West Ham head coach Rehanne Skinner insisted that her side are working on ‘being as competitive as we can for longer periods of time” after conceding four second half goals to Arsenal.
West Ham fell to two defeats from two in the WSL on Friday night with a punishing 5-1 defeat to Arsenal. The European champions ran riot after the Irons had taken a shock lead in the opening minutes.
After the match Rehanne Skinner took the time to speak with the media and The Halfway Line was present to hear from her.
West Ham want to ‘play a little bit braver and a bit higher’ insists Rehanne Skinner
It had all started in such promising fashion for West Ham. In the Dagenham night the Irons had utilized the rainy conditions to cause the visitors trouble and were ahead within a couple of minutes. However the match unravelled late in the second half as Arsenal gained a foothold.
“For 65 minutes, I thought we played really well, and gave them a really tough game” Skinner said. “The intensity [and] the pace of the game was really good for both teams.
“[We] had some chances towards the end. At 3-1 obviously it’s a little bit difficult to get yourself back into it. But we wanted them to be on the front foot. We were braver in the press , we were higher in the press [and] it paid off quite a few times in terms of transitions in their half. But sometimes then it can catch you on the other side of it if we get a decision slightly wrong.
“So, you know, that’s for me to take, because I want them to play a little bit braver and a bit higher. Sometimes when you’re 3-1 down, you’ve got to be brave, you’ve got to be bold to actually go and try and get something out of the game. Which you can probably see by the subs that we put on the pitch as well.”
‘We’re not happy about the score line’ insists Rehanne Skinner
When your team concedes five goals at home it is rarely a positive night for any head coach and last night was no different. When the European champions come to town it is rarely an easy afternoon for any side.
“Obviously, we’re not happy about the score line but the fact of the matter is they are European champions” Skinner said. “It’s always going to be a big test, and we’re trying to be a little bit braver in what we do.
“Sometimes you can get caught a little bit with that and and they’ve got the capability to punish you if you get that a couple of yards wrong.”
Arsenal were able to reach another level when calling to their bench, which was a level that West Ham could not match.
“It’s tough” Skinner pondered. “Because obviously the players are fit don’t get me wrong, our players are fit, but obviously playing at the intensity that you’ve played up there, and they’ve been so committed to the game plan, they were excellent today.
“As players, they’ve put everything into it, and you can’t ask for any more than that. Obviously, when you’re making the subs within the bench, our depth has improved but the experience is different between us and them.
“When you’re replacing people who’ve gone through god knows how many tournaments like for like in the last 25 minutes of a game, of course, that’s a big test but that’s where we are.
“With everything that we have we’ll keep battling to improve as a team and being as competitive as we can for just longer periods of time really.”
Next up for West Ham is a trip to Broadfields Stadium to face Brighton on Sunday September 21. All of the action will get underway at 12:00pm GMT.
