Liverpool can aim for Women’s Champions League, says Gemma Bonner

Liverpool defender Gemma Bonner says there is “no reason why we can’t aim” to challenge for a Women’s Champions League spot.

Matt Beard’s side finished fourth in the Women’s Super League table last season, one place below the European qualification spots.

They beat Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal during the campaign, their second back in the top tier following promotion.

They have five points from their opening three games this season but will face their biggest challenge yet on Sunday, at Anfield against league leaders Manchester City, fresh from a 2-0 win over European champions Barcelona.

“In the last few years we have shown we can compete with these teams. We have beaten Manchester City, we have beaten Chelsea, we have beaten Arsenal,” Bonner told BBC Sport.

“The key is the consistency. City are always up there in the Champions League places because they do everything consistently, whether that be in training or performing in the games.

“Of course the game is still growing but we can go to that next level with consistency. For so long, the top three has been set but now we’re waiting to break that.

“Everyone is pushing to get better. Why not aim for Champions League? I’d love nothing more than to get back there.

“We have shown we can do more than compete, we can beat these teams. But we have to do it every single week.”

Bonner says Liverpool “have to be realistic” about their ambitions but the potential they showed last season gives them plenty of optimism.

While other clubs around them – including Manchester United, Brighton and Aston Villa – spent significantly in the summer, Liverpool were fairly quiet.

They did, though, add club record signing Olivia Smith, who has impressed early on.

“We don’t go out and spend fortunes on players,” Bonner said. “But the strength we have is already there. We will grow together and that is what makes you successful.

“We are ambitious, we want to improve. We know we’re still young and have a lot of learning to do but if we can keep going and develop in the way we did last year, we can use those experiences.

“It will be tough because we’re maybe not the surprise package that we were last season and teams will be more prepared. That throws more challenges at us.

“We will let other teams recruit and we can focus on ourselves and keep growing.”