Sørensen targets response as Everton welcome Aston Villa to Goodison Park
Everton Women manager Brian Sørensen has called on his side to respond positively when they host Aston Villa Women at Goodison Park in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday morning (11:55 GMT).
The Toffees go into the Barclays Women’s Super League fixture sitting 10th in the table with eight points, while visitors Aston Villa arrive on Merseyside seventh with 16 points. Despite the gap in league positions, Sørensen insists his side are focused on performances rather than the standings as they look to climb the table.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Sørensen reflected on current form, team news, and an increase in competitiveness as the season continues.
Reflecting on defeat to Brighton
Everton’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Brighton last time out, admitting the result was a frustrating one but stressing the importance of turning disappointment into motivation:
“We understand the frustration from the last game-we feel it just as much as anyone. This is a very tough league where matches are decided by small margins, and on Friday those moments didn’t go our way.
What’s been really encouraging is the reaction from the group this week. The energy in training has been positive, and the players are eager to go out on Sunday and put things right”.
Team News Ahead of Villa Clash
Sørensen also provided an update on his squad ahead of the weekend. Everton will be without Toni Payne, who sustained a muscle injury in the defeat to Brighton and is expected to miss the current run of fixtures:
“Toni picked up a muscle injury in the last game and will be out”, Sørensen confirmed. “That’s obviously a blow for us, and she’ll miss this block of games”.
There was positive news elsewhere, however with Inma Gabarro returning to the squad following a successful loan spell in Spain, where she scored four goals for Sevilla:
“Inma has come back in looking sharp. She’s very physical and has settled straight back into the group. She was ready to return, and it’s good to have her available again”.
New Faces Adding Competition
Everton have also been strengthened by the arrival of Laila Harbert, who has joined the club on loan. The midfielder has already impressed in training despite only recently linking up with the squad:
“She’s only had one session with us so far, but she looked bright on the ball and brought good energy. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her as she continues to settle in”.
With league points at a premium and competition for places increasing, Everton head into Sunday’s fixture determined to produce a strong performance at Goodison Park and close the gap on Aston Villa in the WSL.