Arsenal Women Arsecast Episode 163: Arseblog Exclusive with Lotte Wubben-Moy

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0:30Hello and welcome to the Arsenal Women Askcast and Askblog.com with me your host Tim Stillman. We haven't had an episode in a couple of weeks because we haven't had a game in a couple of weeks so Jamie and I haven't got together since after the Brighton game. However, it won't have escaped your notice that Arsenal have a massive game on Sunday at home to Lyon in the Champions League semi-final first leg, a repeat of last season. Let's hope we get the same aggregate score as last season. maybe not the same home score where Lyon won 2-1 but Arsenal obviously went out to Lyon and won the second leg 4-1 and that really set the club on its way to winning the Champions League so they're coming into a game against Lyon as the defending champions which hasn't happened for some time that's usually a tag that Lyon have but obviously it's an absolutely huge game on Sunday kicking off at half past three at Emirates Stadium and obviously we wanted to do some kind of preview for this game where usually we just do a post-match podcast and we thought that for a game of this size we needed a guest of a big kind of size and stature as well so we were delighted on Wednesday morning to be joined by Arsenal defender Lotta Wubben-Moy and this is an exclusive interview for arseblog.com I was joined by Lotta from the Arsenal training ground on Wednesday morning and we talked about you know how she mentally and physically prepares for games how she's coped with being in and out of both of the club team and her country some of the tools she's been using to kind of help her prepare in terms of data and you know outside help that she's enlisted both physically and mentally and obviously we talk a little bit about the Lyon game the two-legged tie on Sunday, second leg in Lyon on Saturday, 2nd of May.

2:23So without further ado, here is my chat with Lotta Wubben-Moy.

2:31So as I said at the top, absolutely delighted to be joined by Arsenal defender Lotta Wubben-Moy. Lotta, thanks so much for joining the show. Cheers, Tim. Happy to be here. Lotta, I wanted to start really by talking a little bit, I guess, about like mental preparation for games, particularly as we're coming up to such a massive game on Sunday. And, you know, you've been in a situation both with Arsenal and England where you've kind of been in and out of the team. And I guess one of the things I'm really interested by is how you kind of, I guess, how you cope with that, for want of a better word, and particularly at the beginning of this season when, you know, Leah's out and then Katie Reid comes into the team and you're not in the team.

3:17And I guess, you know, how do you kind of, how did you deal with that situation at the time? I think when it comes to mental preparation, it kind of comes hand in hand with the physical prep. I would say to myself, if I'm ready, there's nothing more I can do. And I always take accountability for myself and basically all my controllables. there's a there's quite a cool quote in the in the men's physio room um so in the other building and um you can kind of see it on the wall through the pool area there's like a glass a glass window um and i pretty much spend every every afternoon in that pool area doing contrast um so helping blood flow uh you go from hot to cold um but on the wall it says um availability is your best ability and um I think throughout my career having had injuries and I I think I've stepped away from that being like a defining sort of um narrative for for me um of um sort of having those quote-unquote setbacks but looking at it as okay if I'm fit if I'm available if I'm um ready like I said then there's nothing more I can do and um that sort of physical preparation has then led into my mental preparation and um I think that mental side of um knowing that I've done everything um within my control but also done it in a way that um sort of aligns with with everything that I stand for um knowing that I've supported other individuals you mentioned the likes of Katie and the likes of Leah like their success is kind of my success when you look at the DNA of this club like we're rare nowadays like you don't get many academy graduates coming through and stepping into a first team so so competitive so for me I look at Kate Reid I'm like I want her to do well I want this club to be producing talent like that because since Leah and I there hasn't been anyone except for Katie so when you look at the start of this season and then you look at her sort of trajectory that she grew within that space of time.

5:34It was incredible. And I know that without a doubt when she comes back from her ACL, that trajectory will come on tenfold. And like I kind of said, for me, her success is my success. And similarly to myself and Leah doing well, that success is also for Katie to look up to. So it kind of becomes this sort of organic sort of way of looking at academy graduates, homegrown talent, but also, I guess, when it comes to the mental side of like, OK, I've already won because we're on the pitch. and I like to think that fans also look at that in the same way and can have the same pride for us playing for this beautiful club.

