Liverpool Women set a high bar in the Women’s Super League last season to now face one of their biggest challenges as they settle into a new stadium and set their eyes on a European place.
It was a season to remember for the Reds in 2023/24 after finishing fourth in only their second season back in the top flight, a welcome surprise, but attention is now locked on to what comes next.
Liverpool’s season gets underway at home on Sunday against Leicester, and manager Matt Beard had a simple message for supporters: “It’s an exciting time to come and support the team.”
In an interview with This Is Anfield ahead of the new season, Beard discussed the ambitions for 2024/25, exciting new signings, the move to St Helens, Anfield fixtures and more!
You almost doubled your points tally from your first season back in the WSL, would say you overachieved?
We knew we were building a good squad. When you decide to recruit younger players, you’re going to have periods where there’s going to be ups and downs.
I feel the biggest thing that surprised me last year was the way we responded to negative results, which I felt, was fantastic. So whenever we lost a game, we went on a run to get ourselves back in it.
We finished where we did on merit. Did we overachieve? Probably.
But, you know, we earned that right. Everyone, the staff and the players worked incredibly hard to have the success that we had last year.
What are the expectations this season? Is the next natural step to push for a Champions League spot?
I think that’s obviously got to be the next step. We know it’s incredibly tough to break into the top three, with what the top teams are spending, but it’s not always about the money.
I feel we proved that last year with how we performed and where we finished. Every year we want to improve on what we did the year before. That’s the main goal to start off with, and then we’ll see where that can take us.
How big of a role did the move to Melwood have on improving performances?
It made a massive difference. I think if you look at the nutrition we’ve got here, and I’ve said it time and time again about the recovery.
And then on top of that, the training pitches, I mean, we had a fantastic relationship with Tranmere, but at times we were ringing around trying to get pitches to train because of where it is and the weather.
It’s made such a difference. I mean, there’s no excuses for me, my staff, my players, we’ve got a world-class facility to try and prepare for games.
What is it like for the players and new signings to have these facilities?
It certainly helps with recruitment. I think, for me, it’s the most important thing.
This is your foundation, this is your base and this is where you do all your work. As I said, the support from the club is fantastic and the facility enables us to be able to perform at the highest level.
Olivia Smith, 20, was a big signing this summer, what are your expectations for her debut season?
She’s got everything, but she is young and it’s going to be interesting to see how she adapts to the Super League, but I’m confident she’ll be fine.
You know, you don’t play for your country at 15 years old if you’re not a good player! She’s quick, can score goals – right foot, left foot – very powerful, and she’s keen and hungry to learn.
We’re very lucky. There were a lot of clubs that were in for her, but we sort of hit it off, me, her and her a family and they were really good conversations. I’m excited to have her here.
There’s a lot of competition up front now, do you see Smith in the forward line?
Probably the forward line, she gives me tactical flexibility [as] she can play as No. 8 or 10, and she can play as a winger or as a central player.
So for me to have that flexibility whether we play 5-3-2 or 4-3-3 or 3-4-3, we’ve got that flexibility with the players that we’ve brought in.
I think if you look at Kapi [Cornelia Kapocs], she can play down the middle and she can play wide.
We’ve got all different types of forwards now, which is great.
Missy Bo Kearns was a big departure, what were the reasons for that?
Bo wanted to go, she wasn’t happy with her game time last year.
She was professional and we had numerous conversations. We didn’t want her to go. Sometimes you have good years, sometimes you have indifferent years.
But ultimately, we wanted to put the person first in this case. She had a contract here for another two years.
I think one thing that resonated with me, one of the conversations where she said, ‘Oh, I know it’s Liverpool, my house is five minutes from the training ground, my nan’s five minutes from the training ground’.
And I think for her own personal development she wanted to try something new. I’m sure Bo will come back to the club, her love for the club is second to none.
It wasn’t something we wanted to happen, but we respected her wishes, and we wish her all the best.
There’s 3 games at Anfield this season but it hasn’t always been a happy hunting ground, time to get the monkey off the back?
We definitely need to, for sure. We’ve got three obviously tough fixtures there. I think the more we play there the more familiar it becomes for the players.
I think sometimes when you’re playing in the main stadium and it’s just a one-off game, it becomes a bit of a leveller.
And, I think from our perspective, I spoke about Prenton Park and what a fortress it was for us, teams didn’t like going there but everyone loved coming to Anfield.
I think it gives you that little bit of added pressure as well as the home team, so the more games we play there, the more comfortable we become.
There was a big move this summer to St Helens Stadium…
It’s a fantastic move for us. Obviously, it is on Merseyside, it is a red and modern stadium and it means for the fan experience, we can do a lot more.
I think it will enable us to grow the fanbase as well. So yeah. We’re looking forward to the move.
It’s probably going to be our biggest challenge, I think, settling in there ourselves and making Saint Helens what Tranmere Rovers was to us.
The move again shows the commitment the club has to women’s football…
Definitely, I think every year we look to improve on everything that we do. You know, obviously, we had Melwood last year, Saint Helens this year and we’ve increased the staffing as well.
We always want to make sure we’re not standing still, we’re moving forward. I think from that side, it’s vitally important.
Lastly, if there’s someone who hasn’t watched LFC Women before, what would your message be to them?
As I always say, we’re a committed team. We have a fantastic bond, staff and players, with our fan base and I don’t really think you get that anywhere else.
You definitely don’t get it in men’s football.
To speak from our perspective, we’re improving every year. The product on the pitch is getting better every year, not just Liverpool, but the Super League in general.
It’s an exciting time to come and support the team.
You can buy tickets for Liverpool Women‘s fixtures this season here. Tickets for the opener on Sunday can be bought at the stadium from 11.30am (BST).
