‘We’ve prepped for that’ – Laura Kaminski believes Crystal Palace are ready for WSL debut at Tottenham Hotspur

BY GINA BAGULO

Crystal Palace Women’s boss Laura Kaminski says her side are prepared for their very first Super League campaign, which kicks off on Sunday when they head to Tottenham Hotspur.

Palace secured the Championship title in late April following a 2-0 victory over Lewes and a draw against Sunderland in front of a record crowd of 6,796 spectators at Selhurst Park.

Laura Kaminski guided the Eagles to the top flight in her first season in charge after leaving her assistant managerial role at Charlton last summer.

Spurs will be a formidable opponent for the Eagles come Sunday, with the team having made it to the Women’s FA Cup final last year before missing out to Manchester United.

“The step up is huge and we’ve prepped for that,” Kaminski said.

“We’ve done a lot of research into statistically, the differences between the league and you know, examples being the ball in play for a much longer duration than the Championship and that’s just one example as to where we know that the step up physically is going to be a difference for us.”

Before the conclusion of the summer transfer window earlier this month, the newly promoted side added a roster of players to their team, including several with experience in the WSL – Danish-international Katrine Veje, for instance , was signed in August following a two year stint at Everton.

Kaminski believes that having players with WSL experience will be an advantage for the Eagles as the club embarks on this new era.

“We feel like we’ve bought in players of that level, and also, we’ve bought in a mix of experience – a vast mix of experience, which is great. We’ve got youth in there and we’ve got some older players that have been in the WSL and yeah, hopefully they’ll tell the young ones what for when they’re not putting in the standards.

“We’ve got a great mix and a great side, and working with them so far in pre-season has been fantastic. What they’ve brought to grass has been a pleasure to watch, a pleasure to coach, and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Kaminski has also been keen to change up team formations going into a new league.

She added: “It is true. More than one system is going to help, and it’s going to take time for players to learn and really flourish in those systems and perform. We’re using our time wisely, but we can expect some fluid shapes. We’ve bought the caliber of player that we’re looking for to be able to cope with those system changes.”