Phillips: There is a strong belief in this squad

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Albion boss prepares for squad's final match of the year against Aston Villa in WSL.

Heather Miller

2023-12-17T06:00:00Z

Melissa Phillips previously coached Angel City and London City Lionesses.

Melissa Phillips's side will travel north this weekend as they aim to end their 2023 run of games on a high with a result against Carla Ward's squad.

The Albion boss reflected on last weekend's 2-2 draw against Leicester City and praised the players' resilience to fight back and attain a key point in the league campaign.

She said, “Maria (Thorisdottir) had some really key words at the end of the match just around the resilience and the belief and the team and how much that first goal really brought us back into it - we had chances to win it.

"I think it was an interesting game when you look at it as a whole because, in the first half, I thought we were a bit ahead of Leicester and had some opportunities in the box that we needed to be sharper on.

“There's a lot to take from it just in learning about ourselves and we know we have to be better off the back of the draw with Leicester and defeat to Liverpool going into the weekend ahead.”

Elisabeth Terland has been a force of nature for Albion during the half of the season having scored seven goals in nine games - the Norwegian internationalist is also the current top goalscorer in the WSL.

Phillips reflected on the striker’s impact against the Foxes and emphasised her desire to achieve more.

She added, “The best part about Teri (Terland) are the standards that she demands, first and foremost of herself, but then of others as well. She adds value day in and day out in training and team meetings.

“She is constantly pushing the team forward, always asking where she can do better. She comes off the pitch thinking I want that third goal. Last Sunday she wasn’t even satisfied with the two goals and that shows how hungry she is. I don't think players with that mindset have a ceiling.”

This will be the first time Albion will play Villa under Phillips, but she is prepared for the challenges that the team will face at the Bescot Stadium.

She continued, “Villa are a very good side. We went through the same stretch of games where you're playing top teams top four teams back to back to back and they did in in the first block of games and had a really difficult schedule and lost a lot of games late on as well.

“They have quality and abundance in their squad and we know that it will be a difficult challenge as both teams sit close in the table. We'll be looking to pick up points before the close of the year.”