JENS SCHEUER is not expecting to “set the world on fire” in the early stages of his reign as Brighton Women’s chief.
But the head coach who led Bayern Munich to title-winning glory in Germany in 2020 is determined to turn the Seagulls into one of the WSL’s most feared sides.
Scheuer, whose appointment on a three-and-a-half year contract was announced this week, will oversee his first game in charge when Albion play Leicester in their first match of 2023.
Their clash with the Foxes, who are currently bottom of the top-flight, is one of five WSL games taking place on Sunday 15 January when top tier action returns that weekend.
And the head coach is relishing the challenge of helping his team climb up the table with Brighton currently seven points and one place above the Foxes in the league.
The Albion boss said: “In two weeks, you can’t change everything.
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“For me, my main goal is to implement a winning culture, and real hunger on the pitch.
“We can decide who we want to be. Do we want to be a lovely, nice (team) that gives three points to their opponents?
“Or we will fight for the three points with all we have and with all which is allowed on the pitch.
“My way is to choose the second way.
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“That is give everything to support my team, to motivate them and to keep them hungry.
“The first (training) session I saw was good and the first meeting we had 10 minutes before was also good.
“I looked into the eyes of the girls and I think they agree with me.”
When asked to elaborate on the culture he hopes to instil, Scheuer added: “We shouldn’t be satisfied with getting a draw or if we’re losing we’re losing (narrowly) 2-1 or 1-0 against Chelsea or Arsenal.
“That’s not my goal. My goal is to bring the top teams into a struggle (against us) and to steal the points.
“The best (feeling) will be (our opponents) saying ‘oh my God, we have to go to Brighton’ and they’re not happy to play us because we’re aggressive and playing intensively.
“This is my goal on the pitch and around it.
“I want us to be honest together with good behaviour and when you’re wearing the shirt to show that you’re proud and you’re professional.
“I’m sure with this culture here in the club, with these people in the club, we are going to achieve this.”
Scheuer’s arrival comes a year and seven months after Brighton secured their highest ever finish in the WSL.
The team claimed sixth spot in the 2020-21 season under former boss Hope Powell.
It was a season that also saw the club become the only side to win in the top tier against eventual champions Chelsea with a battling 2-1 victory at Kingsmeadow.
This season the club’s fortunes on the pitch have so far been mixed with Brighton picking up two wins from their first eight games in the WSL
Results included an 8–0 home loss to Tottenham on October 30 which was followed by Powell standing down from her role.
However the team have rallied since then registering two wins and a draw across all competitions under the temporary stewardship of interim manager Amy Merricks.
And Scheuer insists the input of Merricks and Brighton’s coaching staff will be key going forward.
The Seagulls head coach added: “Amy has helped me a lot the last three days.
“We had a lot of meetings together, and her experience is high in the club.
“She has been here a really long time and knows the way it’s going here at the club.
“For me, it’s a big help. I’m not coming here and being a one-man show.
“I’m a part of a coaching team, and she’s a big part for me, but the other guys are also a big part too.”
Fifteen years before his move to the WSL, Scheuer began his managerial career at 30 as player-coach of German side FC Bötzingen
He then coached fifth-tier side Bahlinger SC for a season before returning to Bötzingen in 2012.
The former centre-back switched to managing women’s football teams in 2015 when he took charge of SC Freiburg.
In 2019 he became the head coach of Frauen Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
And he led the four-time German top-flight champions to their fourth top tier crown in the 2020-21 season before leaving the club in May this year.
During that term the team also reached the Champions League semi-finals where they were beaten by Chelsea.
The Seagulls’ appointment of Scheuer has seen him become the first German to take charge of a WSL side since the league’s inception in 2011.
The Brighton boss said: “For me, it’s an honour and it’s also a pleasure for me to be here as the first German coach for an English women’s football club.”
“The biggest reason why I’m here was the project from the club and I had a really great talk with the owner of the club and with all the management.
“From the first time we spoke together, I talked to my agent and said to him, please don’t do something wrong.
“I want to come here and I want to work with these guys. I think we had a really, really good connection
With the winter transfer window opening on January 1 some Albion fans may be expecting Brighton to strengthen
On Friday Scheuer revealed he had just eight players in training due to illness and injury.
In the summer the club bid farewell to 10 players including eight members of their first team squad.
Among the departures were Maya Le Tissier, Emma Koivisto, Aileen Whelan and Ellie Brazil with the quartet moving to Manchester United, Liverpool, Leicester and Tottenham.
Scheuer says Brighton will be adopting a careful approach with any business they do in the January transfer window.
The Seagulls boss added: “We should do something for the squad to make it a little bit bigger but it must make sense to sign a player
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“We have to be careful when choosing new players because you have to choose well and intelligently, because every new player you bring in could be a problem.
“We will take our time with carefully selecting which player is good for Brighton with the quality but also the mentality for the club.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
