On a sunlit afternoon at the Sobha Realty Training Centre assembled media sit around a table, at the head of the table sits Arsenal captain Kim Little. “I suppose that would be pretty special, wouldn’t it?” Little replies after she’s asked to consider winning the UEFA Champions League with Arsenal this season. Arsenal’s captain is typically modest, pondering the prospect as if this is the first time it has crossed her mind. In her decade and more stint of success at Arsenal, the Champions League is the only trophy that has eluded her. In that time Little has been up there with the very best Europe has to offer, which makes it all the more difficult to believe she has never graced a final.
On Saturday Kim Little’s Arsenal side will have the chance to remedy that fact when they welcome the record winners of the competition, Lyon to the Emirates Stadium for the first leg of the Champions League semi final. The Halfway Line got the chance to hear from Kim Little during an exciting end to the season for the Gunners.
Kim Little hopes to make first Champions League final with Arsenal
The last time Arsenal reached the semi final of the Champions League they had faced Lyon on their journey there in the group stages. In the first match of that tournament an injury hit Lyon side were taken apart 5-1 by Arsenal in France with captain Kim pulling the strings from midfield. However the French giants reminded Arsenal of their quality when beating them at the Emirates in the return fixture 1-0.
That year, Arsenal were destined to become the injury hit side, falling to Wolfsburg in the final minutes of extra time in the semi final just missing out on a place in the final
Little was asked about the Champions League this season and her side’s prospects in the competition, she thoughtfully responded:
“Obviously, I have never been to the final either. We’ve been to a lot of semi finals while I’ve been at the club, and come really close. I think we definitely are in a great place to progress in this tournament if we reach the levels that we know we’re capable.
I think we have the best squad I’ve definitely played in at the club with the depth and the quality of our players. I think we’ve got real potential to progress in the tournament. It’s exciting. It’s different from domestic games, Europe just adds another little, a little part to the season, which is really special.”
The Halfway Line asked Little if a big part of signing her contract extension this season was to win the Champions League, Little smiled:
“I wouldn’t say that’s the sole reason why” she laughed: “It’s a good reason! I suppose that would be pretty special, wouldn’t it?” Little smiled as if pondering the thought for the first time.
She continued: “And it’s nice to dream sometimes like that. I will say I love playing at the highest level, and I love playing in the highest level games. The Champions League brings that almost every game now, in the group stage or in the quarter final, so, yeah, maybe it will be the reason if we do” she conceded with a grin.
Little notes ‘authenticity’ as a key component of her leadership style
Little has been an exceptional servant for the N5 based club. She has made over 300 appearances for Arsenal and scored over 170 goals. In 2018. Little became the club captain after returning from a spell in the US just a year earlier. Little was asked what qualities she had at that time that saw her made captain of Arsenal. Little responded:
“Pedro [Losa] at the time asked me to be the captain at the club. I think with the experience I had, the level I play at, just my professionalism and how I train, in behaviours, obviously gives a good example for younger players to look up to.
So that, I think that initially, is why I was kind of put into leadership position. I think it [took] a little bit of adjustment time going into that role, you’ve slightly more responsibilities, than when you are in those leadership roles.
I [had] a small period there, just to find my feet with it and be kind of at peace with how I want to lead. And it’s not necessarily with someone who has to be the one that speaks all the time or externally motivate players. By doing it in my way, and just being kind of content with that, and knowing that that will have a have an impact on players being yourself.
Maybe do it in more subtle ways. Observing and trying to engage as much players as possible, and leading by action, I suppose, by example. I think a lot of people would say that about me, that’s how I try to do it and try to think about it, and how I can be impactful as possible, but also in a way that comes quite authentically to me, because I think that’s really important.”
And how has being captain of Arsenal benefitted Little herself? She honestly replied:
“For me, it has also put me on my comfort zone, which is good, because I often in meetings speak and be the voice at times of players so then you do need to speak up.
So there are times when I do need to do that, and I think that doesn’t come naturally to me, but I think it’s good for me to do that.”
Little’s favourite goal for Arsenal? ‘Scored in a derby against Spurs’
Little has developed as a player over the course of her time at the club, she has now evolved into a player who can dictate the pace of a match from the base of midfield. But that wasn’t always the former Hiberian star’s style, she recalled:
“If you look at the stats, I probably scored most of [my goals] in my first period [with] Arsenal. [Since then] I have kind of played a bit deeper in midfield.”
Little was asked about all of the goals she scored for Arsenal, and if any, which one stuck out in her mind as a favourite?
“I scored in a derby against Spurs. It was one of our first games in the big stadium, and I don’t think the goal was particularly [important] I think it put us 2-0 up in the game. But it wasn’t to win the win a title or anything. But I just remember being in the big stadium, and it was a really nice, it dropped down to me I controlled it and then [scored].”
Little continued: “I think also the game was being filmed, also more and in different ways. So you see them, I think when you look back at some of the older goals, the way the games are videoed. So I think now they look more, you know, they feel better watching them because they’re filmed from better angles and you see different things, or repeats of them. So yeah, that one stays in my mind.”
Good squad depth is ‘a part of the game now’ insists Little
During the course of this season and especially since Renée Slegers took over as Arsenal head coach Little has been rested perhaps more often than in recent seasons. For example when coming off against Tottenham Hotspur at half time with the team 2-0 up. The Halfway Line put this to Little and asked if it is something she and Slegers had discussed, she replied noting two parts to her answer:
“One part is about small injuries, which then impact your minutes. I broke my hand and did little things, so that’s part of it so then reintegrating. I also think now at a club like Arsenal, when you have a squad of players who are at such a high level, I think you have the possibility to change and substitute players with the same level of quality almost.
I think that’s part of the game now. Obviously, I’m a bit older in my career, I’ve played a long time, but that’s not necessarily something that is discussed about managing minutes in that way. But if our loads too high over a consecutive games, then yes, it’s about making sure me and obviously other players as well are as fresh as possible.”
Little delights in young midfield talents at Arsenal progressing into ‘real world class players’
The Halfway Line asked Little how she has found working with young midfielders and helping them to develop alongside other senior midfielders in the squad like Lia Wälti. She responded:
“Being more senior players, more experienced players [Little and Wälti] we’ve obviously some got some great midfielders coming through in Kyra [Cooney-Cross] and, you know, Vic [Pelova] as well, Frida [Maanum].
It’s obviously great to see they’re of such a high quality now, and they push me and Wally [Lia Wälti] and vice versa. We can hopefully help them learn as well, so that they keep progressing into real world class players.”
Speaking specifically about Arsenal’s Australian midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross Little praised her gushing:
“Kyra has done that this year [progressed into a world class player]. She’s played a lot more minutes, and has been doing a really great job.”
