After a difficult start to the season, Aston Villa Women seemed to have turned the corner. Two key parts of that, Jordan Nobbs and Shaun Goater, explain how it happened.
Aston Villa only won a WSL match in November under former manager Robert de Pauw, who only joined the club in the summer. Goater, who was an assistant coach, was then asked to take interim leadership.
Under the former striker, Aston Villa are unbeaten in four games in all competitions. Goater said the team needed results and speed, and that's exactly what happened.
“At the start of the season there was a lot of positivity and a lot of energy, but we didn't get the wins we needed,” he told Sky Sports exclusively.
“In one particular game, I think it was Liverpool. It just showed that we lacked a little bit of confidence not to be able to get that game over the line in terms of creating or scoring chances. From then on it was confidence had fallen, a little confidence had disappeared.
“My main thought was to give the girls self-confidence, to believe in themselves and to say: 'You are a quality player, go express yourself, show the world what you stand for, what you are capable of', and this is what they have done.
“You learn a lot more in your difficult moments. Touch a little bit of wood, in the games I've had we haven't had any difficult moments. In the game against Everton there was a period where we all stuck together, we dug deep because there was momentum that they created, but we were still able to hold on in that game and draw.
“If you want to be a top team, I think it's important to consistently keep a clean sheet, and that's from the forward player defending to the hilt. When I say clean sheet, most people will tend to think: ' Oh, he's talking about defenders.' or defensive midfielders, but you defend from the front first.
“When you score goals, the attacks also come from defenders who start to play the ball and build up. So we have to be a bit more solid and give us the opportunity to play games and win 1-0.”
“So what I've learned is to continue to believe in myself, believe in my philosophy and just make sure that the girls fully believe in what they can do and continue to support them in that way.”
Goater will now support new Aston Villa head coach Natalia Arroyo, who was appointed on Wednesday, as the club looks to move further away from any relegation problems.
And Nobbs, who has just completed her two-year anniversary at the club, has enjoyed working under the interim coach, telling Sky Sports: “Time has flown by and there have been a lot of changes since I first came here.
“This season hasn't gone the way we probably wanted, but if you look at our games, I think we've put in a better performance than last year. We just have to get the points in those games and we haven't been able to do that, and that's the most important thing we need to focus on.
“Shaun is such a positive guy. When he came in he immediately had the same football brain that I like to talk about. When you have that it's easier to connect with the manager. He knows what players need and want .
“It was refreshing to talk to him and he also brings a lot of confidence to the team and to me. He is a very easy guy to work with.”
Nobbs: I've loved every minute of my 200 WSL games
Like Goater, Nobbs has been around for a long time. She recently broke the WSL appearance record – 193 matches played, which has now risen to 200 – and shows no signs of stopping.
Reflecting on her milestone, she said: “I knew the 193 was coming. Our media team did a great job of making that very special for me.
“As a player you don't really count your games from week to week, so when it was actually my 200, Shaun congratulated me at the end. [of the game] and I had no idea what he was talking about.
“I was just in the football moment and I thought he meant it for Villa, and I thought, 'I haven't played that many games yet!'
“But as a player I have always been driven and hardworking and wanted to compete at the highest level, so to do that for two clubs in the league is very special to play a big role in women's football and I have had a lot of ups and downs, but I think I enjoyed every minute of playing in this competition.
“Every week you are still learning as a player. It doesn't matter what age you reach, you still want to improve or take on new challenges.
“It's always a strange period when you get older and that thought crosses your mind a bit, but at the moment retirement is not on my mind. I'm fit, I've started every league match this season, I'm still up a good place to play at a high level.
“You never know what happens in football, things can completely change your mind, but I am still completely focused and concentrating on the football.
“I'm starting my B license next month so that's a good one to get while I'm still playing football. I just love talking about football so if anything comes up I can keep up with it and still be part of the women's game in the future, that would be the goal for me.”
Goater: City game will be weird, but we are all professional
Goater's final match as interim coach of Aston Villa could not have been more poetic as he takes on his former side, Manchester City. Not only is he a legend of the men's team, he was also assistant coach to Gareth Taylor last season.
“I've always looked forward to this and it's going to feel weird, but we're all professional,” Goater said. “I go there to play the game and try to win.
“All the people at Man City I know and respect. They are a good team with a good manager who is playing in a good way, and it will be a tough match, but we want to try to bring our game as well.
“I'm showing the players new things, but City have set high standards. They've probably ended up where they expected to be, but they'll dust themselves off and keep trying to gain momentum and get themselves back on track. ” the hunt for the top position. That's just the mentality of the club.
“But we have a game to play. We want to try to make it as difficult as possible and try to win there too.”
Nobbs has also played his fair share of games against Man City, describing every result against Manchester City as 'massive'.
She said: “I think we have always given City a good chance. We have achieved results in the past or come very close, so it is an important game.”
“Shaun just wants us to play football – basic, but sometimes that's essential. It's not easy when you're halfway through a season and a manager leaves and you have to pick it up again quickly. You don't want to change too much.” , so I think Shaun has just been very simple.
“But of course City are a great team with top players, so it won't be easy. But if we can get something out of that game it will be huge for us.”
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