Before LCFC Women’s opening match of the season, manager Willie Kirk reveals that a lengthy preseason has allowed new players to settle in.
The Barclays Women’s Super League is about to take off, and manager Kirk has been addressing the media during Thursday’s press conference at Belvoir Drive in anticipation of this weekend’s season opener.
The Scotsman will lead his team against newly promoted Bristol City at Ashton Gate for a 2pm BST kickoff, but despite returning to a familiar setting, he acknowledged that all of this season’s games will be challenging.
Here are the key takeaways from his meeting with the media, which will help them build on last season’s comeback from a 10-point disadvantage and start the 2023–24 campaign well.
Summer enlistment
The’summer of change’ has brought nine new players to Leicester, including full-back Courtney Nevin and fan favorite Janina Leitzig, who made their loan moves permanent after strong stints last season.
Lena Petermann of Germany and Janice Cayman of Belgium are two of the newcomers. Petermann scored in a preseason win over Everton. The manager was eager to praise the efforts made by the recruitment team when asked how pre-season preparations had gone.
Kirk began by saying, “We recognized the squad needed to be upgraded. “Since we had so many people out of contract, it was a natural process. After deciding which ones to keep, we decided which ones to invite. It was fairly normal; it resembled the workforce in the areas where we had openings. The transfer market has been excellent. We have significantly improved the quality and achieved our desired goals. The squad has a lot of flexibility.
“It’s really good to see everyone come together so quickly, both the staff and the players. Everyone has contributed thus far, and as time goes on, that contribution will only become better. The preseason has been longer than anyone would’ve liked, but that has helped us settle folks in throughout this summer of transition.
Baltimore City
Bristol City, the Barclays Women’s Championship champions from the previous season, will be Bristol City’s opponents on Sunday. Although the manager acknowledges that his team will start as the favorites, it is important to proceed with care.
The Robins, the only team that was absent from the WSL last season, return to the division after a two-year sabbatical with a lot of momentum from their title-winning campaign, but Kirk insists that each team’s attention must be on itself.
What excites me about the season is starting off with zero points,” he continued. “I’m eager for the game to begin since we won’t be the only team with zero points.
“There’s always a good mix of nerves and excitement, but I don’t think it really matters that I’m playing against my old team.” While I enjoy it, I won’t let it have an impact on the game or my players.
“I know it’s a pretty wonderful stadium, and we’re thrilled that our opening match is there, against a team we know from playing them in preseason. But in all honesty, it doesn’t matter who you play; everyone simply wants to get going so they can hopefully start racking up points right away.
Last year, the Foxes secured their top-flight status on the final day of the season when Ava Baker scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Broadfield Stadium. This made City the first team to come back from a 10-point deficit to do so.
Now that these incidents have been put behind them, the 44-year-old said he is looking forward to the new campaign and that his team has learned from last year’s mistakes in order to avoid a relegation battle this year and ideally aim further up the league.
We obviously want to be in a lot better position by that point this season, Kirk continued, adding that any points in the first nine games will be progress. Every squad has the same goal when they start; all 12 will want to score some points.
“As a result, everyone starts with about the same aspirations and zeal, so the process and performances are what characterize your season, not your targets or objectives. Therefore, the goal is to maintain that momentum as long as you can.
“As far as we’re concerned, we know what our internal targets are for the season and we want to start working towards them as soon as we can, and most importantly, improve on last season,”
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