6:23Yeah, yeah. Little plug there, I interviewed Pauline McDonald yesterday and that's going to go in the Leicester City programme about some of these things as well. Obviously, she's taking up the player pathway role, but I'm interested, Lotta, in how much you talk a lot there about physical and mental preparation. I've been talking to a lot of former players this season so many of whom have been to the US which is an experience that probably English players had more maybe five to ten years ago and maybe there isn't the same need to go there anymore but you did go there in the college system and something people always say is that the physical and mental preparation in the US is on another level, probably still?

7:06And how much did that kind of inform your mindset? We competed in everything, every single thing, Tim. It was recorded and you were going to know about it. You were going to know if you were bot and you were going to know if you were top. Lessie and I are products of that and so is Lucy, so is Emily Fox, like players that I feel lucky to still be surrounded by. um that being said i also think in america they have this uh incredible ability to um facilitate balance facilitate it in a way that is like your lifestyle um so while you do have that um sort of heightened intensity of competition and um sort of nurturing galvanizing like your need to um compete and fight for every single thing.

7:57You've also got this kind of beautiful contrast of, hey, I love you. And the reason why I can compete with you is because I love you. And I've got an appreciation for who you are, what you bring to the team. We might not get on, but the fact that you're contributing, the fact that you're pushing me is a reason to love you, basically. and being a Londoner I did struggle with the um sort of over exaggeration in many ways um but I think in many in many ways it also taught me to to be more open in myself and I wouldn't say I'm like the most uh not expressive but I wouldn't say I'm the most um wear my heart on the sleep on my sleeve kind of person I like to stay in this controlled middle but being in America I think did allow me to to open up in those ways um both in that sort of mental intensity uh competition sort of world but also um in the world of balance and um yeah I studied there I had a college lifestyle there so that was also something that was um incredibly valuable for me as a young woman growing up not just as a football player um and yeah to to have been able to do that with Lesi, with Foxy, we all share the house.

9:22Even more reason to have a foundation to then be able to compete with your best mates. It's funny because Les and I often look at each other in training and we are often playing against each other. They put, for some reason, Lesi is always the nine against me and I want that. I want to be competing against the best. And heck yeah, Lesi Russo is one of the best at the moment. and um in terms of uh kind of i guess analyzing your own performance it's actually uh this hasn't been done deliberately but i looked on my kind of time hop this morning and it's a year today since your new contract was announced really yeah yeah um and you know i know you know when it came to the new contract for example you commissioned a data company to really look into the kind of analytics around your performance and how do I fit into this team etc I mean how how I guess where does that really come from that kind of desire to analyse your own performances and to use data as well as I've gone through I think the years here at Arsenal I've kind of consciously tried to add something to my world or my lifestyle each year so one of the years it was I started working with a psychologist who'd previously worked with GB Hockey to win gold medal at the Olympics.

10:46So she was like at the top, she's at the top of her game. I started working with a physio called James, James Davis, who'd worked with Team GB Athletics. So physically, I tried to level up my game. And then obviously, like you say, last year, we brought on Analytics FC to analyse my game, but also do it in a way that took into the context, the women's game in general, because I guess we're all trying to navigate that in a world that's growing so rapidly and in a way that allows me to continue on the trajectory that the game is on. um so when it came to that contract and um that's funny that it was a year ago um the line was I've got lots more to give and that's kind of how I try to live my life um constantly looking for what's more like what what what more can I give um and how can I sort of yeah like make my arsenal stronger make make it more deep make it um more equipped um and I think working with an analytics team that did that for me, but also like educated me in a sense.

12:02That was that was incredibly eye opening. And into this season, I'm working more in depth on my sort of day to day training sessions in games with a Dutch company called Vantage who work on scanning. And scanning is football, basically. That is football. and for me being able to sort of add that into my kind of repertoire of how I play the game I think has taken me to a new level in terms of not just in possession but out of possession too knowing where I am on the pitch knowing where the attackers are and yeah it is sort of lots more. Yeah and you know you're in the leadership group as well this season I know that's not new that you'd been there before but one of the things I'm really interested in Lotta is you know a lot about Rene's approach is about kind of player accountability, player involvement, not just wanting your ideas but almost demanding them as players and she's spoken to us a little bit in press conferences about you know sometimes she'll just randomly pull a couple of players and say you know this is how the other team sets up for goal kicks, what do you think we should do here and you know obviously that's a massive massive part of her approach probably informed by her previous role as well in the kind of player development role and I'm wondering how how much that kind of appeals to you and how maybe you've thrived within that kind of framework

13:33I think I've always been a person of the people and I think there's so much power power within a collective when you're able to empower and galvanize individuals part of a bigger part of a bigger group we all have separate experiences we all have separate expertise separate interests and within a team it's there's so much going on and the way Renee has been able to sort of hone in on different individuals, different ideas and ideologies has created an incredibly healthy environment, an environment that sort of tries to push one another in the sort of daily environment. And like, if you look at the game coming up on Sunday, she's had those conversations too.

