Women's Super League

Aston Villa boss Robert de Pauw has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against Manchester United (kick-off 18:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Georgia Mullett has been back in training sessions, but Rachel Corsie and Jill Baijings remain out.

• Paula Tomas is eligible to play after serving a three-game suspension, but her availability for Sunday is uncertain after suffering from sickness earlier this week.

• De Pauw said Villa's first-half performance against Liverpool was the worst he has overseen at the club.

• He said the team are "frustrated" because "we want to win".

• On assistant coach Leanne Hall leaving the club, De Pauw wished her the best and said: "She took the decision to step back and to focus more on herself for a moment".

• Asked what he has learnt about facing Chelsea, Manchester City and now Manchester United away, the Villa boss said: "We are competitive, that we can put some fear in the opponent".

• He added: "That's the next step we got to take - to take something from the game and not only rattle the cage, but bring the cage home".

• A first win of the season at United would be "a big boost for us and would drive confidence", De Pauw said.

• The Dutchman is aware that football is a "performance driven company" and said "they cut off the head of the manager".

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Manchester boss Marc Skinner has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against Aston Villa (kick-off 18:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Leah Galton and Anna Sandberg are back in training and will be assessed before Sunday's match.

• Skinner says Villa play "good, attacking football" and results have not matched their performances. "I’m preparing [to face] a very good team," he adds.

• After back-to-back draws, Skinner admits United "have to try to get back to winning ways" and calls for more consistency in their performances.

• He says it is difficult to keep all fans of the club happy but he has to try to find a balance between performing well and producing results.

• Skinner added: "We are at a unique club where it has to be about performance too. We have to attack when we’re defending. It’s a hard challenge. We try to strike that balance. This team is getting used to each other."

• Midfielder Hayley Ladd remains a "key part" of United's squad, says Skinner, despite her limited game time this season.

• Skinner is pleased with United's form so far this season and says they are "above where our marker should be" but they want to keep improving.

Image source, Getty Images

Boss Gareth Taylor said Manchester City are in a "good moment" as they head into their first game of the season at Etihad Stadium.

Taylor's side host Tottenham on Friday night in the first of three games at the men's stadium in 2024-25.

They will also play Manchester United there in January and Chelsea in March.

City are top of the Women's Super League with five wins and one draw from their opening six games.

"It’s an exciting game for us," Taylor said. "We are in a good moment.

"As much as we really enjoy playing at the Joie Stadium because we have that familiarity, it’s always a good opportunity to expand on potentially getting more supporters into the stadium to be able to see us play."

City have only played three games in total at Etihad Stadium prior to this season and Taylor said it is a "step forward".

"There is more need and want for it which is great. It was really difficult playing one game a season there because you lose a home advantage.

"If you play there more often it becomes more normal for the girls. We had an opportunity to train there today which is great."

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor has been speaking to the media before Friday's Women's Super League game against Tottenham (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his/her news conference:

• Playing at Etihad Stadium is "exciting" and "a step forward".

• Vivianne Miedema is "happy" and "feels good" and Taylor said "we are still on target for trying to get her back as soon as possible".

• There was positive news around Naomi Layzell who is "getting closer", while Ayaka Yamashita and Mary Fowler are both back in the squad.

• On the key to Man City's unbeaten start, Taylor said: "Following the plan and trusting what we do is really important".

• He added: "We go from game to game as boring as it sounds. We have to understand why we are there [top of the league]."

• On Tottenham, he said: "We know the areas we can exploit, we know their strengths. We have to be really on it to make sure we exert ourselves in the right way."

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against Liverpool (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from her news conference:

• Lucy Bronze and Catarina Macario are back in the squad and available, but Lauren James remains sidelined.

• Bompastor said "it is difficult to give a date" on when James will return, but said "not before the next international break for sure".

• On the high number of different goalscorers this season, Bompastor said: "That is really valuable because it gives the opposition some doubts on players. They don't know which one is going to score".

• On selection headaches, she said: "It’s good for me because I can rotate."

• On whether her players have gelled quicker than she expected, she said: "I was expecting us to perform from the beginning and I hope now we will be able to perform until the end."

