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Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Scotland keeper welcomes move to more direct Andreattaball style
There appears little prospect of the Greek-Australian's fellow Antipodean manager Melissa Andreatta being subjected to the same line of questioning in the seasons ahead on the evidence of her first game in charge of the Scotland women's team. Andreatta, the former Matildas assistant who succeeded Pedro Martinez Losa in April, saw her new side suffer a narrow 1-0 defeat to Austria at Hampden on Friday night and suffer relegation from the top tier of the Nations League as a result. But the hosts' late fightback – they created a number of scoring chances in the closing stages of their penultimate Group A1 fixture and were unfortunate not to net a late equaliser in – was impressive. Read more: The way those late opportunities were created perhaps gave the supporters who were in attendance a taste of what Andreattaball will be like. Glasgow City goalkeeper Lee Gibson, who pulled off a string of important saves during the course of the 90 minutes and was deservedly named Player of the Match following the final whistle, has certainly noticed a definite shift in emphasis since the 46-year-old has come in. Gibson, who is set to win her 62nd cap for her country in the meeting with the Netherlands in Tilburg on Tuesday evening, acknowledged that some fans, who were used to their heroes playing a patient and possession-based game under Losa, might consider going direct to be 'not pretty'. However, the 33-year-old very much approves of the change and is optimistic that it will help Scotland, who are currently on a desperately disappointing six game losing and seven match winless run, to end their slump in form and become more competitive before they launch their bid to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil in 2027. 'I would say in the first camps we have been in with the new manager we have been a little bit more direct,' she said. 'I think before we played a lot and the build was certainly under pressure. Previously, we tried and keep the ball in the defensive half a lot more than maybe we needed to. 'You can be just as effective being direct. It can take two or three passes and suddenly you're in the other half. We need to try and make sure that when we do build, and we are capable of doing it, we're not putting ourselves into bother and trouble. That is probably something that we've done in the past. (Image: Andrew Milligan) 'We've got players up top that can hold the ball and link. Ultimately, you want to try and get Caroline [Real Madrid playmaker Weir] and Ez [Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert] on the ball. I thought Kathleen [Hibernian striker McGovern] did well holding the ball up on Friday night. As did Kirsty [Rangers forward Howat] and Marth [Spurs striker Thomas] when they came on.' Gibson continued, 'Football's ever-changing. You might have a style of play which means you want to try and keep the ball. But ultimately you need to try and score goals. If that means being direct then so be it. It's easier to get up there. 'We've been working under Pedro for quite a few years. So we have probably tried to play the same way even though there has been a change of manager because it is what you have known. But new coaches will bring fresh ideas and different squad selections and you have to adapt. 'Sometimes being direct is actually the easiest way to get higher up the park. On Friday night we were able to go down the side a couple of times. Within two passes, we were in behind their back line. People might say it's not as pretty, but it's just as effective.' Read more: Andreatta, who admitted she is looking for her charges to be more competitive in their personal duels against the Dutch in midweek, was heartened by Gibson's personal display and envisages the goalkeeper having a key role to play in her Scotland side going forward. 'Lee made some big saves to keep the game competitive,' she said. 'She also activated our vertical game, which is an area we want to improve. We don't want to keep possession for possession's sake, we want to actually break lines more often. She was a part of that as well. 'I saw more of that ability to break lines in the second half against Austria, get into good areas in the final third and create chances from there. That's something we want to keep building on. We will keep reinforcing the position we want from our team in order to get into good areas.'
