Nick Cushing previews City - Utd Women's FA Cup semi final
11/04/2025
CGA, Manchester, Uk
11/04/2025
CGA, Manchester, Uk
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hi Nick, nice to see you.
00:03Let's start, obviously, your players have been all over the world during the international break,
00:06and you obviously had injury key players before the break,
00:10so I'm just wondering how the squad's looking going into this game.
00:13The squad's had an opportunity to obviously go away with their national teams,
00:17and the majority of the squad have come back in a really good place.
00:21Good chance to get some rest into Kirsten Kaspari and Keralina,
00:26you can see across the board a lot of our players played some minutes,
00:29but not maximum minutes.
00:31And I think the issue that we had previously to the international break
00:35was that the majority of our players were playing maximum minutes all the way through,
00:41so that's a huge positive.
00:43Of course, there's one negative, we lost Viv,
00:46and that is something that the medical team are on going with,
00:50and she's with the medical team, she's positive, we're positive,
00:54but it's not looking good in the sense of imminently being able to impact any of our games.
00:59How disappointing is that, considering she's been such a driving force,
01:03not just on the field, but kind of feels like she's taken a real sort of leadership
01:05trying to drag this team up at certain points of the season?
01:08Yeah, of course, it's hugely disappointing for Viv because of the role she's played on the pitch,
01:13and for me personally, because she's been so pivotal in the results that I have got with this team
01:21and the periods where we've showed real positivity.
01:25But to your point, she's played a huge role in dragging this team up,
01:28and she's still doing the same thing there today in the meeting room and on the training pitch.
01:34She's back, she's really positive, she's going to concentrate on rehab now,
01:38we're going to give her all the support that she needs to be back out there as quick as possible.
01:42And for us, as an FA Cup semi-final, right, it's a great opportunity for somebody else to come in.
01:48This team showed what it can do in the first half against Chelsea.
01:52It showed what it can do in the Brighton game.
01:54You know, Viv is a huge player for us.
01:57But at the same time, you know, there is some really important players in this team
02:02that can make some really important moments for the team.
02:04So, for me, it's a great opportunity.
02:05I think injury is part of the game.
02:07It's something that we have to deal with.
02:10But if I was in that locker room now and I was fit and healthy,
02:12I'd be thinking it's a huge opportunity for me to play a huge part in an FA Cup semi-final.
02:17How fit and healthy is Bunny Shaw then at the moment?
02:20Bunny won't make the game.
02:21She's working away with the medical team.
02:23I think, for me, you know, how fit and healthy is she?
02:26She's not eminently ready to come and, you know, help us on Sunday.
02:29But she, you know, I think one thing that I've been really inspired by is,
02:34yeah, OK, we've got many injuries, but those injured players are playing a huge part
02:37in contributing to the team's environment, to the team's mentality and preparation.
02:43But also, they're working incredibly hard to be back as soon as possible.
02:47Is anyone potentially coming back this weekend?
02:50I think you can see, you know, I think, you know, this weekend is a very specific question, right?
02:55But you can see through social media, we've got Alex Greenwood on the pitch.
02:59We've got Lauren Hemp on the pitch.
03:00Rebecca Knapp trained today.
03:03You know, Alba Fugino is trained.
03:04So, you know, there's lots of players.
03:06But for us, it's about, you know, we can't afford to re-injure.
03:08I think we might have had certain players back here and there
03:12if we'd have, you know, not had some unfortunate re-injuries.
03:15So, we can't afford one more.
03:16So, they'll all be back at the right time.
03:18But the team that I've just put out there in the training and I've worked with
03:22gives me, you know, huge confidence that we can be competitive this weekend.
03:26City fans and England fans will be desperate to see Alex and Lauren back.
03:30You said they're back training sort of on the pitch now.
03:34Alex says she wants to be back before the end of the season.
03:36Are you hopeful they'll be back within weeks or before the end of the season?
03:40Yeah, I mean, we've just presented a five-week plan to get us an FA Cup
03:44or potentially an FA Cup and, you know, in the top positions for Champions League
03:48and they're involved in that.
03:50That plan is there.
03:51They are involved in that plan.
03:52And I'm more than confident that we can get them to a place where they can
03:56contribute.
03:57When that is, it's difficult to say now, right?
04:00It's not going to be for this game.
04:02But, you know, things happen fast in football.
04:04And, you know, if it's Everton or it's Leicester or it's, you know, Man United,
04:09it's whenever.
04:10We have to continue to get results, right?
04:12I said before the Brighton game.
04:13We have to win this game and that gives us a chance.
04:15The good thing about the Brighton game is you look at the likes of Naomi Lazell
04:19and Gracie Pryor and, you know, Lily.
04:22These players are contributing to wins in WSL.
04:24So, of course, we want these players back.
04:26But, you know, the players that we've got in the squad are, you know, giving us performance
04:30levels that are, you know, contributing to wins.
04:32And finally, look, you've had a sort of almost season-defining run of games against Chelsea
04:38and this coming up against Manchester United, you'd play them both in the Cup and the league
04:42before the end of the season.
04:43And it sort of feels like another little mini-series, effectively.
04:45How important is this start in that mini-series with a positive performance and a win?
04:51Yeah, I think it's a home game, right?
04:52And I will continue to say to the team, we should play to win and expect to win and have
04:57a huge desire to win whoever we play at home, right?
