News
FRI 01.09.2017
How are you settling in at Barcelona?
So far so good! Obviously the first week is always going to be difficult. I was so excited on my first day to meet the team and train but it was a tough day. You have to remember 40 new names, learn some of the language, new rules. I’m feeling a lot more confident in myself and in my environment now. I feel I’m settling in well. It’s very different to what it’s like in England. The heat is still difficult, though!
In addition to now being a Barcelona player, you’re also a fan. What does it mean to you to be playing for the club?
It’s amazing to be playing for Barcelona. If you’re in football, everyone knows Barcelona around the world. It’s a global brand and a top club. Initially when they got in touch I knew this was where I wanted to be. They have quality players and their ambition was made clear to me. All the great players they’ve had: Leo Messi, Xavi, Iniesta… for me to come here and to be a small part of this club is a massive honour for me.
What do you expect from the Liga Iberdrola and Spanish football?
I think it will be difficult and it’ll take time to adapt. Already I’ve seen that the style of play is very different. In England we come up against different teams with very different styles. I’ve watched the girls in two games so far. They like to get the ball down and the style is very technical. More technical than England I’d say. The style really nice but it’s also difficult to play against. It’s going to be very different to England but it’s a challenge I’m really looking forward to.
It’s your first time playing abroad. What do you think you’ll miss most about home?
Obviously it’s going to be difficult to be away from home. I’m from Liverpool, where people don’t tend to move outside Liverpool, let alone England! The main thing for me is my family and friends. At Manchester City I’d be getting 30+ tickets every week for people to come from Liverpool to watch the games. They’re really supportive of me. But I know that for every home game I’ll have at least 2-3 people here… that’s a promise!
What have your first experiences with your new teammates and coaches been like?
I mostly know my teammates as opponents. I had mutual friends with Vicky Losada – who played at Arsenal – and the Arsenal girls told me a bit about her so when I came here I felt comfortable speaking with her. Also Lieke Martens, we started on the same day. She speaks very good English, which has helped me and we’ve helped each other in the early stages. Even the girls who can’t speak English have made the effort to include us. Anything we need they’ve been really helpful. We went to have dinner with one of the girl’s families this week, that was really nice. Things like that really mean a lot when you’re away from home.
What’s the team objective at Barcelona this season? And on a personal level, what do you hope to achieve?
Obviously it was disappointing for the girls not to win the league last year so I think winning the league has to be our ultimate ambition. The next step for this club – and it’s something that we spoke about when we first met – is the Champions League. They did great in the UCL last year but now we need to kick on, move to the next level and compete with the likes of Lyon, PSG and be in the latter stages of the tournament.
How would you describe yourself as a player? What do you think you can bring to the team?
I’m an attack-minded player. I’m very direct and I like to shoot a lot – which perhaps the Spanish teams might be a bit critical of! They play a lot but sometimes the final product isn’t always there. Maybe I can help in that sense. Having trained with the girls, they have a lot of ability. I’ve come here to help improve my game, get a better understanding of what it’s like to play abroad and with different players. In England, players can stay in their comfort zone too much. Sometimes to get to the next level as an individual you need to step out of the comfort zone and I feel like coming to Barcelona should help me.
It should help me take a step forward to England too. I’ve come here; Lucy Bronze has also gone abroad, to Lyon. I think it’s important for individuals to have these experiences. When we come back together as a national team, and when we go to the World Cup in France we can pull on each other’s experiences and that’ll be a big help. We’ll have more experience of adapting to big games and different styles.
Talking about England… you came very close in the European Championships this summer.
We got off to a good start and there was a lot of hype around us and we really believed we could win the tournament. A lot of the big teams went out early on and we felt it was our time but we came up against a very good Holland side in the semi-finals. Personally I didn’t play as much as I would have liked to have played, which was tough. I think it was a missed opportunity for us as a team. We were all in form but we just weren’t good enough to the final.
When you retire, what’s the one thing you’d like to have achieved in football?
At club level the Champions League speaks for itself. The best players in the world have the Champions League. That’s why I’m here. I want to the opportunity to win it. At England level we haven’t been too successful at winning golds. To win a European Championship or a World Cup would be the ultimate I think.
© LALIGA - 2017
