Scoring the first goal of the 2022/2023 Barclays Women’s Super League season, Arsenal skipper Kim Little set her team on the way to a 4-0 victory in their opening match against Brighton & Hove Albion at the LV Bet Stadium on Friday evening.
Now in her tenth year with the North Londoners, Little is a firm fans’ favourite and a club legend.
After retiring from international football in 2021, Little decided to return to America in the off-season to help keep herself mentally and physically fit. While in America, she trained and played with National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club OL Reign.
When speaking about the experience following Arsenal’s victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, Little said “I played six games out in America so I was able to get that in me before coming into the season here in the WSL. I think it has helped me to be honest.
“It was a long off-season, I think four months from our last game against West Ham. For me, it has put me in good stead to start the season.”
Little returned to an Arsenal squad that is largely the same as last season after very little summer turnover. After joining The Gunners from Juventus, Swedish forward Lina Hurtig, one of Arsenal’s three new faces, came on to make her debut against Brighton & Hove Albion. Little went on to highlight the quality amongst the Arsenal squad this year.
“It’s been consistent with a few transfers each year,” Little said. “I think we’ve got a good base and that will set us in good stead for the season.
“We’ve got such great footballers with such great technical ability across our whole squad. We speak about building up the games and having certain principle passing lines, whether that’s from the centre-backs or midfield, but we also have the freedom to go with our intuition and with the players we have, that’s when we play at our best.”
Following the success of the EUROs this summer, everyone involved in the women’s game is hoping to keep the momentum going into the domestic season. After a sold-out opening game in Boreham Wood, Arsenal supporters are ready to cheer on the team in their numbers.
“It’s incredible,” Little said. “As a player, you want to play, you want to entertain and you obviously want to win. To have the home support, the fans chanting all the Arsenal songs, it doesn’t get much better.
“As players, we want to build the game. Hopefully, we can get great support at the Emirates next week and then we can sustain that going forward.”
The Gunners return to the LV Bet Stadium on Tuesday evening when they face Ajax in the UEFA Women’s Champions League’s Round 2 before potentially contesting a North London Derby in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
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