• Asked whether there is another level to come, Bompastor said: "Even if we have good results we still have room for improvement."

• On Liverpool, she said: "They have a good team and good squad and I know Liverpool always find a way to perform against Chelsea."

Leicester boss Amandine Miquel has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against West Ham (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from her news conference:

• Miquel does not know how long Sam Tierney will be out with the ankle injury she sustained in last weekend's 1-0 defeat by Brighton, but she will not be available on Sunday.

• There's also no timescale for Lena Petermann's return.

• Asked if Leicester were at a crisis point with injuries, Miquel said "We're not there yet".

• She said that the club are holding out for the January transfer window, rather than bringing in players on free transfers.

• The Leicester boss is "really pleased" with how few goals her side are conceding.

• On Leicester's 5-2 pre-season win over West Ham, Miquel said: "It feels like it was a long time ago, and when we're in a very different situation then".

• With tough tests against Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea before the winter break, Miquel said that three points against West Ham would make "mental aspects easier".

Arsenal's interim boss Renee Slegers has been speaking to the media before Friday's Women's Super League game against Brighton (kick-off 19:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from her news conference:

• Lotte Wubben Moy and Laura Wienroither are both "progressing really well" as they return from injury.

• On Edu leaving his role as Arsenal's sporting director, Slegers said he's "meant a lot" to the women's team and she's "sorry" to see him leave.

• She added that Edu's departure will not impact Arsenal's recruitment process for a permanent head coach.

• Slegers hopes to remain part of the club's coaching staff, even if she is not selected as the next permanent manager.

• On having to move their Champions League game against Bayern Munich away from the Emirates because of a clash with a men's fixture, Slegers said it's been "a very hard dilemma for the club".

• Arsenal have "not been talking" about Manchester City and Chelsea pulling away at the top of the league.

• She said it will be a "high risk, high reward" game against Brighton, who Slegers said are "doing really well and have recruited top players".

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Crystal Palace manager Laura Kaminski has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against Everton (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from her news conference:

• Captain Aimee Everett is "in a much better place" with her recovery from injury but will be assessed following training this week.

• "I’m still not 100% certain on the outcome for the weekend but she’s in a really positive place and is on the grass," adds Kaminski.

• Kaminski says Palace know "how important it is to take full advantage" of their home games having won all their points on the road so far this season.

• She says there has been "a lot of noise" about Everton's position at the bottom of the table but she empathises with their long-term injuries.

• "It’s important to remember it’s people we’re talking about here. I wish those players all the best. It’s really difficult to deal with. We are sure of what we’ll get from them. We will get a really gritty, whole-hearted performance from a team that will rally together and try to be their best on the day," adds Kaminski.

• Palace are "adjusting and adapting" each week to different opposition, says Kaminski, who wants her players to develop consistency.

• Everton's position in the table is not reflective of their performances, says Kaminski and she insists it will "not reflect their mentality" on Sunday.

Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn has been speaking to the media before Friday's Women's Super League game against Manchester City (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hayley Raso and Amy James-Turner are "100% back and ready to be picked," said Vilahamn.

• On Becky Spencer signing a new contract, he praised her bravery and experience, adding: "For me to keep working with her and that we can use that for two more years that's great news".

• He called WSL leaders Manchester City a "winning machine" and added that he "learned a lot" from Tottenham's 7-0 defeat away at City last season.

• "She's probably the best nine in the league and probably one of the best nines in the world," Vilahamn said about Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw.

• Vilahamn understands that Spurs will have to "defend more than dictate" their next two games against City and Arsenal.

• "We need to be perfect tomorrow, or at least almost perfect, because otherwise they're going to win," he added.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham's Riko Ueki is "right up there" with the best strikers in the Women's Super League according to boss Rehanne Skinner.

Since her WSL debut in October 2023, the Japan international is West Ham's is the leading goalscorer in the competition with eight goals and netted for the first time this campaign in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Tottenham.

"If you are a real football-minded person, you absolutely do not miss Riko Ueki," Skinner said.

"The things she does for 100 minutes, her timing of movement, her ability to manipulate defenders to get the ball where she wants to get it is phenomenal. She is a top player.

