Amandine Miquel’s “Warriors” are patiently waiting for success in Leicester

The fans applauded and cheered loudly at half-time, were thrilled with Leicester’s performance and were not disappointed 45 minutes later.

Although Chelsea eventually equalized, Leicester showed they could compete with the WSL’s best and picked up a crucial point in the process.

At game time, Chelsea players were on their knees in dismay as Leicester celebrated in a group of players in the six-yard area, which they defended for over an hour.

“We were prepared to cause them a lot of trouble. It went very well because we scored on the rare opportunity we had,” said Miquel.

“Being able to lead against a team of this type and hold it for so long is mentally very important for our team to move forward from here.”

“We have seen that with mentality and team performance you can keep up even with lower quality. It’s a collective effort.”

The stats for Leicester don’t look great, but there has been optimism this summer after Miquel’s tactics impressed opposing teams in pre-season.

Despite losing 1-0 to Arsenal, they put in a strong performance on the opening weekend but have been without key players since then.

Their front line in particular has been damaged by injuries, with Lena Petermann and Jutta Rantala both unavailable, and Rose’s substitution against Chelsea will only add to Miquel’s woes.

But she is confident that things will improve for Leicester on the pitch, that they will implement their style effectively and get results.

“Yes, it’s not an ideal start, but I’m someone who has been very patient. I don’t think anything could change in two months – even if we didn’t have any injuries,” said Miquel.

“We definitely wouldn’t have finished third by the winter break. That takes time. The difficult thing is when things don’t go well.”

“We need all of us – the staff and the players – rather than panicking and trying to change the plan, we need to keep the confidence.”