Beard calls for one more performance as Liverpool target fourth-place finish | OneFootball

Liverpool manager Matt Beard has called for his side to deliver one final performance when they take on Leicester City at The King Power Stadium this weekend.

The Reds are in pole position to end the Barclays Women’s Super League season in fourth place, a huge feat for a side that were playing Barclays Women’s Championship football just a couple of seasons ago. Liverpool need just one more point to make sure of their fourth-place finish.

When speaking to the media ahead of the Leicester City game, Beard highlighted the importance of his side maintaining focus, especially given the fact that fifth-placed Manchester United hold a better goal difference.

“We spoke about maintaining that focus this week because fourth still isn’t guaranteed with Manchester United’s goal difference,” Beard said.

“For us, we want to finish this month with a perfect record if we can.”

Liverpool’s latest opponents Leicester City are winless in seven league outings. Beard expects a tight game but wants his side to deliver one more professional performance as they bid to end the season with a victory.

He said “There’s no easy game in this league. When we played Leicester, Bristol City for example, they’ve been close games.

“From our perspective, we are playing well at the moment with and without the ball. We just have to make sure that we put in another professional performance, we continue with the work ethic that we’ve had and we give ourselves the best possible chance of picking up three points.”

Liverpool have risen up the Barclays Women’s Super League table quickly since their promotion in May 2022. Beard says that the club are progressing ahead of schedule and that it’s testament to his group for their strong mentality.

He said “I’ve said it time and time again about the squad that we’ve been trying to build and building a team that can grow together. I know better than anyone how tough it is to win this league. If you look at the investment that goes into everyone’s squads, it’s getting more and more competitive.

“We’ve been really pleased with how we’ve performed this year. I think the performances have got better as we’ve gone on and this has been a fantastic month for us.

“We are really pleased with the progress that we are making. We are probably a little bit ahead of where we thought we would be by the second year back in the Super League but I know we’ve got a talented squad, a group that wants to win football matches and you can see that in our performances just of late.

“If you look at the Chelsea game as an example, there are not many teams that score four goals against them, so from that side, it just shows how far we have come as a group and even from the mentality side when Chelsea go in front and then get back in it and get back in it [again], it speaks volumes about the mentality of our group.”

Liverpool’s final Barclays Women’s Super League game of the season at Leicester City kicks-off at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.