Last week, Crystal Palace recorded a disappointing result with a 0-7 loss against Chelsea. The Eagles return to Barclays Women’s Super League action against Leicester City this Sunday at King Power Stadium.
Crystal Palace manager Laura Kaminski spoke to the press before this weekend’s game. The Eagles manager shed some light on the improvements she felt her side showed during their midweek Women’s League Cup match against Aston Villa.
The head coach said, “I thought we were in the game for longer against a strong, respectful Aston Villa side. We was in the game for a longer period. Again we got caught out on a couple of pieces, which led to us conceding, which is disappointing. But, I think the progressions that we make week by week, and if you look at the measures, there are key things that we are after, in terms of our performances in house.”
“We’re working very hard behind closed doors to try and close the gap, but I was very pleased that the squad held on there. We usually can see very early on in the second half. So that was a marginal progression for us. And fingers crossed we can keep that moving and keep those improvements pushing for the weeks to come.”
Speaking about her mindset of focusing on performances over points at this early stage of the season, Kaminski commented that she believes that good performances will eventually lead to results.
“I never put any pressure on for points last season. And although this season does look very different, I don’t think that benefits the players psychologically in terms of their motivation, and I really do believe that I have a group that wants to play well, perform well, and play lovely football.”
The manager continued, “I pride myself in the variety of skill set that we’ve got here and that we can utilise. And I really think the players take a lot of pride in the way they play, and the way they perform, and they’re always looking to reflect and learn and push forward. And this season is no different in that sense.”
“We’ve got to take our opportunities. We know how hard they are. To create. So we’ve really got to make sure that we’re making the most of them. And that’s how we’ll push forward.”
Sharing her thoughts ahead of the Eagles’ trip to Leicester City, Kaminski highlighted the positives of her side’s midweek game, as well as the squad’s hard work leading up to the weekend.
The Crystal Palace boss expressed, “We’ve approached the game as the same as any other in terms of our preparations. And the girls have been working hard in training, which is positive to see.”
“We obviously played midweek, and I’ve been speaking to the players about how useful that was for us in terms of featuring some squad members who haven’t had regular minutes. And it was another opportunity for us to play. We’re forgetting how new we are to the league. And only a few weeks in already, but still very new. So we really did utilise Wednesday night to our advantage in terms of the outcomes that we were seeking from that fixture.”
Continuing on, Kaminski spoke to The Halfway Line about the Foxes’ strong start to the season under Amandine Miquel, and highlighted her expectations heading into a challenging game.
“She’s had a great start with the group and has had two very respectable results in that sense. Difficult to break down, but I really feel that in terms of our possession and ball retention and counter-attacking opportunities that we’ve had, I think we can make best use of those against this side. And really give ourselves a good showcase and performance on the afternoon,” Kaminski said.
“I have no doubt on the day that it’s going to be a very tough afternoon,” the head coach surmised.
Crystal Palace will be hosted by Leicester City this Sunday in the Barclays Women’s Super League at the Foxes’ King Power Stadium, with the action kicking off at 15:00 BST. The fixture will be available to watch live on YouTube.
