Kerr: 'We have shown great character'

Shelley Kerr spoke to Arsenal.com after Arsenal Ladies were knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage with a 4-1 aggregate defeat against VfL Wolfsburg.

on the difference between the sides over the two legs…
I don’t think we can have any complaints today – the better team is in the final. We just fell a little short at the semi-final stage. While we’re disappointed we’re realistic as well. We’re an exceptionally well, supported club but in Wolfsburg we played a side who were effectively professional, so this was always going to be a very tough challenge.

on pride of the team's performance over the two legs...
I thought over the two legs we've shown great character. The resource and budget that Wolfsburg have is huge so we've shown great character over the two legs. And don't forget we've missed an exceptionally talented player in Kelly Smith in these games and these things are all important. I'm really proud of the players efforts - it's maybe just a few little things that have let us down but we'll learn from that. The important thing now is that we move on and we focus on the next game, which is the FA Cup semi final, which we already can't wait for.

on the small details proving the difference between the two sides today…
It’s the same in any walk of life – it’s the little things that can make a lot of difference. Even taking into account how well disciplined and organised Wolfsburg were, over the two legs we could have perhaps done the basic things a little bit better. Unfortunately for us it wasn’t to be. We had plenty of chances in the tie. Even today in the second half when we went 1-1 we still had a read real good chance. And we started to play a bit of football then. We had a great chance at 1-1 to go 2-1 up and on another day, if that goes in, then it changes the picture completely.

on whether there was a sense on the bench that Little's equaliser could spark an Arsenal comeback...
Absolutely! We all did, I think everyone connected with the Club thought we had a chance. And at 1-1 we started to play a bit of football. They got their backs up a little bit, so that's why it was so disappointing to concede soon after. It was a mountain to climb after that.

on how much the team missed captain Kelly Smith over the two legs...
Football's not an individual sport of course. However someone with the exceptional talent of Kelly, you're always going to miss. She's the Club captain as well so it'd be a massive blow for any side. When you look back to the Torres game (when Kelly played half an hour before injuring her ankle) the first 30 minutes she was in absolutely devastating form and looking sharp, so it's been a massive blow for us. Saying that you know, that's football. You've got to be able to cope with that. But she has been a big miss for us that's for sure.

on when Kelly is expected to return...
The type of injury it is - it's a day-to-day scaenerio, so we just have to wait and see. She's up to rehab now, which is a positive but in terms of setting a date, we're just going to have to wait and see.

on the 8,000 strong crowd, and the popularity of the women’s game in Germany…
I think you have to put it into perspective. The German national team have been very successful and you get spectators and attention when you’re successful. The German national team have built that support up over many years, and they put a lot of finance and resource into the game, and that’s what you get when you do that.

on the women’s game in the UK catching up…
I think we’re getting on the right tracks. Being in the Super League with the media attention and the support that that’s generated has been fantastic and we’re going in the right direction. You can’t make big steps too quickly though. We’re now in the third season of the Super League. The longer it goes on, the more media attention the sport gets, and the more support that that generates. So we’re certainly going in the right direction for sure.

on Friday's FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Anfield...
For me, it's the best way to bounce back, to have such an important game as the semi-final of the FA Cup - a competition that eluded us last year. As a footballer the best thing when you've suffered disappointment is to get back on the pitch and make things right. It doesn't come much bigger than the FA Cup semi final, and I'm sure that the girls will be ready to go for that. There's nothing worse than playing a wounded animal and maybe that's what we are just now.