Helen Bleazard, head coach of AFC Bournemouth Women, is gearing up for what she describes as the biggest match of her managerial career. The team is set to face Manchester City, one of the top sides in Europe, in the FA Cup. Bleazard is hopeful for a classic FA Cup upset as her team prepares to compete against the formidable Women’s Super League (WSL) side.
Helen Bleazard said: “I think you’ve seen the teams that are still in it. You’ve had some tier four teams beat some tier three so far. And the nature of the beast of the FA Cup, it is anyone’s. So who’s to say that we can’t turn it around and pull off the magic of the FA Cup on Sunday?”
Helen Bleazard explained: “To be honest with you, preparation’s been normal. A lot of people asked me last week if I started focusing on Man City and we hadn’t because we had another game. So we’ve tried to keep it as normal as possible because I think that’s what you need to do. Obviously, the occasion speaks for itself, but the more that we can just keep it, like I said, as business as usual.”
Helen Bleazard continued: “We know what we’re going to do, we know our prep, we’ve done our analysis right. So we put a few things in their minds about how we might want to play. And it is the nature of it, Man City are going to have a lot of the ball. We’d be naïve to think that it wouldn’t be that case. So it’s just about adapting. We adapt every week, whether we have a new tactic or a new style of play, we always adapt, but we give them as much prep as possible.”
Helen Bleazard added: “Most of the pitches they play on are like a carpet and naturally the Vitality when we played there, it was that as well. It’s a non-league ground, it’s a fantastic opportunity. It’s not going to be like a Vitality pitch. So we’re aware and that probably does favour us when you think about the pitches that they play on regularly. Hopefully, it’s not going to be a hostile environment because that’s not what women’s football is about. But it can certainly cause a bit of an upset. If it gives us that advantage, then we’ll take all the advantages we can get.”
Bleazard’s approach underscores the unpredictability and magic of the FA Cup, where lower-tier teams often challenge and sometimes defeat higher-ranked opponents. Her strategy involves maintaining normalcy in preparation, focusing on their strengths, and adapting to the circumstances of the match. The non-league ground at Totton presents a unique challenge and potential advantage for AFC Bournemouth Women, as it differs significantly from the pristine pitches Manchester City is accustomed to. Bleazard’s team hopes to leverage this to their benefit, aiming to create a memorable FA Cup moment.
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