Kim Little: Champions League success “gave Arsenal a platform” for more titles

Arsenal’s Kim Little has discussed her team’s success in Europe last season, describing the Champions League title as a springboard for future wins.

The Scottish midfielder led Arsenal out in Lisbon ahead of the Champions League final last year.

Their upset against Barcelona was without a doubt the biggest moment in Little’s career so far, but the Arsenal captain is keen to build on last year’s title.

“I think it’s so important to enjoy the moment in Lisbon for what it was, but we also want to put it in the context of Arsenal.” Little said. “With the legacy and history of success at the club, it obviously goes through our minds as players that we want to continue that success. When you win any trophy, you naturally want to have those moments again.

“We really made sure to analyse and understand how we got there and the process we went through in order to be successful, because it allows us to replicate those moments in the future.

Kim Little was captain for Arsenal as the Gunners won the Champions League last season

“In the league, you don’t always get a second opportunity, so it means you have to find consistency quickly. The Champions League gave us a platform and a pathway, but we don’t stop there. We want to know what it takes to win it again.”

Arsenal’s Champions League defence has been anything but a smooth journey so far.

The Gunners lost to Lyon in their opening European game of the campaign, but quickly got back on track with a 2-0 win against Benfica.

It looked like Little’s side were going to pick up another win in the competition this week as they were 2-0 up against Bayern at half time. However Bayern had other ideas and half time changes gave the German’s hope in the second half.

Arsenal ended up losing 3-2 to Bayern, who now look like dark horses in Europe this season.

Little did enjoy a personal achievement in the Champions League this season, as she became Arsenal’s record appearance holder in the compeitition.

Success not assured for Arsenal

Although their hopes for the season have been high from the get go, Kim Little reiterated that her team has to stay grounded this year.

“What happened the year before doesn’t assure you of anything this season. You need to come back and put in the same amount of work. Our opponents may well have a different perception of us now that we’ve won the Champions League. We know it fires teams up even more, so we need to be equal to that.”

The Gunners have endured the same mixed fortunes in the WSL that they have in Europe this year.

After eight league games, Arsenal are six points behind WSL leaders Manchester City. However the season is long and Arsenal are still in contention for every competition they are in – despite a mixed start to the campaign.

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About Oliver Taliku 368 Articles
Olly Taliku has worked with highly respected sports and gambling websites where he has produced hundreds of articles, as well as being published with Burton Albion and Chesterfield FC. At Burton Olly worked closely alongside the women's team, producing mainly matchday content including reports and interviews. He also has experience as an accredited Premier League and EFL writer for Prost International where he worked during the 2021/22 season to produce matchday content as an on location reporter. Olly specialises in women's football as well as long form SEO content plus news and tips. While he enjoys writing about all football, Olly supports Arsenal passionately as a lifelong fan of the club.