The National
2 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Scotland keeper welcomes move to more direct Andreattaball style
There appears little prospect of the Greek-Australian's fellow Antipodean manager Melissa Andreatta being subjected to the same line of questioning in the seasons ahead on the evidence of her first game in charge of the Scotland women's team. Andreatta, the former Matildas assistant who succeeded Pedro Martinez Losa in April, saw her new side suffer a narrow 1-0 defeat to Austria at Hampden on Friday night and suffer relegation from the top tier of the Nations League as a result. But the hosts' late fightback – they created a number of scoring chances in the closing stages of their penultimate Group A1 fixture and were unfortunate not to net a late equaliser in – was impressive. Read more: The way those late opportunities were created perhaps gave the supporters who were in attendance a taste of what Andreattaball will be like. Glasgow City goalkeeper Lee Gibson, who pulled off a string of important saves during the course of the 90 minutes and was deservedly named Player of the Match following the final whistle, has certainly noticed a definite shift in emphasis since the 46-year-old has come in. Gibson, who is set to win her 62nd cap for her country in the meeting with the Netherlands in Tilburg on Tuesday evening, acknowledged that some fans, who were used to their heroes playing a patient and possession-based game under Losa, might consider going direct to be 'not pretty'. However, the 33-year-old very much approves of the change and is optimistic that it will help Scotland, who are currently on a desperately disappointing six game losing and seven match winless run, to end their slump in form and become more competitive before they launch their bid to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil in 2027. 'I would say in the first camps we have been in with the new manager we have been a little bit more direct,' she said. 'I think before we played a lot and the build was certainly under pressure. Previously, we tried and keep the ball in the defensive half a lot more than maybe we needed to. 'You can be just as effective being direct. It can take two or three passes and suddenly you're in the other half. We need to try and make sure that when we do build, and we are capable of doing it, we're not putting ourselves into bother and trouble. That is probably something that we've done in the past. (Image: Andrew Milligan) 'We've got players up top that can hold the ball and link. Ultimately, you want to try and get Caroline [Real Madrid playmaker Weir] and Ez [Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert] on the ball. I thought Kathleen [Hibernian striker McGovern] did well holding the ball up on Friday night. As did Kirsty [Rangers forward Howat] and Marth [Spurs striker Thomas] when they came on.' Gibson continued, 'Football's ever-changing. You might have a style of play which means you want to try and keep the ball. But ultimately you need to try and score goals. If that means being direct then so be it. It's easier to get up there. 'We've been working under Pedro for quite a few years. So we have probably tried to play the same way even though there has been a change of manager because it is what you have known. But new coaches will bring fresh ideas and different squad selections and you have to adapt. 'Sometimes being direct is actually the easiest way to get higher up the park. On Friday night we were able to go down the side a couple of times. Within two passes, we were in behind their back line. People might say it's not as pretty, but it's just as effective.' Read more: Andreatta, who admitted she is looking for her charges to be more competitive in their personal duels against the Dutch in midweek, was heartened by Gibson's personal display and envisages the goalkeeper having a key role to play in her Scotland side going forward. 'Lee made some big saves to keep the game competitive,' she said. 'She also activated our vertical game, which is an area we want to improve. We don't want to keep possession for possession's sake, we want to actually break lines more often. She was a part of that as well. 'I saw more of that ability to break lines in the second half against Austria, get into good areas in the final third and create chances from there. That's something we want to keep building on. We will keep reinforcing the position we want from our team in order to get into good areas.'
