Guerrero & Schatzer: We're ready for St. Polten | OneFootball

The Women's First Team are back in European action on Wednesday, 2 September, with a 3-0 lead to protect in the second leg of their Women's Champions League qualification playoff. 

Ahead of the game, coach Isaac Guerrero was joined by Eva Schatzer for the MD-1 press conference.

Below is what they had to say.

EVA SCHATZER

“We started strongly. We wanted to create a team identity and a recognisable style of play. We’ve trained well and the matches are going well. We came into these fixtures, which are already decisive for the season, ready.

“We are in a good position, but tomorrow we have to be determined and not think that we’ve already qualified. Tomorrow is a final, as the coach tells us, and we are prepared.

“The coach has some very good ideas and we have embraced them as a team. We like to dominate our opponents, have a lot of touches on the ball and find combinations between ourselves. It’s been an important step and we all feel involved.

“There’s a great atmosphere in the dressing room. We trained well during pre-season and obviously it is demanding to play so much, but we always try to make sure we are ready. I feel good. Maybe there’s a little fatigue and that’s normal, but I like playing. If I could, I’d play all the time. The important thing for me is to help the team.

“There’s a lot of focus and enthusiasm within the group. We know this is a decisive match and we want to play it with our identity. We want to play well and win.

“For us, it’s a match like any other. We have to go onto the pitch knowing that we are a strong team, but also aware that there are still 90 minutes to play. We did well in the first leg and I don’t think St. Polten’s true quality really came through. Tomorrow we’ll go again  and try to impose our style of play.

“I’ve been here for a long time, but I’m still young. I look up to our four captains, who are role models for us, and I’ll try to follow their example.

“I feel more important than I did last year and I can feel the coaching staff’s trust in me. I try to play for the team and also help the new players.”

ISAAC GUERRERO

“We were confident that we could make a good start and share a clear direction with the team, but the speed with which we managed to do that was a pleasant surprise.

“These girls are top-level athletes and, at the same time, they’te able to maintain a fantastic atmosphere in the dressing room. They really are a great team, from the first player to the last and from the last to the first.

“St. Polten are a very competitive team who have earned their place at this stage. They knocked out Sporting [Clube, of Lisbon] and have won four games out of four in the league. The girls did very well in the first leg and we’re confident, but tomorrow is a final. Nothing has been decided and we’ll go out there to win.

“We have a very strong squad and we try to be consistent. There was a lot at stake against Como [Women] and we selected some girls who had played fewer minutes because we had confidence in them.

“We haven’t decided on the line-up yet, but I’m completely confident that whoever takes the field will perform at the highest level. I think these rotations reflect the quality of the squad. The girls earn these opportunities through the work they do every day.

“In these 50 days, I’ve really appreciated the competitive level of this team. From the very first training session, they’ve gone onto the pitch with an incredible desire to win. They make my job easy, they motivate themselves and they know that tomorrow is a final.

“I see them as very focused and they will go out there to win. We try to be very consistent in the direction of our ideas. We’re all in the same boat and rowing in the same direction.

“The finer details come from the opponent, because every opponent creates a different context. That speeds up our adaptation process. We’re a fluid team that has to impose our own game. “I cannot say what will happen tomorrow because in every training session we see different things. Schatzer sometimes surprises me when I think about the fact that she was born in 2005. We learn from her every day. “We’re here to support the girls and I watch every training session and every match while learning from them. We’ll definitely learn other things against St. Polten. “We’re very focused on tomorrow’s match. I know the transfer market is open, but this game is too important. The result from the first leg is excellent, but we cannot give up even a single inch.”

Gallery | Bianconere ready for St. Polten second leg