Jo Potter: Proving Ourselves On The Next Level

JO POTTER wants her Rangers side to prove themselves on the ‘next level’ as they prepare for their Champions League Round One qualifying challenge tomorrow evening.

The former Lioness will take her team to take on English giants Arsenal in her first taste of the competition as a head coach, as the mini tournament gets underway in London.

Speaking to the media in this evening’s press conference ahead of the match, she said: “They are all hungry to be the best and want to be the best.

“We are proving that we are up and thereabouts in Scotland and the next level is Champions League and we have always said that we want to start to prove ourselves on the next level and we have always got to look to progress.

“Champions League football is something that really excites us and we want to do well in.

“We are looking good; we have had a good week's prep; it has been a short turnaround from the weekend's game.

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“Obviously playing midweek is tough to do because you have to concentrate on the weekend's game previous to that.

“We have had a short turnaround so we have had to try and mix between preparing for Dundee United and preparing for Arsenal and that looks very different for us.

“So it has been a challenge trying to mix the two in preparation style but I think we have done the best that we can.

Potter is hopeful her players are in the right frame of mind heading into the contest, as she acknowledged the size of the task ahead for her side.

She continued: “When the time comes to it, it is ultimately what the players can go out and deliver on the pitch.

“Hopefully they are in a good mindset to be able to take on board what we have done.

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“All the good moments that we have come up against in tougher opposition in previous months and games and trying to bring it to the forefront and do as best as they can. Because you know they are going to be tested the most they are going to be tested in a long time.

“I think it is important that we get our shape right tomorrow.

“We are probably going to concede a lot of possession and we are used to having most of the possession so it is trying to flip our mindset knowing that we are going to suffer at certain points.

“Feeling that and we try and replicate that as much as possible in training.

“We are pretty lucky that we have got a very good squad.

“At most times when we are fully fit we can probably pick two XI's and it is really difficult to do that for me at times.

“We have to utilise those players and we have to utilise them in training days.

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“As and when we can we get out on the grass and put them in positions where they are going to suffer and it is not going to be as easy for them as what it may be come a weekend in some circumstances.”

The boss is hopeful her side having five games already under their belt this season will benefit them heading into the clash, with her team scoring 43 goals in the process in the SWPL without conceding.

She added: “We are in a totally different position in our season. We are into our season we have played a good few games now.

“Arsenal are coming off the back of pre-season, this is really early for them so we have got to try and take advantage of these moments and we have got to try and look at parts that we can try and hurt them.

“It is not all about Arsenal being up and us being way down and trying to catch up.

“It is recognising moments where we can potentially hurt them.

“As I have said previously we will always give every single team respect and give them their due and our due diligence.

“Tell our players how they are going to hurt us or can hurt us, but we will also look at the flip side of that and look at the strengths that we have got within the squad and try give our players some confidence to say we are going to go out there and we are going to give it a real good go.”


  

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