Arsenal defender Laia Codina has occasionally been repurposed as a midfielder this season. Like most La Masia academy products, Codina spent time in midfield as a youth player. Arseblog News asked the Spaniard about the challenge of playing in a slightly different role ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Leuven.
‘For me it is a challenge and I think that everyone arounds me know that I love challenges. Also, because I played in Barcelona, I think that is a little bit easier because I try to understand what’s going on the pitch. I like to communicate a lot. I like to find always solutions for everything.
‘I’m enjoying it when I have the opportunity to play in that role. I try also to give more freedom to the players because I am more like defensive midfield. So for example, if I play with Mariona, I like to give her more freedom.’
Codina says playing in this role is developing her as a player. ‘For me it is a challenge. I like to feel that I’m learning something new as well that I’m growing. I am improving as a player. I’m taking this in a very positive way because I feel that it’s giving me something new as a player.
‘I’m also as a person because when I say like you have to communicate in other ways. I also know what the centre mids maybe need me because I’m a centre back so I second balls and box pocket runs like I think that I can give something different to the team and when I have the opportunity to play there I enjoy it.’
Asked by the BBC’s Emma Sanders to expand on how communication changes when she plays in midfield, Codina explained. ‘Because the press is different, for example, as a defender when I’m pressing probably I will communicate to the sixes what they want and as a six I will communicate to the 10 and to the forwards, what I want from them.
‘When I play as a six, I try to ask to centre backs what they want from me. So, when I talk about the communication, because I want to speak with the forwards or who is picking up the second balls and asking a lot the players that I have around, what they need from me.
‘Because I think that the midfield role is, for me, is the most important player in the team. So, I try to ask the players what they need from me to then give them the best solution.’