Our midfielder opens up on her footballing philosophy
What do you remember from your very early days being coached? What were the most valuable lessons you learned?
I don’t remember much, to be honest! I always loved my coaches growing up but at the start, it was all about the fun of the game and tactics didn’t have a huge impact on me. That could also be because of my position: I was playing with boys until I was 14 and started out as a centre-back. When I joined a club with other girls and moved into the midfield and attack, I was really encouraged to play dynamically. The older I got, the more I developed tactically thanks to some great coaches.
Who were your early influences? What players did you look up to when you started and why?
My family has always loved football. I was playing football in the streets with my older brother from a very early age and whenever our cousins would come over for a family lunch, we’d all be outside with a ball. When I was about four years old, I remember watching my brother play for a club and as soon as the whistle blew for half-time, I’d run on the pitch to play myself.
When I was five, I joined a team of my own and we started playing five-a-side football in my town. I would play football wherever I could: in the park, in the garden, on the street, in the house! I grew up with a football at my feet.
I grew up in Mallorca, where football is pretty popular. I’d say we have quite a lot of talented female football players considering how small we are as an island! We had a team in the first division for many years called Collerense, which is where I started my career. The tennis culture is also quite big – Rafael Nadal is definitely proof of that – and I played tennis for a couple years when I was still at school. But football was always my real love.
I grew up watching a golden generation of Barcelona players – Messi, Iniesta, Xavi. They were so good to watch and so successful too. But my very first influence was definitely Lionel Messi.
Can you pinpoint a stage in your career, or an age group, where you made the biggest leap?
I would say it was moving from Collerense to Barcelona when I was 18. I was already playing in the first division of Spanish football but we weren’t a professional outfit at all. I was at school and my teammates were working so we’d have to train at 8 in the evenings. Sometimes at training sessions, we’d only have six or seven players because people couldn’t prioritise football in the same way. People needed to work, needed to survive.
When I moved to Barcelona, everything changed. Football was the priority for everyone. We started to earn money, we trained in the mornings and in my second year there, we became professional. It just shows how much has changed even over a short time period.
Earlier, when I was thinking of my idols growing up, I couldn’t say a woman because we didn’t even know that other women played. After I made one leap from Mallorca to Barca, there’s a clear difference to the conditions now versus when I first became professional. At the start, we’d travel seven or eight hours on a bus to get to matches because it was the cheapest way for the women to get there. We’d train on artificial grass and not play in the main stadium, so all the changes that have happened now are huge! That’s just what I’ve experienced, but I think women’s football everywhere has changed for the better.
What managers have you worked with, and how do they differ?
I actually think, for Arsenal and Spain, the team philosophies are incredibly similar so it hasn’t meant too much adjustment. For both teams, we’re taught to be a protagonist with the ball, be the dominant team that keeps possession and combine well with other players. Of course, with different coaches and players, you need to adapt. But the main idea is always to take care of the ball, at the same time as playing attractive, attacking football.
How has training evolved since your first seasons in the sport?
Back in Mallorca, I did my ACL when I was 14 and the team didn’t have their own doctor or physio. For two times a week, I did my rehab with the Balearic Federation and then I did the rest at home. So when I was injured during my first year at Barca, I expected something similar but instead, I had a physio with me every day in the club gym. I’d gone from a club that didn’t have a lot of money or resources to a place where our women’s team could afford physios, doctors, nutritionists, analysts and more than one coach,. I was so surprised by how much changed overnight. We’d do proper opposition analysis and be able to watch back our training sessions to see where to improve.
Now at Arsenal, I especially enjoy how our gym programmes are quite open and individualised. Every player is encouraged to do what they need to do at every moment. For players who play fewer minutes in a particular match, they can spend more time in the gym and others can focus more on recovery. Every one of us is different. When we arrive at the training ground for breakfast, some of us will spend more time on the physio table and some of us will head straight to the gym. It’s really nice to have that variety.
What training qualifications do you have now or would like to have in future? What coaching experience do you have?
I will probably try to train for my UEFA coaching badges because you never know! It’s good to be ready for the future. But I always think that if I do become a coach someday, I would love to help train kids, just not necessarily on a high performance basis. I just love being around kids and it would be nice to coach a few times a week.
I know parents can sometimes put pressure on their kids’ coaches, but it would be very different to what I’m used to. When I finish playing professional football, I don’t want to be under all that pressure anymore with no weekends and very few holidays. Right now, I’m not interested in continuing that side of the game but things can always change.
What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?
If I had the chance, I wouldn’t say anything to my younger self because it might change my journey. I believe it’s good to learn things along the way, make mistakes and get injured because difficult situations can make you stronger as a person. My journey was perfect because it made me who I am today. So I’d tell myself to just live, experience everything and don’t change a thing.
Do you enjoy the analysis side of the game? (And why/why not?)
I wouldn’t say I love it because I always prefer to just be on the pitch with a ball at my feet. But because I love football, I actually like to analyse matches and know that it’s useful for the team. It will help us become successful if we are on the same page, if we all know our roles and if we are clear with one another. Analysis is a really important part of the game so I just try to do it with a positive attitude. No one loves a long meeting but it's really useful and good for us to learn how to be better.
Who in the current squad would make the best manager in future and why?
Kim, Wally and Beth are all doing their UEFA coaching licence now so I’ll say the three of them.
What can football learn from other sports?
I think one of the few things I don’t love about football is how disrespectful people can be sometimes. Whether it’s players with referees or opponents or even between the fans, it can go to a very negative and personal place. I always consider rugby to be a good example of a sport where people value discipline. So when it comes to behaviour and mentality, I think in football, we can improve to be more fair and respectful to others.