‘We really want to be a problem for the bigger teams’ – Aston Villa ready to bounce back says Arroyo | OneFootball

Aston Villa head coach Natalia Arroyo says that her side will be ready to bounce back from last weekend’s draw with Everton when they travel to Manchester United on Saturday.

The Villans were denied all three points by Everton at Villa Park with a late equaliser ensuring that the scoreline ended 3-3.

When speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s trip to Manchester United, Aston Villa boss Arroyo said that her side are keen to show that they are better than their draw last time out and that they can compete with the very best.

“It’s one of the games where we want to show and say to the league that the Everton game was a bit of a bad performance but we are better than that,” Arroyo said. “We really want to be a problem for the bigger teams. We are ready, we know it’ll be really hard and we have respect for Manchester United but we are Aston Villa, we want to be the best and we will fight for the three points as always.”

Reflecting on the performance against Everton, Arroyo said that her players didn’t really need lifting after the game but the finer details could have been better.

She said “One of the challenges is to be leading more. We were staying in the game because the draw was there against Everton, Brighton and Leicester. Against Arsenal and Chelsea, we were a goal down and against West Ham, we could’ve had a bigger lead.

“It wasn’t much of the focus [after the Everton game], it was more about some details where we were missing the full sense and attention in some actions, especially at the beginning; in some moments, we were maybe too passive, too basic in possession. We spoke about that and our performance to show that it was not our best and to say how strong we can be if we are not so-so and can score goals.

“The players were okay, although it wasn’t what we wanted. It was a normal week and focusing on the lessons that we could take from Everton.”

Manchester United have conceded just once at home so far this season and Arroyo has been impressed by The Red Devils’ out of possession work.

She said “Since I’ve landed here, I’ve really admired how Manchester United have played in and out of possession. Out of possession, they’re one of the teams that show things closer to my ideas. It’s not that I’m copying them but I definitely admire the work that Marc [Skinner] and his players are doing.

“They press in different ways depending on the opportunities that they see when facing opponents. Let’s see how they analyse us and the options that they bring; that has been part of our conversations. We also know that if the first plan is not working, they have the quality to make adjustments.

“We need to be ready. We have prepared properly, so let’s see how we start the game.”

Aston Villa’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Manchester United kicks-off at 12pm on Saturday afternoon.