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland keeper welcomes move to more direct Andreattaball style
Andreatta, the former Matildas assistant who succeeded Pedro Martinez Losa in April, saw her new side suffer a narrow 1-0 defeat to Austria at Hampden on Friday night and suffer relegation from the top tier of the Nations League as a result. But the hosts' late fightback – they created a number of scoring chances in the closing stages of their penultimate Group A1 fixture and were unfortunate not to net a late equaliser in – was impressive. Read more: The way those late opportunities were created perhaps gave the supporters who were in attendance a taste of what Andreattaball will be like. Glasgow City goalkeeper Lee Gibson, who pulled off a string of important saves during the course of the 90 minutes and was deservedly named Player of the Match following the final whistle, has certainly noticed a definite shift in emphasis since the 46-year-old has come in. Gibson, who is set to win her 62nd cap for her country in the meeting with the Netherlands in Tilburg on Tuesday evening, acknowledged that some fans, who were used to their heroes playing a patient and possession-based game under Losa, might consider going direct to be 'not pretty'. However, the 33-year-old very much approves of the change and is optimistic that it will help Scotland, who are currently on a desperately disappointing six game losing and seven match winless run, to end their slump in form and become more competitive before they launch their bid to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil in 2027. 'I would say in the first camps we have been in with the new manager we have been a little bit more direct,' she said. 'I think before we played a lot and the build was certainly under pressure. Previously, we tried and keep the ball in the defensive half a lot more than maybe we needed to. 'You can be just as effective being direct. It can take two or three passes and suddenly you're in the other half. We need to try and make sure that when we do build, and we are capable of doing it, we're not putting ourselves into bother and trouble. That is probably something that we've done in the past. (Image: Andrew Milligan) 'We've got players up top that can hold the ball and link. Ultimately, you want to try and get Caroline [Real Madrid playmaker Weir] and Ez [Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert] on the ball. I thought Kathleen [Hibernian striker McGovern] did well holding the ball up on Friday night. As did Kirsty [Rangers forward Howat] and Marth [Spurs striker Thomas] when they came on.' Gibson continued, 'Football's ever-changing. You might have a style of play which means you want to try and keep the ball. But ultimately you need to try and score goals. If that means being direct then so be it. It's easier to get up there. 'We've been working under Pedro for quite a few years. So we have probably tried to play the same way even though there has been a change of manager because it is what you have known. But new coaches will bring fresh ideas and different squad selections and you have to adapt. 'Sometimes being direct is actually the easiest way to get higher up the park. On Friday night we were able to go down the side a couple of times. Within two passes, we were in behind their back line. People might say it's not as pretty, but it's just as effective.' Read more: Andreatta, who admitted she is looking for her charges to be more competitive in their personal duels against the Dutch in midweek, was heartened by Gibson's personal display and envisages the goalkeeper having a key role to play in her Scotland side going forward. 'Lee made some big saves to keep the game competitive,' she said. 'She also activated our vertical game, which is an area we want to improve. We don't want to keep possession for possession's sake, we want to actually break lines more often. She was a part of that as well. 'I saw more of that ability to break lines in the second half against Austria, get into good areas in the final third and create chances from there. That's something we want to keep building on. We will keep reinforcing the position we want from our team in order to get into good areas.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Same old story for Scotland, laments 'frustrated' Gibson
"You don't ever want to keep coming out and saying, we've done really well, we've tried hard, but we're fallen short again."That's just the reality of where we're at, at the moment."For someone who made save after save on Friday night, Lee Gibson pulled no punches in the post-match press Scotland shotstopper kept her country in their penultimate Nations League A match against Austria, but she was left helpless when a front-post flick from Julia Hickelsberger broke the sole goal, in Melissa Andreatta's first game in the Scotland dugout, confirmed relegation to League B, was an all too familiar story for the Scots who suffered a six successive defeat, and Gibson has grown tired of the tale."It's took us 60 minutes to actually properly open up Austria, that's the disappointing thing." the Glasgow City goalkeeper said."You just want that to happen a little bit earlier. That's up to us as players to recognise that and change things in the game, but it was too little, too late unfortunately."That's probably the same thing that we've been saying over the last year or so in these games when we play against top opponents, that we've not been able to be consistent enough. "It's frustrating. You don't ever want to keep coming out and saying, we've done really well, we've tried hard, but we're fallen short again."That's just the reality of where we're at, at the moment. "I think other teams have improved and they've raised their levels. We maybe haven't made those strides forward that we wanted to or we feel we deserve."But as players and coaching staff and everybody behind the scenes, it's up to us to be able to try and change that. "That's hopefully something that under Mel we can take strides in doing."
