‘She can change a game very quickly’ – Brighton boss Vidošić mindful of James threat | OneFootball

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Dario Vidošić says that his side will have to be alert to the threat of Chelsea forward Lauren James when the two sides meet at Kingsmeadow on Wednesday evening.

The Seagulls face The Blues in a rearranged fixture off the back of Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the Subway Women’s League Cup final on Sunday.

Forward James starred for Chelsea in the showpiece, netting the first goal and Brighton & Hove Albion boss Vidošić says that his side need to be switched on to the player’s threats on Wednesday.

“She’s a very good player,” Vidošić said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “She’s one that when she gets the ball, your heart stops for a little bit. She has that ability to change games and even yesterday, she looks for the space, gets on the ball and is very hard to stop in terms of how she moves with the ball, how she carries the ball, how she brings others into play and dribbling.

“She possesses a lot of strengths, so we will have to be aware of that, especially with her movement and other players fill the nine. It’s something that we have to be aware of.

“She’s a fantastic player, as was witnessed yesterday. She can change a game very quickly.”

Chelsea’s long grip on the Barclays Women’s Super League title looks set to end this season but Vidošić still thinks that The Blues will be eager to play catch up on leaders Manchester City.

He said “It’s not easy, it’s hard for a team to dominate year-on-year. We have to give credit to [Manchester] City and the other teams that have pushed them, even throughout those six years but they’ve always found a way of getting into that number one place. 

“At the minute, they’re not in the place that they want to be but yesterday, I’m sure they were very happy with the outcome, it was a good win. [Manchester] City slipping up at the weekend is going to put even more emphasis on a positive result to keep catching up. For us, we want to go there and get the three points, so it’s set up for a really good game.”

With two games in-hand, Brighton & Hove Albion could yet claim a top half of the table finish but Vidošić is only focusing on the here and now.

He said “It’s one for the end of the season. I’m never one to look at the fixtures ahead, it’s full concentration on Wednesday night. We want to get that one [won], so we are not taking anyone more or less [seriously], it’s always equal.

“I’ve thought a little bit about Liverpool but not a lot. It’s full preparation for Wednesday. Every game, we set out to win and then at the end of the season, we will see where we are.”

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Chelsea kicks-off at 7pm on Wednesday evening.