Steph Catley had plenty of bravado when asked how Arsenal will approach their UEFA Women’s Champions League opener against Lyon – and bounce back from three Women’s Super League matches without a win.
“I don’t think we’ve got the points from all the games that we’ve wanted to,” she said to journalists in a pre-match press conference alongside head coach Renee Slegers. “We’ve had some really positive patches of football. It’s just been down to lapses in concentration, some set pieces, some things that we’ve really talked about this week and after this game in particular.
“The league’s not won and lost this early on. It’s a long season and we just need to focus our attention on the next game.
“The Champions League is right here, right in front of our faces. We’re excited to be focused on this one. We’ve got an incredible squad full of extremely talented players. Obviously, we put it all together and were able to go all the way last year. It was last year and we’re very proud of what we achieved.”
Steph Catley: It’s a whole new ball game
Arsenal won last season’s Champions League, beating Barcelona 1-0 in the final in Lisbon thanks to a goal from Stina Blackstenius.
And Catley added that the Gunners were well aware that as defending champions they have a target on their collective back.
“It’s a whole new ball game this season. New teams, new players, a completely new system. We’ve done what we’ve done and we’re obviously ecstatic to do that, but it’s a clean slate now. We’ve got to act like we’re the champions and people are coming after us to win it off us.
“We don’t change anything that we do, but I think teams change how they come up against us. It’s going to be their best effort 100% every single time we come into a game. It’s a brand new challenge and we can’t wait to get started.”
Catley: I dreamt of the Champions League
She also reflected on her own childhood memories of the competition, saying: “There’s something very, very special about Champions League nights, and coming from Australia, it is something even I was dreaming of all the way over there in Australia. It did feel like a very, very faraway dream. But being involved in that competition, I think for us as players, it is what we’ve dreamed about since we were kids.
“So being part of it, obviously being able to win it, but just being in it every year is special. And I think as professionals, every game is very, very important, but there is something amazing about the Champions League and I think every footballer probably has the same answer.”
