Amandine Miquel, the newly appointed manager of Leicester City, demonstrated tactical acumen as her side faced the formidable Chelsea in the Women's Super League. Known for her past encounters with Chelsea's coach Bompastor in France, Miquel approached the match with a well-grounded strategy. On a day when Leicester scored with their only shot on target, they managed to lead the game against Chelsea for just over 50 minutes, an achievement that instilled energy and motivation among her players.
"When you play a team like Chelsea, the only thing you can do is get the result." – Amandine Miquel
Miquel, who took the helm at Leicester this summer after a seven-year tenure at Reims, was aware of the challenge posed by Chelsea, who remain unbeaten this season. Her familiarity with Bompastor's style, honed during their competitive clashes in France, gave her insights into crafting a resilient game plan. With a focus on defensive strength, Leicester aimed to capitalize on any lapses from their opponents.
"The pressure is more on them for them to miss something. The state of mind was really important for the players to defend together." – Amandine Miquel
Leicester's strategy was clear: build on their defensive solidity from previous games and approach the Chelsea encounter with no pressure. This mindset allowed them to remain composed and seize their rare offensive opportunity. Missy Goodwin's goal handed Leicester an unexpected advantage, further energizing the team against their illustrious opponents.
"So this was something that we built on over the games to arrive against Chelsea, knowing that there was no pressure on us. We had the luck to score on one of our rare attacks, which does make a big difference against Chelsea." – Amandine Miquel
Despite Chelsea's late equalizer through Wieke Kaptein, Leicester's performance stood out as they became one of only two teams to halt Chelsea's winning streak this season. The tactical discipline and defensive resilience displayed by Leicester were reminiscent of Brighton's commendable efforts earlier, where they too held Chelsea to a draw.
"And then when you're leading against Chelsea, it gives the players energy. It's so unusual but I think this gives a lift to any player being leading against Chelsea and makes you want to keep it as long as you can and we nearly did." – Amandine Miquel
The match underscored Miquel's belief that even a team like Chelsea has moments of vulnerability. For teams lower on the league table, these are opportunities to exploit. As Leicester demonstrated, maintaining composure and capitalizing on rare chances can disrupt even the most formidable teams.
"They're human beings and they've got some down moments where they're a bit less focused – That's when a team like mine or any team under them in the table need to take advantage; watch Chelsea vs Brighton in the WSL, live on Sky Sports Football; kick-off 7.30pm" – Amandine Miquel
Looking ahead, Chelsea is set to face Brighton again in the Women's Super League in a match broadcasted live on Sky Sports Football. As Bompastor prepares her side for yet another challenging fixture, teams across the league will be keen to see if Brighton can once again rise to the occasion and challenge Chelsea's dominance.
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