05:00Whether it's Chelsea or leading the league, whether it's Man United, whether it's Arsenal,
05:04we're going to play in front of our fans and it's going to be a lot of people in the joy
05:08and it's going to be a great occasion.
05:10And I said the same in the Champions League game, you know, we are the only team to defeat
05:15the champions-elect and that was in this stadium.
05:18We have to take huge confidence from that.
05:20But we know Man United is going to be incredibly difficult.
05:23I think Mark's done a really, really good job.
05:25You look at their defensive record, you look at the position they're in, you look at the
05:29form, they've got, arguably, they're in better form than us, so they're the favourites for
05:32the game, right?
05:35They're the team in the Champions League spot, so they've sort of got everything to lose.
05:39And with all these injuries and with everyone writing us off and with us going out to the
05:43Champions League, we've just got no pressure.
05:45We've just got to go play, right?
05:46For me, it's a game that we have to perform in front of our fans for ourselves.
05:53Hi, Nick.
05:54You just spoke about Manchester United there, where they are in the league.
05:57They won the FA Cup last season.
05:59I just wonder how this rivalry has changed since you were last here in terms of the rivalry
06:05between the two sides and, obviously, a semi-final of the FA Cup to be all Manchester is fantastic
06:10for the city as well.
06:12I think it's pretty unique.
06:13From my experience, it's unique, right?
06:16Manchester United are coming here above us in the league as the holders of the trophy,
06:20like I said, you know.
06:22And I didn't experience that, although I thought Casey was doing a top job when I was competing
06:26against Manchester United.
06:29Manchester United, right?
06:30They expect to win trophies, so I have huge respect for Mark.
06:36I did when he was the Birmingham City manager, and when he went out to Orlando, he does a
06:39top job.
06:40He's a real high-level coach, and I expect a really, really difficult game, but for us,
06:45we have a huge desire.
06:48It's really difficult for me to dilute my expectation, and my expectation is that I want
06:53to win trophies with Manchester City women, so I expect a difficult game, but I have a huge
06:58desire to progress.
06:59You've won the FA Cup with Manchester City women before.
07:03Where does that rank in your managerial career that day?
07:07I did it twice, so...
07:082017, sorry.
07:10Yeah, no, the first one, and I don't mean to be saying that, the first one was incredible
07:13because it was...
07:15They're both very unique.
07:17The first one was important because it was the first one at Wembley, and we missed out
07:20in the semi-final the year before, which was...
07:23You know, 2016 was the first year that Wembley was introduced for an FA Cup final.
07:26We lost in the last minute to Chelsea.
07:27So, Jisoo Young scored in the extra time, and it was, you know, really painful.
07:35I'm a huge football fan, and I want to lead my team out of Wembley.
07:37So, the game against Birmingham in 2017 is really important to me.
07:41But the 2019 one was unique because in 2018, we blew the chance to win a Champions League,
07:46win a league.
07:47You know, we lost in the League Cup final to Arsenal, and it was our sort of real moment
07:53to go and reset.
07:55So, there's a little bit of that in this game for me.
07:57You know, we did just lose a League Cup final, and we did go out of the Champions League,
08:01but the opportunities to lead a team out at Wembley, there is nothing more special than that.
08:07We'll go to Zoom now, if anyone wants to ask a question.
08:14Tom?
08:14Thanks, Nick.
08:18Really nice to speak to you.
08:20Can I just ask a bit more about that Manchester United defence?
08:23You concede so few goals.
08:26How difficult do you think it is going to be to kind of break through that,
08:30in particular without some of your strikers that you've spoken about?
08:33Yeah, I think the facts, the stats, they don't lie, right?
08:36They've conceded the least amount of goals.
08:38They're really resolute.
08:39They defend their box really, really well, and, you know, I don't expect it to be any
08:46different in this game.
08:47We've got to be at our best in attacking moments.
08:49We've got to, you know, we've still got some quality.
08:51You know, we might have some key injuries, but we've got some real quality in the team
08:56with, you know, Mary Fowler, Carolyn, with Jess Park, with Laura Coombs, with, you know,
09:00Jill Rue.
09:01There's as many, many players that can contribute.
09:03So, for us, you know, my expectation of an FA Cup final is that it's going to be really
09:07difficult, so this is no different.
09:09Thanks, Nick.
09:12Could I just ask one other thing on a different topic?
09:15How much confidence do you take from the fact that you've got the home advantage?
09:19And I suppose the second part to that question, because I know you've played in neutral semifinals
09:24in this competition before in your first spell.
09:26Like, where do you stand on the idea of these semifinals being, like, not on a neutral ground,
09:32you know, good for City this time, but what are your overall thoughts on it?
09:35Yeah, I can see the sort of thinking around having it neutral.
09:44I think, you know, the final is neutral.
09:46I don't really have a real big opinion on it.
09:51If we didn't have home advantage, I would put it down to the draw, right?
09:55The draw is the draw.
09:56So, I think it's important for us because we really, you know, the most important thing
10:03for us is to play in front of our fans.
10:04And when we're at home, we play in front of a lot of them.
10:06So, for us, it's about just making sure that we carry that responsibility of performing
10:13at the level our fans expect.
10:16Thanks, Nick.
10:17Wishing you all the best.
10:18Thanks.
10:19Any more questions from Zoom?
10:22Thanks very much, everyone.
10:23Thank you, guys.