Arroyo calls for the same energy from Aston Villa when they face Brighton | OneFootball

Aston Villa head coach Natalia Arroyo has called for her side to find the same energy for this weekend’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion as they produced in their recent demolition of Arsenal.

The Villans face the Sussex side in their final Barclays Women’s Super League fixture of the season at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon. Aston Villa’s last appearance in B6 saw them thrash high-flying Arsenal 5-2.

When speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Aston Villa boss Arroyo highlighted Brighton & Hove Albion’s qualities and called on her side to bring the energy to Villa Park again.

“Like us, they had a big win [against Arsenal],” Arroyo said. “When we beat Arsenal, we used it to build confidence, knowing that we were able to compete against a top team and they will come to Villa Park with the same vibe.

“In recent months, they have struggled to keep the good rhythm that they had in the beginning but I feel like they’ve gone through their difficult moment and they are again finding their form.

“I watched Brighton back home in Spain earlier in the season and I like Dario’s [Vidošić] approach. They’re managing the rhythms of the game whilst having a very clear in-possession strategy. We know it will be tough because they have good rotations and manipulate you in a way that makes it difficult for us to be as aggressive as we want to be. Hopefully, the players understand the type of game that we need to play.

“We are back at Villa Park and we need to show the same energy as we did in the Arsenal game and try to beat Brighton. It’s a good challenge for us to get closer to them in the table.”

Aston Villa go into the match on the back of four consecutive wins and Arroyo says that her playing philosophy is beginning to be embedded within the team.

She said “We are winning most of our games because we have pace and power in the counter-attack and energy to kill opponents in the transition. We need to build a little bit better in the in-possession phase and we will work on that with the team.

“Tomorrow will again be a good test because we need to be better in-possession whilst still having the aggression out of possession, being quick in transition.

“Step-by-step, with the good results, we are building our identity.”

Aston Villa’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.