'Altering The Players' Mentality' - Miquel's Talk Of Process Ahead Of Villa Encounter
Three games in, and the Foxes currently sit tenth in the Barclays Women's Super League with one point to their name, but when speaking to the media during Thursday's press conference at Belvoir Drive, the Manager remained steadfast in her focus on the process within the team, rather than the points and standings at this early stage.
Below are the main talking points on the squad ahead of matchday four, which sees City face Aston Villa this Sunday afternoon (2pm BST kick-off)...
Best starting XI
Miquel has only made two changes within three WSL line-ups since taking the helm of Leicester this summer, one of which being in goal, as City look to spark some continuity within the squad but also improved performances on the pitch. The former Stade de Reims Manager explained how the squad is full of different qualities in each position that will all be called upon during different game situations.
"I think that I have a lot of possibilities in the squad," Miquel said. "I have tried some changes in the cup, but not many in the league games. I think that I still have some very good second options in positions so it is hard to decide an 11 sometimes.
"A lot of players have been fighting for a starting spot and they have been doing well so it's hard every weekend to choose. I don't like the players to think they have made the team until the last minute to make sure their performances during the week do make a difference.
"It can also be different each week based on the opponent if we need different qualities on the pitch, depending on how they play."
Defensive errors
Conceding four goals this season, while finding the net only once, has led to a drop off in points since an opening day draw against Liverpool. Confident of finding the solution to defensive mistakes, Miquel admitted it may take time to adapt the players' mentality from their previous philosophy.
"I think that the mistakes being made are ones that we can work on," the Manager continued. "We need to alter the players' mentality that has been in place over the last few seasons.
"They often tend to play backwards instead of forwards which led to the goal against Arsenal, because it is an overall philosophy that they were used to; playing more safely.
"I feel that I would like that to be the opposite. It's hard to rewrite but we are working on that overall mindset. In some games it has worked well, but against Crystal Palace it didn't, so we have to keep reinforcing that message to help it work over time."
Trusting the process
With each passing game in the early stages of this season, the Manager has continued to state that right now it is about performances, not points, believing that when the first comes to fruition, the latter will follow.
Although still on the hunt for a first win since moving to the East Midlands, she understands that the performance put in against Crystal Palace last time out wasn't up to scratch, but prefers to look forward rather than back.
Miquel added: "I don't think that the Palace game was a backwards step. Out of the three games, I was pleased with two, which is not a bad start. Obviously we didn't perform well in that third game, we know that, because we put ourselves in difficult positions.
"We have to make sure that the type of performance we put in last weekend doesn't happen often, or at all again this season, but we are still new and are always developing the game plan."