Manchester City midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown hopes interim boss Nick Cushing’s risk-taking can help her side get past Chelsea in this Saturday's Subway Women’s League Cup final.
City were rocked by the sacking of former manager Gareth Taylor this week, just five days before the final, with Cushing taking temporary charge until the end of the season.
But Blindkilde Brown insists there has been no disruption to their cup final preparations and believes a different approach could be exactly what they need.
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She said: "He likes to take risks, which is something probably well-suited to a lot of the girls that play.
"It's probably a little bit different to what we've done before, but it's still the same in terms of we want to have the ball. We want to be attacking.”
City face a Chelsea side who are unbeaten this season, but Blindkilde Brown believes there is no reason why they cannot usurp their rivals and claim the first silverware of the season at Pride Park.
She said: “They have got an incredible squad, they’ve got world-class players, but I definitely think they are beatable.
“We've made it into the finals, we've played Man United and Arsenal to get here. We've already faced two tough teams, and we know what we need to do to win.”
The League Cup final is the first of four back-to-back contests between the sides across March, with the pair put together in the Champions League as well as a league meeting in Manchester.
Chelsea ran out 2-0 winners in the reverse league fixture at Stamford Bridge, City’s first defeat of the season that sparked a disastrous run of form that now leaves them scrambling for continental qualification.
But Blindkilde Brown hopes Saturday’s cup final could act as a catalyst as City look to get their season back on track.
She said: “If we beat Chelsea, we’ve then got Barcelona, which is also another massive opponent, but it’s the teams we want to face if we want to win silverware.
“We're still in the Champions League, got a League Cup final this weekend and we're still in the FA Cup as well and we still want to be able to qualify for the Champions League next year from the league.
“We're still in all competitions, it can still be really successful for us in the second half of the season.”
The former Aston Villa and Birmingham City star, who has made 26 appearances since joining the club in January 2024, hopes to win her first piece of silverware this season whilst pushing for more playing time.
She added: “It's something I've never done in my career. At 21 years old, it would be a massive moment for me. It's really exciting.
“I’m training with some of the best players in the world. My competition, especially in midfield, is world-class.
“It's very hard to break into, but I think I'm just trying to get as many minutes as I can and take those opportunities when I'm given them. But I also need to be patient and know that it is a development and my career is a journey.”
Blindkilde Brown made her England debut against Switzerland in December in an international friendly, and with the 2025 Women’s Euros fast approaching, she is focused on maintaining her form and performing her best.
She said: “Whenever I play, I try and play as best as I can. Obviously, Sarina [Wiegman] is probably always watching, but my focus is usually more on the games and my form and trying as hard as I can."