14:28And she's done it in a way that is already sort of in advance of the intensity of the days before a game you know like we already feel prepared because this work has been done before it even gets to the intense moments and knowing that you're listened to knowing that you're heard not only on like a human level but also on a tactical level I think empowers you then when you're on the pitch because when you've got an Emmerich Stadium full. You think I can hear Rene on the side or Aaron on the side or Mel on the side of the pitch? No, you can't. You listen within yourself. You listen to the players around you.

15:06I think something that has been our strength this year is our ability to problem solve. That hasn't been something that just happens on pitch in that one moment, in that 90 minutes. It's, I think, a world of work that happens off the pitch and very much credit to Rene, but also credit to the players and where we're at in this point of the season. It's the business end and I think we're sort of primed perfectly. Yeah, I mean, you say you can't hit Aaron. I reckon he'd give it a good go, to be fair, even though I think he's suspended on Sunday. I'm sure he'll still give it a good go from wherever he's sitting.

15:47But before we really come on to the game on Sunday, I wanted to kind of go back to one last thing, I guess, around mindset is on dealing with setbacks. So, you know, for example, 23-24, you play very regularly, you win player of the season. And then the next season is very stop-start for you. A lot of injuries there, not really getting that run in the team that I think we really associate you with as fans. And, you know, you mentioned full Emirates for a Champions League semi-final. There was, I'm sorry to remind, the mistake against Wolfsburg as well, which must have been, particularly for you as an Arsenal person, must have been very difficult to deal with.

16:31How do you deal with those moments and those setbacks? I think I never see moments or games as isolated. Like, they're always part of a weave, part of a story, a narrative. within this sort of greater thing that I call my career. Back to that game, I don't think I've played a more enjoyable game of football in my life. Even since then, it was incredible. It still makes me smile to the day. And the reason why I say it wasn't isolated or isn't isolated any one moment is because that's fuelled me ever since.

17:14I think back to sort of the way we all emptied ourselves in a moment when our backs were against the wall like I don't think anyone had us out to go toe-to-toe with Wolfsburg as we were an injury depleted team I think even if we'd got to the final that year we probably wouldn't have been able to put out a starting XI full of first team players because of how many injuries we had so I think actually looking back to that not only as myself as an individual but as a club we needed that moment we needed that moment to not only believe but also put our foot down and be like hey we're here as a competitor and I have no doubt that that moment that game has helped us in our journey towards where we are today not only last year's Champions League victory but also now playing 11 home games at the Emirates in the league.

18:10Like it's played into that. You then talk about preparation and looking at that semi-final as something that we can learn from. Like I try to block out the noise. I'm off social media. I don't use it anymore. I've got an iPod, so I don't have to go on my phone before a game. I've got many, many sort of like little modalities I use to get me ready for the moments that come. And I'm hungry, I'm thirsty. The prospect of them now playing in another semifinal at the Emirates is pretty incredible. And yeah, it's something that, like I say, is not isolated. has been months, weeks, years of work that we're now coming into that I don't necessarily think is in any way a surprise to anyone who's been following this team or this club this year.

19:17Yeah, you talk about Wolfsburg as part of a journey and particularly part of a journey to using the Emirates in the way that the club have. But, you know, the journey to, I mean, coming into this semi-final as holders against, you know, a massive team like Lyon, who just deserved the utmost respect. But I want to go back to that 5-1 because Arsenal have some very good memories in Lyon in particular. and that 5-1 in October 2022, which you played in, I mean, looking back, does that feel like the beginning of the journey that two and a half years later came to you guys lifting the trophy? Yeah, maybe, maybe.

20:00I think that the year before we weren't in the Champions League, so we had a hunger, we had a real desire. that team was stacked that team is still stacked like you say they deserve the utmost respect and I'm sure likewise they will give us the respect that we deserve the Champions League is so fruitful to have two quite historic teams within the competition competing against one another is an amazing prospect but thinking even back to that 5-1 win our team looks very different very very different and and there is there are still sort of individuals within their team that are still around but likewise does their team look different and I think we know that we know that this will not be a carbon copy of last year it will not be a carbon copy of that 5-1 win either So when it comes to what to expect and sort of how we'll approach the game, it is with fresh, hungry, thirsty eyes of, OK, what can we do?

