Birmingham City boss Amy Merricks says she knows it will be difficult against Tottenham Hotspur in the group stage of the Subway Women’s League Cup this weekend – but her squad are raring to go.
Of their top-tier opponents, she told SheKicks.net: “We know what where they’re at, and the improvement they’ve made under Martin, I think, has been very, very good. It’s really positive to see him go in there and have such a positive impact on the team.
“For us, I love these games, and the team relishes these games. This is what we’re absolutely about. We want to defy the odds. We want to do well in every competition, so the fact that they’re WSL opposition, we don’t fear that.
“We know what we need to do. We need to make the game very difficult for them to play their way, and when we have the ball, we have to be intentful with our actions and brave.”
Birmingham City: Playing with bravery and intent
Birmingham bounced back from a narrow 2-1 loss in WSL2 to fellow promotion chasers Southampton by trouncing Ipswich Town 4-0 at the weekend.
And Merricks – who was named WSL2 manager of the month for September – admitted it was good for her second-placed team to be back on course, adding that she was “really pleased” with what she saw from her players.
“I thought we played with a lot more bravery and intent. There’s still some areas we’ve got to keep chipping away at and keep getting better at, and to be honest, the focus of the group and the determination, I have no doubt we will continue to do that.
“[I was] really pleased with the performance, but most importantly, the way in which the the team demonstrated their capabilities, I thought it was very positive.”
Merricks: We need to be composed
Bravery is a key word for Merricks, who says she wants her players to show that quality every minute they are in possession – regardless of whether they are a regular starter or a squad player, who she hinted might get some minutes this weekend, explaining there are players “itching to get game time, and it’s important to me to see those players in action as much as possible.”
She added: “We have some very, very good players here, and it’s encouraging them to demonstrate that, showcase their abilities, and we’re going to need to do that this weekend.
“When we have the ball, we need to be tidy on it, composed, but brave. We want to go forward, so we want to play to our identity and who we are.
“And, personally, I’m really excited to see them do it against WSL opposition.”
