Blanchard: We want to move forward

Palace Women's first home game of the season is against Southampton at 14:00 GMT on Sunday, 14th September at the VBS Community Stadium.

You can now secure your spot for our home opener, with tickets available here!

Speaking to Sportsbeat ahead of the new WSL2 season, Blanchard says the squad have welcomed new manager Jo Potter's ideas and are ready to apply their experience from the top-flight to the upcoming campaign.

She said: “Pre-season has been good. Obviously, it’s tough with a lot of running, but with Jo [Potter] coming in, we’ve got a lot of new ideas that we’re wanting to implement and new ways that we want to play.

“It’s good coming in every day and learning new things. The detail she gives is top quality. The way we both view football is very aligned, and it’s interesting to see how she wants me to play, which has opened up a broader spectrum of my game."

Last season’s relegation from the Women's Super League was a bitter pill to swallow, but Blanchard says the squad are not dwelling on the past.

Instead, they are taking the lessons learned from playing against the world’s best teams.

“It’s obviously disappointing. It’s not what we wanted as a club, but you’ve got to realise there’s no point sitting and dwelling on it. We have a new season now, and we only want to push the club forward.

“We’ve just got to take the lessons we learned from last season. We played against some of the best players in the world, and you’ve got to take what you can from that and apply those lessons to this year,” Blanchard said.

She adds that the gap between the WSL and the WSL2 is closer than ever, meaning that the team will have to be on top of their game from the very first whistle.

She said: “The speed of the game in the WSL is on another level, so if we can try and almost play at that level, but in the WSL2, that will be a positive. The WSL2 is a quality league now; it’s building year on year, and the difference isn't as much as people would think.

"Every game is a battle, every game is tough. There are no easy games in this league.”

With the new season approaching, the midfielder says the squad’s ambitions are clear, but they are taking it one game at a time.

“I think obviously it's not as easy as saying we just want to get promoted this year. There’s a lot more to it, and every game is difficult. I think we’ll just go into each game, take it week by week and see where we’re at,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard also hailed the impact of new signing Justine van Vanhaevermaet, who she believes has already made a huge impression on the squad since she joined the club.

She said: “She’s a massive player for us and she's been great. She’s helped me a lot playing in and around that midfield area. Anything she says, you just want to take it in and soak it up because with players with that much experience and quality, you just want to learn as much as you can from them.”

When asked about her own goals for the season, Blanchard’s focus remained on the team.

She said: “For me, it’s just to try and help the squad as much as I can on and off the pitch. I want to contribute with goals and assists and help the team get as many points as possible.”