NewsAmber Whiteley interview: Admiration for Matt Beard and Crystal Palace trip
Amber Whiteley paid a glowing tribute to Matt Beard after she took over as interim manager of Liverpool FC Women following his departure.
It was announced on Thursday that Beard has left his role as Reds boss, bringing an end to his near-four-year stint in a second spell at the club.
Whiteley previously took interim charge of the side prior to Beard returning to Liverpool in May 2021.
Her main task at hand is preparing the squad for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace in the Barclays Women’s Super League (kick-off 2pm GMT at VBS Community Stadium).
Read on for Liverpoolfc.com’s interview with Whiteley at the AXA Melwood Training Centre on Friday afternoon…
On Friday’s training session…
They trained really well and I’m pleased with them. I thought they responded really well from the work we did in the classroom and transferred it out onto the pitch today. So, a good start.
On a difficult few days following Beard’s departure…
I’ve absolutely loved my time working with Matt. I was really fortunate when he gave me the opportunity to stay and work alongside him when he came back to the club the second time around. We’ve made some really good memories together and I think you become like family almost. I’m certainly going to miss him, as will everyone else in the building. But anyone who works in football knows it’s part of the game, and we’ll come together and put a performance in on Sunday that Matt will be proud of.
On the challenge of facing Palace this weekend…
Crystal Palace will be a tough test. Despite their league position, they always create good opportunities in front of goal but they just haven’t been taking them, so we’ve got to be aware of that threat. We’ve put in some work on the training pitch today and we’ll be ready for Sunday.
On the 1-1 draw with Palace at St Helens Stadium earlier this season and facing former Red Katie Stengel…
I don’t think we were at our best that day, so [there are] plenty of things we can definitely take from that game to look to improve on Sunday. We all know Stengel’s capabilities, so we’ve got to be ready for her too.
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