Alessia Russo has had an intense 10 days. She has been a key player in a gutsy, resilient and energy‑draining performance in England’s 1-0 win over Spain and then part of Arsenal’s astonishing Women’s Super League fightback from two goals down to beat West Ham 4-3.
England needed the win against the world champions, but they needed the performance even more, to quell the low hum from fans and the media questioning an increasing lack of consistency over 90 minutes. The Euro 2022 winners impressed and then some.
“It was a massive performance,” says Russo of the Nations League win. “Not only in what we did with the ball, but defensively as well. The whole team really put everything on the line to get that result.”
The team have been aware of the noise around results, which hasn’t been particularly loud, but the introduction of more competitive games since the launch of the Nations League provides some context to the trickier matches.
“I know some people have been saying we’ve not been performing like they think we should be but, as a player, we’re very aware of the journey that we’re on, how we want to keep progressing, of the talent that we’ve got within the squad and of the new relationships that we’re building. It’s really exciting as a player. England camps are a really great place to be. We’re being tested. We want better and we want to be better.”
The win against Spain, as well as getting England off to a strong start in the Nations League after the frustrating 1-1 draw in Portugal the previous week, is a huge confidence boost for the side and those following the Lionesses as they edge closer to their European title defence in Switzerland in the summer. No team are having a perfect run towards the tournament and predicting a winner is increasingly difficult.
“The standard is so high at the moment,” says Russo, who leads the line after the retirement of the Euro 2022 No 9, Ellen White. “It’s great for women’s football that you’ve got so many top teams going into a tournament. As players, we’ll be working hard individually and as a team to go into that tournament fully prepared. But we’ve got lots of club games and camps before that. So, it’s about staying focused in the here and now and doing everything we can to improve and get ready for the summer too.”
Arsenal’s frenetic game against West Ham came four days after the Spain match, on an afternoon when Chelsea, another team packed with internationals, dropped points for only the second time in a 2-2 draw with Brighton. Asked whether the Gunners’ display could have been down to fatigue or a hangover from the intensity of the contest at Wembley, Russo says: “Obviously it’s a quick turnaround from the international break to coming straight back into club football.
“We had one day off and two training sessions before the game. So, it’s tough and you’ve got girls travelling from all over the world to come back in, but we’ve spoken about us finding different ways to win. It’s not always going to be pretty but the most important thing is winning and that’s kind of a mindset that we’ve grown a lot recently at Arsenal. It is hard, but it’s the same for every team. You’ve got to really look after your body because the demands are really high. In the league, you can’t afford to not have a good game because the teams are getting better and better.”
Russo, who was 26 in February, is in impressive form. The forward scored England’s goal in Portugal and has eight in the WSL, including seven in six games from early November to mid-January. It is not just her goalscoring form that is admired but her hold-up play.
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“It’s an important part of my game and it’s a different way that I can help the team and contribute to the buildup,” says Russo, whose Arsenal side host Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday. “It’s something that I work on a lot as a player. I’m a bigger player, in terms of my stature, so I’m trying to use my body in the right places in the right areas. It’s important to have a different dimension, but ultimately, as a striker, I want to be in the box and score as much as I can.”
Russo is at Harpenden FC taking part in a grassroots training session, going in goal for penalties and answering questions from the players to mark the launch of the Panini WSL Adrenalyn XL trading card collection. Since the Euros catapulted the Lionesses to celebrity status, Russo, who grew up collecting men’s Premier League stickers, has had to get used to seeing her face on all sorts of merchandise and advertising. “It’s weird; I think it’ll always be weird,” she says, with the same grin that adorns many of the images. “It’s nice that the women’s game is celebrated now. As a kid I never would have imagined it.”
Does she keep it all? “Well, I do because I give it all to my dad,” she says. “He’s the memorabilia king. He has everything. Even from my first-ever games.”
Building women’s football into fan culture more generally matters to her. “It is really important and at Arsenal I think we really set the standard with that. As players we’re really grateful to be a part of setting the new normal for women’s football, whether that be with the games in the stadium or through the culture around the fans within it. We try to make sure that everyone knows football is for them and it’s a place for everyone.”
Source: theguardian.com
