We Need To Believe In Ourselves, Says Tierney
- LCFC Women beaten 3-0 by Arsenal on Sunday
- Alessia Russo and Beth Mead scored at Emirates Stadium
- Midfielder Sam Tierney gave her reaction following defeat
- City face Manchester United next in the Barclays Women’s Super League
Leicester faced the Gunners in their first test at Emirates Stadium last weekend but goals from Lionesses Beth Mead and Alessia Russo led to defeat in the capital.
Midfielder Sam Tierney, who has started every game this season for the Foxes, shared her thoughts on the defeat.
“I thought for 45 minutes we stuck to our gameplan and were compact,” the midfielder stated. “Obviously, they scored the goal which we were disappointed in but other than that we managed to play some good football against a very difficult side.
“We were proud of that, but in the second half, we tired a little bit and probably deviated from being us, which we need to be better at and believe in ourselves more and stick to that, but their quality came through.”
Facing a squad flooded with international talent was no easy task, but Leicester managed to keep the Gunners at bay for a large majority of the first half, before Mead’s opener.
After exiting the Adobe Women’s FA Cup last time out in heart-breaking fashion, City's No.3 was keen to bounce back and felt if chances were taken, it could’ve made for a different scoreline.
“We were disappointed with last week’s loss but we couldn’t focus on that and we didn’t,” Tierney, who was captain on the day, explained. “Whenever you play against a team like Arsenal, it will always be a difficult game, but I was proud of the girls.
“We were excellent and managed to play some good football in that first half. Maybe on another day, if we took some of our chances, it could’ve been a different result.”
Arsenal shot-stopper Manuela Zinsberger made several top saves on the way to a Gunners’ clean sheet and the English midfielder admitted this is the quality you have to face in the top division.
“I thought we had a few chances,” Tierney continued. “I know the ‘keeper (Manuela Zinsberger) pulled off a great save for one of mine in the first half, but again, that’s the quality they have and why they’re on that pitch.
“We could’ve created more chances but that would come with believing in ourselves more and in the second half we got deeper which didn’t help with that. We need to reflect on that and stick to the gameplan which will make life difficult for other teams.
“The second you switch off, they’re in behind. They move so quick and are so intelligent, but as a player, they’re the games you want to play in and that’s how you become better. They’re relentless and that’s why they’re towards the top of the table.”
Last weekend’s crowd was one of the largest that Leicester have played in front of since joining the top flight (over 42,000), and Tierney commended the efforts of both sets of fans, understanding the impact they have on the women’s game.
She added: “Credit to Arsenal, everyone has seen how they’ve managed to get these high attendances and we’ve said the same with our home ground. The fans make such a difference, and we’ve created that bond with our fans.
“They travelled today and last weekend for the semi-final which is fantastic. Hopefully the game continues to grow, and we have many more days like that.”