‘We Need To Be Ruthless’ – Kirk Talks Tottenham Game
- LCFC Women face Tottenham Hotspur in Barclays Women’s Super League action
- Wednesday’s fixture at Brisbane Road has a 7pm GMT kick-off
- The Foxes drew 0-0 with Everton at King Power Stadium last weekend
- We must not give Spurs any encouragement, says Kirk
City picked up their first draw of the 2022/23 campaign last time out when they drew 0-0 with Everton at King Power Stadium. Now just a point adrift, the Barclays Women’s Super League takes the Foxes to the capital to take on Tottenham on Wednesday night.
Ahead of the clash at Brisbane Road, the manager spoke to the media at Belvoir Drive...
All change at Tottenham
Earlier this week, Rehanne Skinner was relieved of her duties as Spurs manager following a run of nine straight WSL defeats. Now at the helm is her assistant Vicky Jepson, and Kirk spoke about the impact this change in management may have on the game.
“I’m not saying it it’ll be easier or harder, but it’s made our preparation more focused on us,” the manager explained. “I’m quite happy with that because you can get a bit overwhelmed with what the opposition may or may not do.
“I don’t think she will change too much; there’s not been enough time to work on new things. She’s been part of a management duo, and even though she may have her own ideas, I’m sure she would’ve backed everything that Skinner did.
“They’ve got a very talented squad, but they’ve struggled as a team to get results. It could be because of fitness levels, or a lack of belief, but we’ve analysed them, and we’ll be going to take three points.
“We understand the situation Tottenham are in right now, where other teams maybe take advantage of your downfall, but we need to be ruthless and take advantage and do not give Spurs any encouragement. Provided we do that, I’m sure we’ll have the confidence to bring the points home.”
Building momentum
Since the turn of the New Year, Leicester have picked up seven points, closing the gap to Brighton & Hove Albion to a single point. With the chance to jump to 10th in the standings on Wednesday, the manager spoke about how important it is to build momentum with positive results.
“We’re in good form, and since 1 January, we are seventh in the league,” the 44-year-old continued. “We’re performing like a mid-table team rather than one at the bottom like the table would tell you, so we take confidence from our result form.
“The player’s wanting to be in the WSL has never been in doubt. But I think they just needed a bit of direction which I hope, along with the coaching staff, that we’re installing.
“I don’t think Wednesday is a must-win game, but it’s one we’d like to win. If we don’t win, I don’t think it’ll set us back a long way, but if we do win it then it’ll give us a good platform to build on. If we win tomorrow night, then we climb to 10th, and we’ll start looking above us to ninth, rather than behind at just trying to survive.
“We’ve always said we want to be the hunter and not the hunted. With our current league position, there’s no alternative to that, but it allows us to maintain that mentality, and we’ll keep looking upwards, regardless of our standings.”
Janina Leitzig's form
January signing Janina Leitzig, who has quickly become a fan favourite among the Leicester faithful with her incredible performances, was once again at the centre of attention.
With three clean sheets in her Foxes career already, the manager was asked about the importance of the German goalkeeper in City’s bid for WSL survival.
He added: “Janina has been exceptional since she arrived at the Club, both on and off the pitch. She’s a top human being who’s great to be around. She’s come from a top club and has brought a lot of positivity with her.
“She’s made some great saves but has also added confidence to the defenders' confidence. It’s great to have such a good ‘keeper that wants to keep clean sheets and do her bit for them team, which she’s done since her arrival.
“You could see the nerves in the players, which probably had flashbacks to the games this season where they have let it go late on. We wanted three points; we were happy to take one.”