Royals defender talks on squad progression upon the half-way point

On the week of the half-way point of the Barclays Women's Championship season, Deanna Cooper spoke of the changes that are now beginning to show in the team's performances after adapting to Liam Gilbert's playing philosophy, but has insisted the Royals need to be more clinical to climb the league table.

“I think we’ve seen a lot of progressions over the last week or so. There was a lot of rotation on Wednesday night [against Southampton], it gave a lot of players an opportunity to show what they can do and I think they did really well.

“It was disappointing to have conceded so late on, after a really good performance for the majority of the game, but there were positive signs. Overall its been a really positive week, we just need to make sure we learn from last week and start putting our chances away.

Cooper gives praise to Liam Gilbert and his style that is being implemented on the squad “There’s been a lot of changes and adaptations that we have all had to make to our game, it’s taken a little bit of time to get used to those new ideas and instructions.

“But I think Liam has done a great job of introducing how he wants us to play, obviously for some of us it’s just about getting used to these changes and picking it up, but I feel like we’re starting to find our flow.

“We’re at the half-way stage of the season and I think that in the first half on Sunday [against Watford] we played some of our best football this season which is fantastic to see. Now it’s just about taking this into the next half of the season and making sure we finish these performances off with goals.

Cooper has been with Reading since 2020 and has been with the club during its highs and lows in that time, the Reading midfielder explains the new challenges this chapter in her career presents “I think this is a very different league compared to the WSL, it’s a lot more physical and there’s a lot more fight from the teams.

“I think it’s taken some of us a bit of time to adapt to that aspect of the league but we are still a young group and it can take a bit of getting used to. It’s an unpredictable league where bottom can beat top and it certainly has its own unique challenges compared to the WSL.

“Playing in midfield has been a challenge for me, I’m still getting used to the position. I don’t think I’ve played in midfield since I was about 14 and since then I’ve predominantly played as a center half. I’m always open to new challenges and so far I’m enjoying this one.

“Liam has put his trust in me to play this position for him and I’m still learning every day, it’s just about being open to anything with this opportunity and making sure that I’m improving every day.

“I’m always willing to do whatever the team and the manager need from me, there’s new challenges for all of us this year so we’re just making sure we all give our all for the team when called upon.”

Cooper: "Performances have been positive, but now we need to be ruthless."