Scott Phelan has stated his desire to make Everton Women a ‘winning team’ again as the new interim head coach held his first ever press conference ahead of the Toffees’ trip to London City Lionesses this weekend.
The former Everton U-18’s captain was named in the role on Wednesday morning following the departure of Brian Sorensen.
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Phelan will be assisted by Jennifer Foster and goalkeeping coach Ian McCaldon, and the 37-year-old was full of praise for Foster’s knowledge as he highlighted his ambitions for the players he has been impressed by since taking up the reigns.
“The ambition is to win games of football. If we can combine performance level with a certain style we are trying to implement and then winning games, that would be brilliant,” said the former Academy star.
“There is no demand for league position, we just want to be a winning team again.
“My affiliation with the club goes back a long time. I was known in the building and the club thought I would be an appropriate appointment.
“What the years in the club have told me is how important the Women’s team are in this club.”
“Today was a real privilege to be around the players and train them. They have been so professional in the last 24 hours.
“And Jen has been amazing. She is so humble and knowledgeable about the women’s game. She is invaluable and an outstanding coach.
“She is somebody that will be really valuable and is a massive part of what we are going to do.”
With managerial changes dominating the news coming out of Goodison Park this week, Phelan also addressed his team’s weekend opponents, who the former Bradford City player views as a good side, but his main focus is on creating a style of play for the Blues that works both at home and on the road.
“We expect to see a good team. That is without being wary of our strengths, that is what makes it exciting. We want to play at Goodison Park and away grounds with a style,” he said.
“Spending a lot of time in higher areas of the pitch is something I want to achieve. They need to enjoy it – it is a privilege to be at this club, as a player or a member of staff.”
The Opposition
Enjoying a solid maiden campaign in the WSL, London City Lionesses will be further bolstered by the signing of midfielder Malou Marcetto, who this week joined from Liga F club Madrid CFF.
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A September which saw Eder Maestre’s side meet three of the top four in the first five fixtures did also yield two victories for the Lionesses, who have adopted a positive approach in their style, which has been aided by the experienced former Toffee, Nikita Parris, who has three league goals to her name this season, and Freya Godfrey, who has enjoyed a brilliant campaign and tops the team’s scoring charts with four.
The 20-year-old was the team’s hero last week when her winner away at Brighton gave the Lionesses a first league win in five.
And with six wins in 14 league games, only the five teams above the sixth-placed Lionesses have won more.
Previous Meetings
Isobel Goodwin’s brace settled matters at Goodison in September as the Blues endured their second defeat at home in five days.
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Yuka Momiki’s second-half penalty halved the deficit but the Toffees ultimately suffered for their slow start, something the visiting team exploited to gain their first ever WSL victory.
While Everton will have revenge on their minds, Phelan will also be keen to ensure his tenure gets off to a winning start but will be wise to keep an eye on a team that, having all but achieved their objective of top-flight survival, will be keen to prove that their inaugural season at the top table is no fluke.
Everton Women take on London City Lionesses on Sunday, 8 February, at Copperjax Community Stadium. Kick-off in the capital is at 12pm GMT (7am ET, 4am PT).