News'We'll learn a lot' - Matt Beard and Gemma Bonner preview Atletico test
Matt Beard and Gemma Bonner have detailed the invaluable experience of taking part in the AMOS Women's French Cup for Liverpool FC Women.
The Reds take on Atletico Madrid Femenino in the third-place play-off of the pre-season tournament today (5pm BST kick-off), having been beaten by Paris Saint-Germain Feminine on penalties following a 1-1 draw earlier in the week.
Liverpool are continuing their preparations ahead of the new Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, which begins on October 1 against Arsenal Women at Emirates Stadium.
Read on for the thoughts from manager Beard and defender Bonner on the tournament so far, experience overall and facing Atletico…
Matt Beard
On the opposition teams and taking on Atletico...
It’s interesting. I think Atletico are a team that like to try to press, they’re a team that can be quite direct, they can mix it up, whereas Paris Saint-Germain the other night were patient in possession, good movement, but all the teams have got world-class players in [and] good coaches.
It will be a different game again for us which we’re looking forward to and we can learn from. As I said before, playing against different styles of play, different cultures, we’ll learn a lot about ourselves from this trip. We’re looking forward to playing Atletico Madrid on Thursday.
On the tournament overall...
It’s been fantastic. The organisers have been great, the trip has been really good for us as a team. The atmosphere in the stadium on Monday was fantastic and we had a gathering last night with all four teams and the organisers and that was a really nice evening. We’ve been really, really pleased with how everything has gone so far.
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Gemma Bonner
On how she is finding the tournament…
I was lucky enough to play here the first time it was in Toulouse with Liverpool, but I think moving forward every single year the tournament has progressed. For us, it’s a great opportunity to come back and play against top European opposition, something we don’t necessarily get in the English league every week, so it’s a good chance to come away, get some warm weather and be together as a group. Obviously we’ve made a lot of signings in the past month or so. It’s a fantastic opportunity to come out and get some games and also bond together as a team.
On the experience and atmosphere against PSG…
The fans have been unbelievable, and they came out for the first game in their numbers. I think the show that was put on in terms of the first game and the second game, it was a great attraction for people to come and watch some football. For the players, we want to be playing in these kind of occasions so it was good for us, obviously after last season, to come straight back in and get that vibe back again. We managed to go into the city of Toulouse yesterday and everyone really enjoyed getting into the culture, we really liked it.
On the opportunity to face teams from other countries…
Obviously every nation has its own style of play. I think coming up against the Spanish teams, we’ve just seen at the World Cup they like to possess the ball and like to move it. The French can be very direct and very quick in the transition and obviously we like to possess the ball and make our way through to the final third, so it’s a good test to come up against different formations, different players and different challenges.
For us as players it’s about problem solving and working together getting minutes into players to make sure when we come to start our season that we are ready. For us, it’s fantastic preparation, and we are so happy we can be a part of the tournament.
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