LFC WomenMatt Beard column: West Ham draw, international break and Natasha Flint

I felt we deserved to win last Sunday, and it felt like a defeat when West Ham got their equaliser deep into stoppage time.

We performed well on the day, we created some good chances, we hit the woodwork twice and their goalkeeper made a few good saves as well.

It was a great response from us after the Anfield defeat by Everton, so that’s a step in the right direction and we are just gutted we couldn’t see it out.

It was great to see Marie Höbinger get another goal from midfield for us and she has settled in really well. She is a technician and is such a great finisher.

Conceding that late in the game did feel, as I say, like a defeat and we spoke about that after the game and the chances that we are creating that we need to take.

But, like I always say, if you are not creating chances then it’s an issue. But we are creating good opportunities and as time goes on I’m confident that we will start to convert these chances.

That was Sophie Roman Haug’s last game having to play with a mask and that has had a bit of an impact on her. I gave Natasha Flint her first start for us in the Barclays Women’s Super League and there were some positive signs of her partnership with Sophie.

Tash is still finding her feet. She had a really good pre-season and then just before the start of it she got COVID and that knocked her back a little bit.

She then came off the bench against Aston Villa and scored a great goal, and then got another goal for us at Leicester City in the Continental League Cup. I thought she did OK against West Ham. She had some good moments and held the ball up well.

The new partnership with Sophie is going to take a little bit of time to gel and it’s going to take a bit of time for the players to adapt to Sophie’s game as well.

Reflecting on our start to the season, we’ve picked up seven points out of a possible 12 going into this international break, so I think we are in a good place.

I also think we could have more points on the board, if I’m being honest with you, but it’s one of those things. We are only three points off top spot, so it’s going to be a really interesting season.

The international break now gives us the opportunity to work with Shanice van de Sanden, Leanne Kiernan and Niamh Fahey as they continue to get stronger after injury.

They will benefit from these next two weeks, definitely. We’ll also look at a couple of the younger players and bring them into the training group during this break.

After the international break, including the Continental Cup fixtures, we will be playing something like nine games in eight weeks. But it means we will get the chance to utilise the whole squad, so we look forward to the challenge.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

YNWA,

Matt

Matt Beard was speaking to Liverpoolfc.com's Steve Hunter

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