Leicester City interim head coach Rick Passmoor was proud of his side’s display against defending Women’s Super League champions Chelsea, despite a 1-0 defeat.
And asked about the excellent performance of goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, he praised her – but also the rest of the team.
“You’re talking of her capabilities and her level, and what I like about goalkeepers is their characters,” he said to the BBC after the match.
“In and around the building, she’s there, she’s smiling, she loves every day at Leicester City, so she’s a joy to work with, and so are many others within the changing room and football club.
“You know she can pull off those saves so I’m really pleased for her, and I’m also pleased for every player in that squad that they can see development and progress. I would like to once more thank the fans because they’ve come down and supported us and also the staff who’s worked tirelessly during this week.”
Rick Passmoor: It’s a special club
He was not drawn into a discussion over whether his side had been counted out of contention too early, with two losses from three games at the start of the campaign, following his arrival at the club just before the start of the season.
“I’ve been in many a club, many a situation, and at the moment I am just delighted being in this football club, working for this board, working for these players, with these players and with this staff, because it’s a special club already in the last two, three weeks I’ve just been in, so hopefully we can build on it,” he said.
Janina Leitzig: You can see the process
Leitzig spoke to broadcasters immediately after the match and was clearly pleased with the team’s display, even though they conceded in the seventh minute to an Aggie Beever-Jones strike and could not convert their chances for an equaliser.
“I’m so proud of the team, you can see the process,” she said. “Everyone fought so hard. I think we were unlucky to concede that early. We had chances by ourselves. It’s a really unlucky loss but I’m just so proud of the performance.”
Leicester City’s next match is on Wednesday, 24th September, in the group stage of the Subway Women’s League Cup, when they face Ipswich Town. Their next WSL game is on Sunday, 28th September, when they play Tottenham Hotspur at home.
