“I consider that Arsenal have what it takes to win the Champions League this yr,” says a assured Laia Codina simply two days after the membership have been thrashed of their opening recreation.
Jonas Eidevall and his staff are below an enormous quantity of stress to show their disappointing begins in each the Barclays Ladies’s Tremendous League and UEFA Ladies’s Champions League round. Arsenal are but to win a WSL recreation because the season began 4 weeks in the past. They’ve solely managed to realize two attracts towards Manchester Metropolis and Everton, whereas struggling a loss to Everton.
Regardless of securing qualification to the group stage of the Champions League, the Reds have been torn aside by German facet Bayern Munich of their opening recreation, fuelling an onslaught of criticism for his or her underperforming.
Talking simply in the future earlier than their WSL derby towards Chelsea at Arsenal’s Sobha Realty Coaching Centre, defender Codina describes the fixture as a ‘must-win’.
“It is our job and we’re right here to win,” she solely tells 90min. “We mentioned earlier than the beginning of the season that we expect we are able to win the league, and we have now to try to do our greatest. Every part is in our palms.”
Nevertheless, Arsenal will likely be arising towards a assured Chelsea who’re unbeaten within the league below new coach Sonia Bompastor, in addition to using excessive off their first Champions League victory.
“They all the time compete,” explains Codina. “They’ve superb gamers. I do know Mayra Ramirez very well, and other people like Lucy Bronze and Millie Vibrant are very skilled. It may be a troublesome recreation, however because of this I got here to Arsenal – I wish to play powerful video games.”
When Arsenal take to the pitch on the Emirates Stadium, they might’ve solely had two full days of restoration since their Champions League loss. Regardless of a robust begin in Germany, Arsenal ended up shedding 5-2 in an unbearable final 13 minutes that noticed Pernille Tougher rating a hat-trick.
Reflecting on the sport, Codina says the staff merely “weren’t that good” and he or she was “dissatisfied within the end result”.
“I feel we did have half, however within the second half they have been higher than us,” she continues. “I do not assume the end result displays how we have been within the recreation, however there’s just one choice [against Chelsea] and that is to win.”
Codina moved to Arsenal final yr after profitable two Liga F titles with Barcelona, who she’d been signed to since she was 14 years previous. The centre-back can also be hungry for extra success in north London after enjoying an instrumental function in serving to Spain beat England within the last of the 2022 World Cup.
“I consider that Arsenal have what it takes to win the Champions League this yr,” she says. “I am actually a believer of: ‘It would not matter the way it begins, it issues the way it ends’. I see us in coaching on daily basis and I see how hungry the gamers are. They actually wish to win titles and I feel we have now to consider that.
“We’ve got Mariona [Caldentey] with us who has received the final two tournaments, and her mentality will assist us lots. The gamers are already feeling that.”
Codina’s nationwide teammate and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati spoke out earlier this yr in regards to the variations between Spain’s Liga F and England’s WSL. She revealed to BBC Sport that regardless of profitable the World Cup, issues “haven’t modified” for feminine gamers in Spain.
The Arsenal centre-back tells 90min that she agrees with Bonmati and that was one of many causes she needed to play soccer in England.
“There’s a feeling right here that the membership and league belief girls’s soccer,” she reveals. “You’ll be able to really feel that you’re skilled participant and that you’re doing all of your job correctly. I am grateful that I made the choice as a result of the English leagues are rising lots, which can solely see extra gamers becoming a member of.”
