We have the chance to reach the final of the Subway Women’s League Cup with Thursday’s visit of Manchester City at Mangata Pay UK Stadium.
We’re looking to retain the League Cup and make it two wins from two against City in four days, having beaten them 4-3 away from home on Sunday.
Asked about how tight the weekend’s match was and if this one might go all the way to a penalty shootout, our head coach is expecting another close contest.
“If I knew that, then that would be great and I could plan for the scenario,” Renee said in her pre-match press conference. “It’s going to be a very tight game. It’s two top teams. We came away from Manchester winning that game, but we’re very humble with both feet on the ground.
“We know that City’s going to come to Borehamwood and is going to want to do something different. I think they’re happy with the three goals they scored and not happy with four conceded, so I think they’ll come and change things and make it even harder for us and try to exploit us as well, so it’s going to be a hard game but we’re looking good and humble but also confident about the game tomorrow.”
Amid all of the chaos at Joie Stadium on Sunday - which provided a thrilling spectacle for the neutrals - Renee remained a calm presence on the touchline.
“I think my presence is always very calm but of course my brain is going 100mph,” she explained. “But no, I think it’s very important to stay calm on the sideline.
“For me it works very well, because if I’m getting too engaged and emotional, I can’t think in solutions and strategies, so for me it’s the best way if I want to be the best version of myself. That’s the best for me and I think that helps the team in the best way.
“You know how important defensive solidity is for us, but what I think is good is that we bring something, a product to the people watching it. It’s all about winning, but we also know what football means to a lot of people and I’m happy we can bring entertaining football but, ideally for us, it would be entertaining football with a clean sheet.”
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