West Ham defender Amber Tysiak says her team need to get off to a better start in the Women’s Super League this season.
“I thought we did really well in the second half of last season, but overall we need to be more consistent,” the 25-year-old told the club’s website.
“We need to take that momentum into the start of the season, because last season we didn’t have a great start. We had new players coming in late and we had to find connections, but now we have that foundation and we need to build on it. I think we need to aim for higher now and be a steady team, that’s what we want to be.
“We want to be in possession more too, as last season we played more on the counter attack. I’m looking forward to the start of the season!”
Amber Tysiak: I’m more of a complete athlete now
West Ham finished ninth in the WSL last season, with six wins and five draws from their 22 matches.
Tysiak started 20 of those games, contributing two goals, and the Belgian international says she has now adjusted to the gulf between semi-professional and professional football after signing for the club in 2023.
“I came here as a semi-professional football player with some injuries. I was given confidence from the staff and kept building on my abilities. I’m more of a complete athlete because of them.
“Two seasons ago was a transition season for me personally, even for the team, and last season I proved I can play week in, week out consistently.
“I also have more of a leadership role within the team, which is another positive for me personally, and I want to keep on developing that. I also want to help us keep as many clean sheets as we can.”
Tysiak on the Women’s Euros
She is now comfortable at international level too, playing all of Belgium’s group-stage games at the summer’s Women’s Euros.
“It was a great experience. My first Euros was in England, and then this one was in Switzerland, and it’s always special to be there. It’s an honour to play on the biggest stage.
“As a team, I think we were disappointed with the way the games went, especially the first one [losing 1-0 to Italy] as we knew that was a big game. We grew into the tournament and ended on a high in the third game [beating Portugal 2-1]. It’s a process, but you could see, especially against Portugal, the way we want to play football.”
West Ham begin their season with a visit to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, September 7th.
