Kerr on squad strength and progression

Shelley Kerr spoke to the media after Arsenal Ladies reached the Continental Cup final with a 4-0 victory over Everton at Meadow Park on Thursday. Here is a transcription of the press conference:

on reaching a third successive final…
We're delighted. When you play in a semi-final, it's always the hard one because there's pressure on to get to the final. I thought we scored some fantastic goals and kept another clean sheet which is really important.

on being favourites for the final…
It's the same all the time with the history that's attached to the Club. In every game, everyone expects us to win but you've got to earn that and we said that before the game. There should never be an assumption that you're going to win a game - you have to work and earn it. I thought we did it.

on continuing to make chances throughout…
I think that's something that we really emphasise - that's where you can get your match sharpness. Even when you're winning a game quite comfortably I think you can get even fitter and sharper in the latter stages of the game. It's something we always drive home to the players.

on the squad looking strong…
I said before the break that we would strengthen and we've done that. We suffered from a few injuries in the first half of the season and it makes a big difference when you've got the depth in the squad because it puts players under pressure to perform better. That's what it should be all about.

on if Kelly Smith will play again this season…
We're not sure yet. Kelly is feeling well so we just have to wait and see how things go.

on facing Everton again on Sunday…
I thought they created a few chances so that's something we need to look at as well. For me as a coach, the league is the most important thing. The cups are always a bonus so we need to make sure that we're switched on again on Sunday because it will be a really tough game.