Leicester boss Amandine Miquel says her squad must “play the full games” after a second-half fightback wasn’t enough salvage points in their 2-0 loss to Manchester United.
The Foxes went two behind in the first half and though Miquel’s substitutions, particularly Yuka Momiki, saw them have a much better second period, they came away empty-handed. The result leaves them 10th in the Barclays Women’s Super League, six points from the relegation spot.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat did Amandine Miquel say?
“I think [the defence] did better in the second half, in the first half obviously we made a few defensive transition mistakes. We were not aggressive enough, we were not covering each other, and we were a bit too far from each other – so it gave them clear occasions that we could have avoided.”
Melvine Malard opened the scoring from a counter-attack for United, and Leah Galton doubled their lead just before halftime. However, the introduction of Yuka Momiki – fresh from SheBelieves Cup victory with Japan, which saw her score in the final – sparked life into Leicester.
Embed from Getty ImagesAsked about her impact, Miquel said: “She’s on a high moment obviously, when you beat USA and you score. We got her and Saori Takarada back in a very good mood. The only thing is they came back yesterday, there’s an eight-hour difference, 22 hours flight. So obviously we were taking a risk on those types of games and making sure we don’t overload them. But definitely when they came on it was an interesting entry.”
Along with other substitutes Hannah Cain, Nelly Las, and Saori Takarada, Momiki made Leicester the better team after the break. On the difference between the halves, Miquel explained: “At halftime we told them, ‘We’re not playing this game so what’s the point? If we’re going to lose we might as well just play it.’
Embed from Getty Images“I felt the reaction was better in the second half.
“We also overloaded the midfield with four midfielders to make sure we could get connections because first half we were playing long a lot.”
The message to her side in their full-time huddle? “Please play the full games, the ones that come, just don’t pick the game and don’t pick the half you are playing.
“We are not a team in a position to relax for 45 minutes.“
Leicester are now 10th in the Barclays Women’s Super League. They face league leaders Chelsea on Wednesday 5th March.
