‘It’s not easy to play against desperate teams’ – Manchester City can’t drop off against West Ham says Jeglertz | OneFootball

Manchester City head coach Andrée Jeglertz says that his side mustn’t drop their standards against latest opponents West Ham United.

The Cityzens play host to The Hammers at The Joie Stadium on Saturday lunchtime in their latest Barclays Women’s Super League fixture.

West Ham United are yet to get off the mark in the Barclays Women’s Super League this season. When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester City head coach Jeglertz said that his side can’t afford to drop their performance levels despite the poor form of their opponents.

“It’s a team that is desperate and it’s not easy to play against desperate teams,” Jeglertz said. “They’ve definitely deserved a bit more in the first rounds [of games]. They have an experienced coach and some experienced players. They’re definitely an opponent where if we don’t do everything the way we plan and put effort into it then they’ll challenge us.

“I think we are a better team and if we do the things that we are good at and take care of them, it should be a good game for us.”

Going on to analyse West Ham United’s form in more detail, Jeglertz said that the East Londoners may still be searching for a little bit more consistency and stability in their performances this season.

He said “What I’ve seen from those games that we’ve been scouting so far is that they’re maybe still seeking the identity of their team this year based on how they were last year. That being said, they have periods of games where they challenge all teams but I also see parts where they struggle more because sometimes they maybe lose a little bit of structure or a little bit of patience with the ball.

“When you lose, you want to change things a little bit and they’re changing a little bit from game-to-game. Off the back of that, they’re probably reflecting on how they can find the stability in the team and keep on working with that.”

Manchester City have won five out of six league matches under Jeglertz and he highlighted some of the positives that can be taken away from the opening block.

He said “It’s been good to go back and see what we’ve been doing well and what we still think we need to develop.

“Of course, there are a lot of things [to develop] but there are a lot of things that I’m happy with so far. We are creating a lot of scoring chances in each game, we are scoring a lot of goals and we are winning the ball high up on the field which has been a key thing for us.

“There have been some injuries, so that hasn’t been ideal but it gives [other] players time on the field to show [their qualities]. We have used the whole squad in these first months [of the season] and that’s extremely important for this group; that everyone feels that they are contributing to the team’s performance.

“There are a lot of positives but still, there are a couple of things that we need to do better.”

Manchester City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against West Ham United kicks-off at 12pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.