Everton boss Brian Sorensen believes his side are getting "better and better" as they prepare to take on Aston Villa in the Conti Cup this week.
The Blues secured a hard-fought victory in the West Midlands on Saturday afternoon, with captain Lucy Graham netting the game's only goal shortly before the hour mark to secure the three points. The win saw Everton climb to fourth place on the Women's Super League table, making it three wins from their first five games.
The Blues' start to the campaign marks an impressive departure from last season's poor form, which saw them finish 10th in the league after failing to win their final seven games. Everton's season was also rocked by managerial turbulence, with two permanent managers dismissed from their post before the summer arrival of Brian Sorensen helped to spark something of a renaissance for the Merseyside club.
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Speaking about his team's start to the season, Sorensen told the ECHO : “It’s been good. We’ve had ups and downs and injuries in certain positions. We’d probably like to have more consistency but that’s the game.
"I think we’ve handled (injuries) well and got three good wins. We’re far from where we want to be because it’s a fairly new group. I think we’re improving from game to game.
"For me, it's about knowing the opponents because I’m also learning every game. I’ve been in Denmark more than 15 years so I knew all the teams, all the coaches, and I need to do that here also. We’re just getting better and better each time we play a game and getting that knowledge about how we manage a game which is really important.”
Everton will take on Aston Villa again in the Conti Cup on Wednesday evening, and the Danish manager believes his team are well prepared for the clash at Walton Hall Park after having already faced Carla Ward's side at the weekend.
“They will of course probably change some players up," he said. "I think that the way they want to do things, the way they set up, I don’t think we’ll see big, big changes there.
"They’ll be giving some players the chance to get some minutes and show what they can do. We’re not going to make any big changes in the way we approach the game. The preparation has been easier because we already prepared very well in terms of how we’re matching up against each other so for us its just about making sure the (players) we give the opportunity to tomorrow, they know what to do.”
The Blues could be without Dutch striker Katja Snoeijs tomorrow after the 26-year-old was withdrawn after 74 minutes on Saturday afternoon. Snoeijs returned to action at the Bescot stadium after sustaining an ankle injury on international duty last month, but it's unlikely she'll be risked tomorrow with a big game against Manchester United to come in the WSL at the weekend.
Sorensen said: “I think we have to wait and see with Kat. I think she’ll be ready for the weekend but maybe we won’t stress it tomorrow. Otherwise we have full availability."
Everton Women take on Aston Villa Women in the Conti Cup at Walton Hall Park at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
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