Liverpool defender Gemma Bonner is hopeful the club can "hit the ground running" with a victory over Everton in this weekend's Women's Super League (WSL) season opener.
It was a challenging season for Liverpool last term, with manager Matt Beard leaving the club midway through the campaign ahead of an eventual seventh-place finish. It has been a summer of change at the club, with former Manchester City women's boss Gareth Taylor taking charge last month.
"It can always be difficult in terms of change, but I think we're in now a business where you almost have to expect that managers will come and go," Bonner told ESPN. "And I think you can't necessarily control that as players. It is up to you to deal with that as a team.
"Last season, it wasn't where we wanted to be in the league, but I think the second half of the campaign we put in some good performances. We definitely had some positive results but now it's about consistency. I think the changes have really improved us in terms of setting the standards and moving in the right direction where we want to go."
Liverpool were dealt a blow earlier in the summer when star forward Olivia Smith joined Arsenal for what was, at the time, a world-record transfer fee of £1 million ($1.35m). Smith joined Liverpool from Sporting Lisbon in 2024 and scored seven goals in 20 WSL appearances last term.
"Everyone knows what Liv is capable of and for sure we'll miss her, but I think at the same time we didn't have her the season before and we finished fourth," Bonner said.
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"As a club, Liverpool have never necessarily revolved around one player. I think it's just like managers, players are going to come and go and it's how we now regroup. It's almost a fresh beginning for everyone at the club and I think now it's important that we really build on the foundations and we can move forward."
Liverpool will hope to kickstart their campaign with a win over Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield, although they have never beaten their local rivals at the iconic stadium.
"It's obviously one of the first fixtures we look for and we didn't have to look too far this year!" Bonner said. "We know the importance of the game being at Anfield and so hopefully hit the ground running an important game."