West Ham United women's team captain, Mackenzie Arnold, says that the team is prepared to face off against Liverpool after a week of hard work on the training pitch.
The Irons will face Matt Beard's Reds on Sunday afternoon at Chigwell Construction Stadium (3pm BST), as they aim to head into the October international break on a high. Players will jet off to represent their respective nations next week.
Before that, Arnold and her teammates are hoping to build on the positives from last week's performances. They defeated Brighton & Hove Albion and Charlton in the WSL and Continental Tyres League Cup, respectively, as well as showing promising aspects in their performance against champions Chelsea last weekend.
While the Hammers may have lost 2-0 to Emma Hayes' team, there were plenty of good things to take from the performance, and Arnold believes that the squad is confident heading into the fixture on Sunday.
"The mood in the camp has been positive," she told whufc.com.
"I think we could all see what we've been working on over the last eight weeks since Rehanne [Skinner] arrived coming to fruition against Chelsea. Everyone is becoming more confident and positive about the style of play and what we're trying to achieve by playing that way.
"It's a massive step in the right direction, especially against such a tough team and that type of opposition. When you come off the pitch feeling disappointed having lost to Chelsea because you've given them such a good game, then you know you're making good progress.
"It's given us all confidence heading into Sunday," Arnold explained.
Consistency will be key for the Hammers if they are to continue moving up the table and improve on last season's eighth-place finish, and the Hammers' No.1 knows that not dropping off is important.
However, she believes that the team will be able to pick up results on a more consistent basis as they continue to fine-tune certain aspects on the training pitch.
"We want to make sure that we're heading into the international break on a high. We've been a little bit up and down in terms of results, but we're definitely progressing with the performances that we've produced.
"It's important that we keep heading in a positive direction, and I think the way to do that is by making small tweaks in areas that we need to improve and continuing with the things that we've been doing well so far."
Arnold was appointed captain of the women's team on the eve of the 2023/24 season, becoming the club's third captain in the WSL era after Gilly Flaherty and Dagný Brynjarsdóttir. Arnold has enjoyed taking on the added responsibilities that the role brings.
"It's been good, a little bit challenging, but I'm learning a lot and enjoying the extra responsibilities and challenges that come with it. It's a new experience for me, but I've played under some really good captains that I've been able to learn a lot from, which has helped.
"I think as we continue to move forward into the season and have more success, then it's something that I'll enjoy even more."
