Melissa Phillips says Albion will maintain an underdog spirit as they tackle the new WSL season, writes Anujit Vijayakumar.

Albion kick off away to Everton today.

The squad has undergone a massive overhaul, with the club signing 11 new players and letting ten go.

When asked whether the objectives for the season have now changed with a revitalised squad, Phillips said: “I think we’re still taking the underdog mentality over here.

“We want to chip away, and we want to focus on our performances, and of course we want to climb the table, but I think we’ll let our performances week in, and week out dictate that.

“I don’t think there’s any point in putting pressure on ourselves.

“So, we’ll just go focus on the performance and making sure that we’re competitive in every single league match.

Sharing her thoughts on improving the squad’s performances going into a new season, Phillips said: “Of course, we want to look to improve our defensive organisation and be a lot harder to break down, and that starts with us valuing the ball in possession as well, so we’ll take it week by week.

“It’s a competitive league, but we know we can be far more competitive than the season past.”

While speaking on the significance of having a full pre-season under her belt for the first time in her Albion tenure, the head coach did not hesitate to speak candidly.

She added: “It’s been really nice to be able to implement a philosophy and identity on an off the pitch. That being said, we do have a lot of new faces, and we’ve had a few new staffing additions as well.

“So, the importance of us understanding each other as people and the importance of communication as well has been really critical both on and off the pitch. That’s the thing we’ve looked to develop within our identity.”

Phillips has appointed summer signing Vicky Losada as captain.

The Albion boss said: “Vicky has the ability to inspire, get the best out of them, and help really shift the perspective and understand the sacrifices and the commitment that it actually takes and the discipline to become a top-level team in this league.”

Albion start their home fixtures next Sunday against West Ham at Crawley.

They play Tottenham at the Amex on Sunday, October 15 (4pm).