to add at least two more, and we’re working extremely hard for that. It is not an easy window; prices have skyrocketed, so we need to be creative and look at the players we already have.

The jury is still out, of course. We have a couple of small niggles, but hopefully they’ll improve soon. We’ll see how today goes, but there aren’t many issues right now.”

On their performance so far this season:

The head coach is pleased with Everton’s progress so far, but wants to push for better results without small margins defining who takes the points:

“I think our performance in the last block was good against Aston Villa, Man City and Chelsea. Maybe we didn’t get the points we deserved, but early on, we’ve seen tight games and small margins, with player injuries playing a part.

We’re in a good place. Against City ,we put in a good performance against a good side. Chelsea had problems against City, too, and we dealt with that quite confidently. What we were lacking was starting comfortably in the final third, and we’re working on that. Going into this game, it’ll be tough; it’s one that can go both ways, and we need to be on top for sure.”

Previewing the opposition

Regarding Brighton, Sørensen reminds that they are a team capable of creating chances on the break with a dynamic style of play, which the Toffees must hinder with defensive solidity:

“They’re still playing in the same way under their head coach, Dario Vidosic. He’s managed injuries well, you need your key players available in this league, and we’ve experienced how important that is.

They’ve had to find new ways in games that are super tight and can go either way. If you look at the chances they create, it’s about being solid defensively and taking your chances.  

They play very good football and are very dynamic in their approach. They’re similar to us, they change formations from game to game, build with a three or a four, rotate full-backs inside or push them forward. It’s super dynamic and something we need to work on.”

It is clear that Brighton remain ambitious and aim high, looking to bolster their position in the WSL over the course of the second half of the season:

“Brighton are willing to invest in the right players. They’ve been a bit unlucky in attack but have brought in a few players from Arsenal as part of a long-term strategy.  Other teams in this league are aggressive in that sense, which is why they’re catching up.

We’re okay where we are, we have consistency and availability. We don’t know all the ins and outs at Brighton, but bringing in a lot of new players isn’t easy. From what I’m seeing, they’re doing okay with the availability they have.”

Recent form and ambitions

Following a dominant 5-0 victory over West Bromich Albion in the FA Cup, the Toffees remain in a good place and will use this victory to review their successes and push into this weekend’s WSL clash:

“We looked good as a team. West Brom tried to disrupt us by putting numbers behind the goal, but we created a lot of opportunities. It’s been a good week, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow and getting that first win at Goodison Park.”

Sørensen praised midfielder, Yuka Momiki following a clinical and impressive performance last weekend:

“Yuka is a little magician. She was dangerous in and around the box; her passing and ability to finish are superb. In terms of creativity, she’s excellent individually, and her finishing ability has been great. She’s been in good form and working extremely hard.

Our bread and butter is the defence, so hopefully we can do that well again tomorrow.”

Everton appear to be in good spirits with a forward-thinking mentality, which they aim to use to exploit Brighton’s weaknesses at Goodison Park:  

“We’re in a good place. The team spirit is really good. We’re taking a lot of positives from the last game and we’ll bring that into tomorrow’s match…

We need to work defensively and stay solid. It’s one of those games where we need to work up top as well and potentially see where we can do things better.”

On the transfer situation of Kelly Gago

Earlier this week transfer rumours arose around French forward, Kelly Gago. However, at present she remains with the club but unavailable for selection ahead of Brighton:

“She’s unavailable at the moment. She wants to leave and has a release clause in her contract. Of course, we want her here, but if that clause is triggered, she’s free to go.

From my understanding, it’s around 10% of the contract. Until it’s submitted, I don’t think she’s going anywhere, but we’ll have to see how it plays out.”

On attendances on Friday night at Goodison Park

Recently, Everton have seen huge growth in the number of fans at home fixtures, since the move to Goodison Park. Sørensen hopes once again to attract a big crowd under the lights tomorrow evening:

“Hopefully, there’ll be a good attendance at 7 pm. Low attendances can impact games, so hopefully we see a strong crowd and have a good night, as always when playing under the lights.”

Everton take on Brighton at Goodison Park on Friday (7PM KO).