Beth Mead was on the scoresheet with an outstanding strike during Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Hacken on Thursday evening, her second goal this week. After the game she spoke to the press. The seventh question is from Arseblog News.
On the goal she scored…
To be honest I needed that one, I was annoyed at myself for missing a few chances in the first half, happy it got over the top of the defender and nobody closed me down quickly enough to stop me getting good contact with it that it went in and put us 3-0 up.
Vintage Beth Mead goal.
— SHE scores bangers (@SHEscoresbanger) September 26, 2024
On the knock she took to her ankle in the first half…
It was a bit of a sore one! It wasn’t my favourite tackle of the game but it was fine, the adrenaline got me through and it’s all good.
On the performance…
We’re all perfectionists in the team and we want to keep improving but it was nice to get another goal, help the team and build some confidence in the second half to play some really good football.
On how she feels having a full pre-season this year…
Considering my ACL I came back in a pretty good place, my pre-season wasn’t perfect because I picked up a niggle which was quite frustrating but I am feeling ok now and want to keep building into the season.
On the feeling in the team…
Do you know what? I think we were motivated as a team and believed we could get the result. Don’t get me wrong, it was a bit of a long day and a bit nerve wracking knowing the outcome if we didn’t win. It’s a minimum standard at Arsenal that we need to be in Europe and playing in the Champions League every season. Football is a crazy game and it isn’t easy, I know there have been some crazy results tonight and ultimately we got it over the line and that’s what we needed to do tonight.
On Mariona scoring her first goal for the club…
Yeah it was really nice, she is a great player, I am really enjoying playing with her and her footballing brain is very clever.
On picking up more central positions over the last few months…
We try to bring super strengths out of each other, we know what we are each good at. I try to play inside, Stina and Lessi can play outside. In the first leg we didn’t get it as fluid as we would have liked to. Today it looked and felt a lot better and I think we got much more out of each other’s games. Hopefully we can keep building those relationships with the season ahead.
On whether the team discussed the consequences of not qualifying for the group stages…
It was always our motivation and our goal, even after the first leg we were disappointed but we had to believe straight away that we could still go through. Now we get to play some group stage football, some nice nights at the Emirates under the lights.
On the prospect of more European nights at the Emirates…
We needed it tonight, we deserved it, we gave a lot. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t perfect but the intensity of football and the way we got around the ball when we lost it was better. It is exciting to play these nights at the Emirates and hopefully we can get a lot of people to come and watch. It could be an exciting season ahead for us with the Champions League and the league season.
Stunning goal from Beth Mead. We needed to put some space between us and Häcken.
Didn’t need to tell us it was the 7th question or even count to that high to know that was the Arseblog question! Good question as always.
Haha good point, all the other questions are so banal aren’t they? Is Tim the only journalist to ask insightful questions?
Took her goal superbly! I keep saying she should play in the middle, she is a centre forward!
I have a feeling JE will rotate combinations of Mead, Russo, Foord, Blackstenius, and all the wingers/forwards/no 10s depending on the opposition. So I think we will see Beth as a central striker sometimes. Especially now that she says she has shaken off the niggle she had in preseason.
And since the frontline is a lot more fluid, they may each spend time as central striker in same match?
Yes, that would be very JE!
Such a goal from Beth hardly got a mention from the Chelsea obsessed press.