Sitting alongside Jonas Eidevall for Arsenal’s pre-match press conference ahead of their first qualifying round final against Rosenborg on Saturday, Laia Codina reflected on an impressive performance from the Gunners during their 6-0 thrashing of Rangers in midweek.
The Spaniard, who signed from Barcelona last summer, quipped that the result showed just how much qualification to the UEFA Women’s Champions League would mean to the side after they were eliminated at this stage last season.
What did Laia Codina say?
“We really played our game on Wednesday,” the 24-year-old defender told reporters at the club’s Sobha Realty Training Centre on Friday afternoon, “and really showed how we want to be qualified for the Champions League.”
“Tomorrow, we have to be at least the same level. I think our aggression without the ball was one of our main strengths – I think we’ll need the same tomorrow,” she added.
Embed from Getty ImagesArsenal’s Spanish contingent has grown over the summer, with Mariona Caldentey following in Codina’s footsteps by swapping the Catalan coast for life in North London. The Ballon d’Or nominated forward, snapped up on a free transfer, registered the assist for the first of Caitlin Foord’s four goals – and Codina joked that “I think on Wednesday, you could see that her beginning at Arsenal was good enough!”
While the signing of Caldentey adds further competition to an incredibly talented forward line at the club, Codina reflected that the quality of Arsenal’s existing defensive options allows her to thrive under pressure.
“On Wednesday, it was me in the starting eleven, but you never know so you have to keep pushing,” she explained. “We’re helping each other, and that’s really good and I really appreciate it from my teammates.”
“I think that they can feel that I really like this competition. It’s something that helps us to grow and as a player, you really appreciate it. Also we have Amanda [Ilestedt], but now she’s out for a good reason [pregnant]! I think I can speak for all the team that having this competition is something good for the team.”