Leicester Will ‘Fight To End On A High’
An in-form Liverpool make the trip to the East Midlands this Saturday afternoon to face a Leicester side currently 10th in the Barclays Women’s Super League but aiming to leap-frog themselves into eighth.
On Thursday afternoon, the Interim Manager sat down in front of the media at Belvoir Drive to discuss the passing season and what to expect this weekend…
Performances this campaign
After a lightning quick start to the 2023/24 campaign, things seemed to stall for the Foxes who have the second-most draws in the division and have failed to claim a victory since an Adobe Women’s FA Cup Quarter-Final against the Reds.
Admitting that the team hasn’t hit the heights that were outlined last summer, Foster knows that to achieve these ambitions, you must be defeating other teams in a similar position in the standings.
“We need to be honest with ourselves,” The Interim Manager opened with. “At the times we played Bristol City and Everton it was really early on, and it was important we did get the results. Should we play them now, it could be a different story because they’ve progressed a lot.
“Realistically, when we look at the teams around us, we haven’t picked up three points against any of those teams across the season. So, when we talk about finishing in that top half, you have to be beating the teams around you.
“The performances against the top four or five have been positive. We haven’t always come out with the result, but you’re not always expected to. It’s been a mismatch season, and we should have won more games. In order to reach the top six and push on, you have to beat the teams that are in and around us.”
Building the squad
Although one game remains, safety and a fourth consecutive season in the top flight has already been confirmed. The focus shifted to what lies ahead for Leicester, in particular what City will look to strength.
“I think there’s areas across the pitch that need developing but it’s important to stress that we need to build on what we’ve already got,” Foster continued. “It’s not a case of us being weak in any areas.
“We have really good centre-halves that are strong in tackles, but we need to think: 'Is there something else we can add to that to make them better?'. It’s not about replacing but adding quality to strengthen what we’ve got.
“That’s key across the pitch, but one position we’re set on is goalkeeper, because we have two world-class ‘keepers and there’s not many teams in the league that can say that and it’s probably why we haven’t had anyone set in that position this year.”
The opposition
The final word of the press conference was on Saturday’s opponents, Liverpool, who know that any form of points would see them guarantee a fourth-place finish in just their second season since promotion.
“They’re really in form and they’ve shown that,” Foster added. “It’s going to be a tough game, and even though we’ve beaten them twice this season, they’ve got a lot to play for, and they’re fighting Manchester United for that position.
“But we’re still fighting to finish higher up the table, so I’d like to say it’ll be a close test. I think it will be fast and ferocious and probably come down to the small details, which we say week in and week out.
“I look at the FA Cup Quarter-Final game where I think we were outstanding defensively, and we’ll need to bring that quality again this weekend.”
Tune in to Saturday's game live and for free via Foxes Hub, the LCFC App and YouTube.