Interview

‘We showed a different side to ourselves’

Mead

Beth Mead delivered a player-of-the-match performance in our 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday.

The England international was delighted to score and assist on her return to the No 9 position – and praised the determination we showed to get a hard-fought win.

We spoke to Mead after the game and this is what she said: 

on the overall performance… 


I think we were dominant and in control throughout the first half. We were happy with our performance, but in the second half we’re a little bit disappointed with ourselves. We’re a team that likes to be in control of games, but we let that slip a little bit today. But then at the same time, we showed a different side to ourselves because we had to show grit and character to stay in the game, and that’s exactly what we did.

on returning to the No 9 position… 


I spent most of my career playing as a No 9, especially at Sunderland. I only changed when I arrived at Arsenal, so luckily I have quite a bit of experience throughout my career there. We’ve got a lot of freedom in this front area; me, DvD and Lisa were swapping in and out a few times, so it comes naturally to all of us. Being able to get into the box at the right time can always help the team.

on the joy of playing in front of our midfield…

Our rotations in midfield could look like chaos to a lot of people! But it’s so nice to have them there back there and to know that they’ve all got your back. They’re playing who can set things up but also do things themselves, so it’s a nice comfort blanket to have.

on why the performance dropped off in the second half…

It’s the first game and I don’t think everyone was going to be perfect. We’ll watch the game back and I think we got a little bit nervy after the first goal went in, which we’re obviously disappointed about, but it’s part and parcel of the game. Teams are getting better now and we’ve got to up our game because of that. Above all else though, I’m just really happy to get the three points, especially in the first game.

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