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Photo by Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Rogers gave his assessment of the loss at Anfield on Sunday against Manchester City.
Liverpool faced their toughest opponent yet when they hosted league leaders Manchester City on Sunday at Anfield, and though the Red Women pushed them and took the lead, they were ultimately defeated thanks to a late goal from Bunny Shaw.
Manager Matt Beard had to sit this match out due to illness, handing over managerial duties to his assistant (and former manager himself) Scott Rogers. There were plenty of issues to manage going into the match even without Beard’s illness, with Rachael Laws still our only fit goalkeeper, and players like Ceri Holland and Sofie Lundgaard injured for the foreseeable future.
“I thought we nearly warranted a point. Defensively, I thought our shape was solid and we frustrated City for long periods. We just got punished when we switched off,” Rogers said following the match.
That type of punishment has been unfortunately a lingering problem throughout the start of this season, but more pressing might be the potential of time lost for standout signing Olivia Smith. Smith came off just before halftime with a knock, and had already been causing a lot of problems for City and others within the league, so losing her in addition to Lundgaard is not a good omen.
“I haven’t really spoken to the medical staff properly about it [Smith’s injury], I just know there was quite a bump. It’s a shame really, it was a bit of a blow for us because obviously Liv was doing really well and causing them problems on the counter. Obviously to lose that just before half-time was a bit of a blow,” Rogers continued.
“WSL clubs in general, obviously she has drawn a lot of attention to herself with how she plays. She carries the ball really well and she can handle it under pressure. I think teams are obviously targeting that and maybe being a little bit rough with her at times. But it’s part of the league and she’ll have to get used to it.”
This season hasn’t been off to the greatest start, with just one win under their belts, and now a loss in the league to add to it. Another loss at Anfield doesn’t exactly feel great either.
“There’s disappointment, you don’t want to lose a game. And, as I said, I thought we warranted a point. But there’s lots of positives that we can review next week. We’ll let it settle today and then we’ll get back on the training ground next week and look forward to playing Crystal Palace,” Rogers added.
The Women next face Crystal Palace at the St. Helen’s Stadium on Sunday, October 20th.