"Not enough people acknowledge that but we certainly know the value she brings us."

"My biggest challenge has been to make sure everyone on the pitch knows what she is doing. That is something we have been working really hard on.

"In terms of her hold-up play and her link-up play off the front line, she has got to be right up there in the league to be honest."

West Ham boss Rehanne Skinner has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against Leicester (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from her news conference:

• The injury time defeat by Tottenham "was really tough to take" and Skinner said "everybody is motivated to go and put that right this weekend.

• Assessing where the team are overall this season, Skinner said: "I’m pleased with the progress we have made and the performances we have had but we all know it’s about winning."

• She said West Ham fans "have gone through a lot of change and inconsistency" but praised them for staying "solid" and sticking by the team.

• She added: "The numbers in our fans are getting higher because the club has done a good job at making us more visible".

• After drawing twice against Leicester last season, Skinner expects another tight game but said: "Every game we feel positive about getting something from it. We just need to get one over the line."

• On what she wants to see against Leicester, Skinner added: "We want to be more attack-minded and positive on the ball".

Image source, Manchester City

Manchester City have installed 2,878 solar panels on the roof of Joie Stadium.

The installation at the home of City's women's team is the first phase in a wider project that will see more than 10,000 solar panels added across the City Football Academy.

The club say once the project is complete, "the panels will generate enough renewable energy to offset the annual power requirements needed to run the City Football Academy, making it one of the largest producers of renewable energy in world football".

City are aiming to be net carbon zero by 2030.

"By transitioning to self-supplied renewable energy, we will guarantee a consistent flow of clean power that offsets the energy required to run the stadium and significantly reduce its environmental impact," said the club's director of sustainability, Pete Bradshaw.

"In doing so, this installation undoubtedly makes the Joie Stadium one of the most sustainable stadiums in world football."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Finch Farm

Everton boss Brian Sorensen has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against Crystal Palace (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Katja Snoeijs is a "question mark" says Sorensen. She has been dealing with a leg injury for "quite a while" and saw a specialist. She is due to train on Thursday and Friday and the club will assess her afterwards.

• Karen Holmgaard will miss Sunday's match, while Sara Holmgaard is progressing well and could be involved.

• Sorensen says the continuing injury issues have had an impact on their season but they are "not worried" about their position in the table.

• He admits this is an important period for Everton with games they believe they can win coming up.

• Sorensen added: "We had two games this season out of six that we were not at our best. The rest we were good. We should always say we could have had more [points] but they are not there and that’s the reality. Now we have three winnable games coming up."

• He says the squad knows the club's current situation - where they are waiting approval for a takeover and the injury pile-up - is "not ideal" but they know the "reality" is to continue to work with the resources they have available.

• On Crystal Palace's performances this season, Sorensen says: "They have been solid and look well-coached, organised and they try to utilise their strengths. We will have to be at our best on Sunday, that’s for sure."

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham forward Hayley Raso says she joined the north London club to find "confidence" and achieve "consistency".

The Australia international, who has had spells in the Women's Super League with Everton and Manchester City, was a free agent after leaving Real Madrid at the end of last season.

She says she was "open" to moving anywhere after leaving Spain but made the decision "that was right for me and my career at this point".

Once she had talked to Spurs and manager Robert Vilahamn, Raso says she had no doubts about joining the club.

Speaking to BBC London, she said: "I really liked what they had to say, how they spoke to me, and how they saw me fitting into the team.

"After speaking with them, it was an easy decision to come here. I feel very supported, and I’ve got a lot of confidence being here. It was a great decision."

The 30-year-old scored on her Spurs debut against Crystal Palace but has since suffered a hamstring injury although she says she is now "ready" to return.

"We’re an ambitious team, and we want to have a strong season by getting as many points as possible, keeping clean sheets, scoring goals, and moving up the table," she says.

"On a personal level, I want to contribute as much as I can with goals, assists, and just being my confident self on the pitch.

"Robert has such a calming nature - he’s very level-headed, which brings calmness to us. He’s hugely important to what we’re trying to achieve this season."