Ruiz emphasizes adaptability as Brighton faces London City Lionesses

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Arturo Ruiz has underscored the significance of adaptability and squad depth as his team gears up for their Women's Super League clash against London City Lionesses this Saturday. Coming off a resounding 4-0 victory over Charlton Athletic in the cup, Ruiz views this match as an opportunity to further assess his squad during what he describes as an "internal pre-season."

Ruiz expressed satisfaction with the performance of Olaug Tvedten, who scored twice in the cup match, marking her first official goal for the club. "I’m really happy," Ruiz stated. "She was one of the main characters yesterday. It was her first official goal here at the club, and I think that is really positive for her because she is working very well. We all know how competitive we are in midfield because we have a strong team there, and performances like yesterday make us grow."

The recent fixture allowed Brighton to distribute playing time across the squad, a strategy Ruiz believes will be crucial as the season progresses. "Games are the key," he explained. "Yesterday’s performance was really useful for giving us confidence, for making our game plan and game style more solid, and I think it’s going to help us a lot in the future."

Having recently taken charge, Ruiz welcomes the busy schedule, viewing it as an opportunity rather than a hindrance. "The more games that we play at the beginning, the better for us," he noted. "Some days ago, I said, ‘We are in our internal pre-season.’ We are not in an official pre-season, but it’s our pre-season as well. These first weeks, these first months, are going to be the base of our future, and we just need to keep building and enjoying."

As Brighton prepares to face London City, they encounter a formidable opponent that has made significant investments, including the addition of internationally recognized players like Alexia Putellas and Mapi León. Ruiz has previously faced both players during his time at Real Sociedad, where his team managed to defeat Barcelona, showcasing a disciplined performance against a star-studded lineup.

Reflecting on that experience, Ruiz remarked, "It was a really good experience. The game plan went really well. I always say that to beat Barcelona, it’s very important that they don’t have their day. But everything that we had under our control, we did really well. We’ve played really solid games with these kinds of ideas, and playing against these kinds of individual players is always challenging."

However, he acknowledges that Saturday's match presents a different tactical challenge. "They are in another team, I’m in another team with other characteristics, and we need to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of both teams," he explained. Ruiz is aware of the difficulty of the upcoming fixture, stating, "For me, all the games are big. We all know that London City have invested a lot, they have great players and they are starting very well with a good coach, Eder Maestre. Hopefully we can get the three points with our ideas, with our identity, and make our team grow and become more solid every single game."

Ruiz also praised Maestre's work since arriving in England, highlighting the growing presence of Spanish coaches in the Women's Super League. "I have a really good relationship with him," Ruiz said. "He’s doing an incredible job. I’m happy that Spanish coaches are here and we have the challenge in the best league in the world."

As the match approaches, Ruiz emphasizes the need for Brighton to remain unpredictable in their tactics. "We need to adapt to all the moments of the game," he stated. "We want to be unpredictable. After the game, I won’t have a problem sharing information, but now I prefer not to because it would be an advantage for our rival. We will try to do our best according to our game plan while respecting 100 percent our identity."

Competition for positions remains fierce, particularly at centre-forward, where Madison Haley and Emily Murphy are vying for a starting role. Ruiz noted, "They are two very good strikers, so they need to compete with each other for the position. Both of them are very different, and we just need to keep working with them. All of the players are going to give us a lot."

No Points for Excuses

Brighton will be without Charli Rule and Moeka Minami due to injuries, but Ruiz remains optimistic about his team's progress. He described the Women's Super League as physically demanding and tactically varied, stating, "Physically, the league is huge, technically as well. There are a lot of tactical resources during the game and before the game. I think it’s a league that is quite unpredictable, and that makes it very rich. The level of professionalism, the media, marketing and the amount of people that go to the games is key. It’s a pleasure being here in this country, enjoying our sport."

As Brighton turns their focus to London City, the match will serve as a critical test of how well Ruiz's squad is adapting to his strategies and ideas.