21:13Because I think even in the most recent games we played against, we haven't been able to start the game as well as we'd want to. And I think what we learned from last year's competition was that how can we play the first 30 minutes before we've even entered the stadium? So all preparation towards that will be heightened, will be very intentional. Yeah, that's one of the things I wanted to touch on as well about what's so difficult about playing Lyon because the first leg last year, particularly the first 30 minutes, Lyon really dominated. and I mean from my vantage point watching them what really strikes me is just how quickly they do everything how quickly they move the ball how quickly they restart play and I think Rene said after that first leg because Arsenal kind of got to grips with the game after that and I think the phrase she used was the players needed to feel what it was like to play Leon it's one thing to watch video clips it's one thing to train that you needed to feel that intensity do you think what is it that makes Leon, as someone who's played against them who's watched when you've been injured playing against them what is it that makes them such a difficult opponent?

22:36Like you said, their intensity their speed, their quickness they hit you where it hurts and while that is also probably one of the biggest strengths it's also potentially an area of weakness that we can exploit. We know what they're good at. And I think from there, you're then able to make the best sort of decisions to counteract that, particularly as a defender, but also as a team that likes to press. Yeah, we'll be going into the game knowing exactly what they want to do. And yeah, while there will be probably changes, ebbs and flows within the game, I think the need for us to start early, start quick as well is incredibly important.

23:29And just a very final one, Lotta. I wonder if there's been a mindset shift. That's really difficult to say before 9am this season, because last season, going into the Lyon semi-final and the Barcelona final, Arsenal would have gone in as underdogs. I don't know about the bookies Odds for this particular game But Is there a mindset shift Nearly messed that up again Coming into this game As holders and I guess Whether maybe there was a difference Maybe you felt like underdogs this year Maybe you don't this year Is there any difference there at all Having had the trophy in your hands last season I'm not sure about A shift in mentality of like underdogs or not because I don't know that never really creeps into my mind but I definitely know as holders and in particular on behalf of the fans we've got something to protect you know we've got something to fight for that is ours and it was rightfully ours from the season we had before but it's it's something that we want to do justice not only on behalf of ourselves the 11 players that start the players that come on the staff that we've got here within the building, within our bubble, our environment, but for the fans as well.

24:53They've been with us on this journey for a long, long time as the fan base has grown as well and grown since last year in particular. But there's something at stake. and I think when you play with that intensity and that weight and that knowing, it doesn't become a weight, it actually frees you. So underdog or not, that kind of goes out the window when it is a game with two very historic teams going toe-to-toe and looking one another in the eye. It's, I think, who best manages the game on the day of the two legs? Absolutely. and there'll be a lot of fans rooting for you and the rest of the team.

25:40There are still tickets available for the game on Sunday but Lota Wobhamoy, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate your time. Cheers, Tim. Thank you. See you at the game.

25:55Absolutely fascinating chat with Lota as always. Such a kind of thoughtful player and I think someone who's really underrated as a footballer but the level of her kind of mental and physical preparation for games, for playing for Arsenal, for playing for England, I really think she kind of goes above and beyond. And that was what I really wanted to tease out in this interview, the amount that she thinks about what she does, how she approaches games, how she approaches playing for Arsenal in England, and how she approaches things like, you know, both helping and competing with a player like Katie Reid at the same time.

26:34and Lotta is someone I think that Arsenal fans would like to hear from inexhaustibly, basically. So really, really grateful to Lotta for her time, really grateful to Arsenal for allowing us to do that as well, particularly because it was quite early on a Wednesday morning when we did that. So really, really grateful to everyone who made that happen and we really, really hope that you enjoyed it. To re-emphasise there are still tickets available for Sunday's home leg semi-final against Lyon. We'll put a link to the tickets in the show notes. It kicks off at 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon. So quite a family-friendly time.

27:15That's quite rare for women's games nowadays. But really, let's kind of pack that stadium out. And, you know, we're the holders of this tournament and that doesn't come easily and it doesn't come along every single year. But we can help make it happen for a second year. So let's get in that stadium and really give these players the support that they deserve and that I know that they thrive on. Big thanks to Lotta. Big thanks to Arsenal. And big good luck to Arsenal on Sunday.

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