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland suffer loss and relegation in Melissa Andreatta's first match
However, her girls lost their sixth consecutive match narrowly and will now drop down a division as a result. Qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil in 2027 will be her ultimate objective in her new role. It was evident from a display which was high on endeavour that it is far from an unrealistic goal. There is, however, clearly much work ahead of her if she is to end this disappointing run of form and make her team a force to be reckoned with on the international stage once again. Andreatta was positivity personified when she spoke to the media at her pre-match press conference yesterday afternoon. Several days of training with her new charges at Oriam just outside Edinburgh had clearly filled her with great optimism for the future. 'I only see opportunity on Friday night,' she said. 'Yes, there's going to be tough times and there's a lot of progress to be made, but we believe we have what it takes to get the win and we're going to fight. 'We want to make sure those points don't leave Hampden Park. What I've learnt about this group is that previous results haven't affected their belief.' It was, however, difficult to see why she was so upbeat once this encounter got underway. The visitors quickly assumed control and applied sustained pressure to their hosts goal. They were unfortunate not to convert one of the scoring opportunities they carved out. Only profligate Austrian finishing and outstanding goalkeeping from Lee Gibson kept the scoreline goalless. The Glasgow City player tipped an Annabel Schasching which found her six yard box over the crossbar. She then palmed a ferocious Verena Hanshaw attempt past her right post with an instinctive reaction save. Scotland, to their credit, responded to those scares by making their way up the other end of the park and carving out a chance of their own. Caroline Weir supplied Erin Cuthbert on the edge of the area. Her team mate, though, snatched at her shot and failed to find her intended target. That, however, was a rare foray into the opposition half by Weir and her countrywomen during the opening 45 minutes. Their rivals dominated possession and bossed the middle of the park. Only the woodwork prevented them from edging ahead before half-time. Gibson, who had just denied Austria captain Sarah Puntigam with her outstretched left leg, was unable to get a hand to a Julia Hickelsberger chip and was relieved first when it hit the bar and then when her right back Emma Lawton headed the ball to safety. But Scotland were living dangerously. Kathleen McGovern, who was on target 25 times for Hibernian in 2024/25 campaign as the capital club pipped defending champions Rangers to the Premier League, was handed her Scotland debut. The 22-year-old, however, received little decent service and was unable to inflict any damage in the final third. Andreatta showed that she will pick players on form not reputation with her team selection. There was no place in the starting line-up for the returning Rachel Corsie even though her captain had announced this week that the Austria game would be last at Hampden and the meeting with the Netherlands her last in a dark blue jersey. But Jenna Clark of Liverpool was preferred to the Aston Villa centre-half. The 35-year-old has admittedly just come back after an extended period on the sidelines. So she probably only had a half of football in her legs. Still, Corsie being left on the bench underlined the new woman at the helm will have no room for sentiment. The 35-year-old came on to win her 155th cap and probably penultimate at the start of the second-half and showed no signs of her lengthy lay-off. She was, though, unable to prevent Hickelsberger glancing a header beyond Gibson and into the net at a Schasching corner and giving Austria the lead. Andreatta threw on Amy Rodgers for Watson, Martha Thomas for McGovern shortly after the forward had forced a save from Manuela Zinsberger, Kirsty Howat for Freya Gregory and Mia McAuley for Lauren Davidson. The Rangers teenager picked up her first cap. Many, many more are sure to follow for the prodigiously talented winger in the years to come. Howat had a chance to net and equaliser shortly after taking to field with nine minutes of regulation time remaining when Martha Thomas teed here up. She was, to the dismay of the 4,063-strong crowd, unable to get a shot away. But she atoned soon afterwards when she forced Zinsberger to tip her long-range effort onto the bar. The strong finish will have heartened Andreatta. But the Netherlands will present a far stiffer challenge in Tilburg on Tuesday. There will need to be a stark improvement to finish this campaign on a positive note. Corsie received a warm ovation from the fans following the final whistle. It was a shame that such a fine servant had to bow out in such disappointing fashion.
