Rise To The Challenge, Says Morgan
- LCFC Women are set for their Barclays FA Women’s Super League opener against Aston Villa on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off)
- Jonathan Morgan addressed the media during his virtual pre-match press conference at Belvoir Drive earlier this week
- City’s manager assessed the Foxes' preparation for the season ahead after bringing seven new faces through the door
- Facing quality opposition on a weekly basis is something that everyone at the Club should look forward to, he believes
The 12:30pm kick-off sees the Foxes travel across the Midlands to Banks’s Stadium, where a Villa side beginning their second season at this level await.
Leicester, meanwhile, lifted the FA Women’s Championship trophy in 2020/21, exactly a year after Villa, now under the guidance of Carla Ward, achieved the same accolade.
Speaking in depth about the challenges posed by facing the best teams in the country on a regular basis, City’s manager expressed the need to always be adaptable, in order to compete at the highest level.
“It is exciting,” Morgan commented, speaking in Thursday’s virtual pre-match press conference at Belvoir Drive. “The one thing I say is that you’ve always got to back yourself - and football is football.
“You’ve got to find a way to win these games and to tactically out-manoeuvre your opposition and that‘s something that, as a set of staff, we feel very confident that we can provide for the players.
“On the flip side, it’s going to be a massive year of development to counteract some world-class managers at this level and constantly thinking how you can beat them, not just before the game, but during the game as well.
“How can you keep the girls switched on? How can you tweak your formation because they’ve done something different that you didn’t expect? All the what ifs.
“And at this level, there’s so many more what ifs, because there are so many quality players that can change a game just like that. And there’s also a lot of quality staff at this level that can give the girls the platform to be able to change a game.
“I’ve got to fully back myself, the staff and the players that we can match these teams. We’ve got to feel confident that we can take the game to them and not just be a number in the league.”
Jess Sigsworth, 26, is one of the seven new signings to arrive at the Club over the summer, as they transition into a top-flight outfit.
The experienced forward has spent the last two seasons in the WSL, helping Manchester United to successive top-four finishes, and Morgan believes she will be an important figure for the team, playing a key role across the campaign.
“Jess has done tremendously well in pre-season,” he explained. “We brought her in for experience, we brought her in for what she can do and the fact that her attributes suit our style incredibly well.
“So obviously she is definitely in contention [for Saturday], we all know her quality.”
Starting their second year as a full-time, professional outfit, LCFC Women have enjoyed their first pre-season at Belvoir Drive and the impressive facilities it has to offer.
For Morgan, Saturday’s game signifies the next step in a journey which has been seven years in the making, from taking charge of the team and leading them from the fourth tier to the pinnacle of women’s football in this country.
He added: “When you really look back over the last seven years, it really has been an incredible rise and since coming to Leicester, we’ve been given all the resources we need to keep focused and to keep pushing forward.
“It’s been an incredible journey to get to this point. I think it’s been a journey that has kept us humble behind the scenes. It keeps you really grounded about what your values are and that’s something that I’ve stayed true to, from a cultural point of view.
“It’s something which for me is so close to my heart, it’s still such an emotional time for me because it’s my home club and now I want to show everyone what we can do at the best level.”
All times BST.