Following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in Washington, Rosa Kafaji and Mariona Caldentey stopped by the mixed zone. Arseblog News spoke to Rosa, grateful to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald for the audio from Mariona’s interview.
Rosa Kafaji
On whether she brings something different to the Arsenal team…
‘I have been brought here to come with my qualities, the team is already really good but I am here to make it even better with my qualities. I am a player that takes risks but the reward is high too.
On how she felt to make her first start for the club with her new teammates…
‘We are still in pre-season so we are not in our top form yet and it was very hot today, so it was very tough. We are not at our top level but it is going in the right direction. It was really nice today to see all the fans, it was hot weather but we really enjoyed it.’
On why she chose to join Arsenal ahead of other clubs that were interested in her…
‘I got a good feeling when I spoke to Jonas, I had a good feeling about the club in my stomach and I know the team and the players are already very good, I can improve here.’
On whether she will solely play centrally or whether she might play wide too…
‘I actually don’t know but I think I was brought here especially for the 10 position, but I can play on the sides too if I am needed there.’
___________________
Mariona Caldentey
On making her debut for the club…
‘I am so happy to have my first minutes here, I want and we wanted to win, so it was not perfect but it was a good start for my pre-season. We need to create a connection and build and I think we are in a good way.
‘I am happy to start with the team and be in the USA, I had a great time and I met my new teammates this week so I am excited.’
On Emily Fox winning Olympic gold this summer and how Mariona’s life changed when she won the World Cup…
‘In football you don’t have a lot of time to think about these things. You win something and the next day you are going for the next trophy so you don’t have time to focus on what you have done.
‘It is about enjoying because it is hard to win and when you do, you deserve to enjoy it. I think we need to live with that pressure as footballers in big clubs and the expectations are so high and we have no problem with that. It will be the same with Foxy.’
On whether she spoke with Washington Spirit Head Coach Jonathan Giraldez, who was her coach at Barcelona last season, during this trip…
‘Yes, I spoke with him the other day and I just spoke with him again now. I really enjoyed my time at Barca with him, he is a really good coach, I appreciate everything he has done for me, I learned a lot for him and I wish the best for him and his family.’
just a friendly
Mariona, I’m sorry to say this, but with this manager, your football might decline.
She is world champion, won under Vilda management. Cut that rhetoric mate, doesn’t help the club.
Sorry mate, it’s the manager’s poor decisions that aren’t helping the club, not my opinion.
4o
It may only have been a pre-season friendly but Arsenal weren’t supposed to throw it away with poor work at the back. We beat Washington Spirits 2-1 but we’re fortunate not to conceded a second goal in the last few minutes with sloppy passing in front of goal. ManU is very suspect anyway, don’t add to her susceptibility by asking her to kick the ball around in front of goal