As a self-confessed “under-the-radar coach”, Joe Montemurro is quite happy with his side being underdogs in Saturday’s SSE Women’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The Blues are still unbeaten in the Women’s Super League this season and haven’t conceded a single goal on a run to Wembley which has included comprehensive wins over Liverpool and Manchester City.
But Montemurro believes his side have the quality to overcome Chelsea, and has called for us to ignore the speculation by just focusing on our own game.
“Finals are finals and anything happens,” he told Arsenal Player. “They’re different to league games and they’re different to other games, so as long as the attitude is right and we put our performance in to play our football, we have an excellent chance.
“I’m very much an under-the-radar coach who gets things done, no excuses and just making sure we focus on what we need to do. The hype and all that… it’s very important to channel that in the right way, the positive way. I’m happy to be the underdog and put all the pressure on Chelsea.
“The more you’re in cup finals, the more you settle and the more you have the experience of getting into your rhythm. That’s the most important thing. As soon as you can settle the game down, you can get the emotion out of the way to start playing football.
“The more those players experience those high-pressure scenarios, the better they’ll be for it. We’ve had a cup final experience already in the Continental Cup, so our experience is important and hopefully we can keep that momentum going.”
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