Carolina Morace: 'It's always good to enter the break in a positive way'

The Pride returned to winning ways on Wednesday [22 November], beating Lewes 1-0 in a hard-fought game at the Dripping Pan in the Continental Tyres League Cup.

Speaking after the game, head coach Carolina Morace lifted the lid on her thoughts on the win.

Carolina Morace, London City Lionesses (Image: The FA/Getty Images)

After a bounce-back performance from the team, what are your thoughts on the win?

First of all, we expected the opposition to play that way, so we stuck to our plan. Although we missed some chances, the team was very determined to get the result and the commitment from all of them was very good.

It’s always good to enter the break in a positive way. When you lose, there is always something you have to say and discuss. Instead, we look into our mistakes as always, but it was a good result and a good performance.

I’m pleased because we were also affected at the last moment by Grace Neville having a tooth issue, so it was good to win with a clean sheet.

Defensively, are you pleased with how the team performed with Grace out of the line-up?

We also know the value of Maddi [Wilde] because she played very well in the defensive phase and also didn’t lose her concentration or make any technical mistakes. From everyone, our non-ball possession play was very good.

We also saw Niamh Farrelly in a new position today, can you summarise her performance?

I think that Niamh is a very smart player and she has a very good personality because she wants to win. She knows her style, but she is very smart because she adapts very quickly to the opponent.

I know that I can play her in many positions, including midfield and centre-back. She is a very good player to have when we have a problem because she can always be part of the solution [like today at full-back]. Niamh is a very good person too.

Lois Joel was also in a new role, what did you make of her performance on the wing?

I think that she played well, but she is consistent and this is what we have come to expect from her. It is true that if she stays close to the net, she has a very good shot. She is someone who can play in many positions, which is important for me because I can change [tactically] during the match, like we did today.

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