Olivia Smith says that her experience of North American football may prove an advantage if Arsenal face Gotham FC in the new FIFA Women’s Champions Cup this week.
But she agreed that the team sometimes make things tricky for themselves – and give themselves obstacles to overcome in the pursuit of victory.
“I think [being a Canadian international] may be a bit of an advantage, but at the same time, we’re a club, we’re a team and we have to face it together,” she said in quotes on the club’s official website.
“So as long as we’re together, we’ll be able to get off a winning start, I think.
“And as Renee [Slegers, head coach] says, we like to suffer and we’ll suffer from start to finish to get all the way.”
Olivia Smith: It will be exciting for Arsenal to play against different styles of football
The Gunners begin their campaign on Wednesday against Moroccan side AS FAR at Brentford’s GTECH Stadium – seeking a place in the final against either Corinthians or Gotham FC.
“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity for us, especially at our home, to have our fans around us as well.
“I think it’s a great chance for us to play against different kinds of opponents and for them to come up against us as well. Obviously, it’s different styles, so we just want to be prepared.
“I think we’re kind of used to playing teams in the WSL, but getting to play against a different type of style will be exciting.”
Smith: I believe we can win
And Smith hopes that Arsenal will be able to capitalise on the momentum from their 2-0 weekend win against defending Women’s Super League champions Chelsea – although she missed out on that game due to suspension.
“We had a great win on the weekend against Chelsea, so I think we’re going to keep that momentum moving forward and build a lot of confidence.
“We’re looking to get into our home stadium, have all our fans around us and lift up that trophy for them. I totally believe we can do it.”
