Netherlands attacker Vivianne Miedema on joining Manchester City women from Arsenal
Netherlands attacker Vivianne Miedema on joining Manchester City women from Arsenal
04/07/2024
CGA, Manchester, England
04/07/2024
CGA, Manchester, England
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Viv, welcome to Manchester City. How does it feel to be in blue?
00:05Thank you. Yeah, it feels really, really nice to be in blue.
00:08I'm really excited to be here, to get started and hopefully win a lot of things together.
00:13Given a player of your calibre, I imagine there were a lot of suitors for you
00:18when it was announced that you were going to leave Arsenal.
00:20But why did City feel like the right place for you?
00:23I think having thought really, really hard about my future after leaving Arsenal,
00:28I think the main thing that popped up was that I want to be at a team that is playing good football.
00:34And I think in women's football right now, City's got a really clear philosophy.
00:40They've obviously done really well last season.
00:42And I think if I look at the way I want to play, it really suits that.
00:46So in the end, I think it's obviously a massive bonus as well that I do stay in the WSL.
00:52But yeah, I think it was the best fit for me.
00:55It was obviously a big decision, but did it feel like an easy decision
00:58when you knew that City was potentially interested?
01:01I think obviously when I first heard that City were interested,
01:04I was like, oh, that's definitely really interesting.
01:07I think it's one of the clubs, as I said before, I've always followed.
01:12I've always wanted to make sure that they are doing well and I follow their development.
01:17And I think, yeah, them two points coming together and the way they play football
01:21and being in the WSL was in the end a pretty easy choice for me.
01:26I think what's so exciting for City fans is that you're still approaching your peak years.
01:30You could get even better compared to what you've already done.
01:32Is there a lot of excitement on your side as well, starting a new chapter at this time in your career?
01:37I think I am only 27, obviously.
01:40I haven't played as much football as I wished over the last two years.
01:44But I think, I hope my best years are still to come.
01:47And I really hope that that's going to be here at City.
01:50And I hope I'm going to be able to help the team as much as I can do.
01:54Obviously, yeah, I am just really excited to be part of that team
01:58and for the girls to hopefully help me and get me back to my best.
02:02And yeah, I think if I get back to my best again, then we can achieve really nice things together.
02:07You've faced City, obviously, a few times already in your career and scored a few times as well.
02:12What was that experience like facing a Man City team?
02:15Yeah, over the last couple of years at Arsenal, we've played City a lot of times.
02:19And I think it's always been one of the most exciting games.
02:22Obviously, it's a top game, it's a top club.
02:25But also, I think the way we played against each other was really, really nice
02:28because we both wanted to play football.
02:30I think mostly in London, Arsenal won.
02:33Mostly in Manchester, it's been a team that would beat us.
02:37And I think I'm really excited to be on the other side of us this time
02:40and hopefully do win a couple of games in London as well.
02:43Fingers crossed.
02:44Talk about your new teammates now, too, that you're obviously very familiar with.
02:48Our Jill Roden and Kirsten Kasperai, two Dutch international teammates.
02:52So many Dutchies.
02:53So many, so many.
02:55Did they speak to you at all about the move?
02:57Or have they spoken to you about City before you joined?
03:00I'm obviously quite fortunate because I do know my two Dutchies here.
03:03I also do know a lot of the English girls already.
03:06But yeah, I definitely spoke with Jill about everything.
03:09She really, really enjoys it.
03:11And I think if Jill enjoys it, it must be a good place.
03:14So that also made the choice a lot easier, obviously.
03:17I think me and Jill have got a very similar mindset in football.
03:20We both want to play football.
03:22We both want to feel appreciated.
03:24And she said it's really, really good here.
03:27And again, because I've obviously been in England for so long,
03:30I feel like although I might not know the girls personally,
03:34I've been around so long.
03:36We've seen each other so many times.
03:37And I am really excited to be part of that team and get to know everyone.
03:42We've spoken obviously about other teammates as well.
03:45There's so many attacking options to play alongside you.
03:48It must be so exciting thinking about all the different players
03:51you're going to link up with and also what you can tell them about
03:54your career so far to hopefully bring everybody up another level.
03:58Yeah, I think, again, looking forward to the future,
04:02I always said that I want to play with the best players in the world.
04:05And I think City have got that.
04:08I think attacking-wise, obviously, they've got so many different players,
04:11different qualities.
04:13I hope that I can add some different qualities to that again.
04:16I think if you look back at last season,
04:18you've seen the qualities that Bonnie have, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly,
04:22obviously, play in the England national team as well.
04:24I've played with Jill for so many years,
04:26so I'm pretty sure we'll find each other straight away again.
04:29And, yeah, the depth in the team is only growing.
04:32And I think if we can get the right combination in that sense,
04:36luckily that's not up to me.
04:38But, yeah, it would be amazing to be part of that.
04:41I think we can have a lot of joy in front of goal.
04:43The man it obviously is up to is Gareth Taylor.
04:45Have you had any conversations with the manager so far
04:47and what his plans maybe are for you?
04:49Again, obviously, I've seen Gareth around the last couple of years.
04:52I have had conversations with him.
04:55We spoke about the future of the club,
04:57obviously the way he wants to train, what his plans are.
05:00And it just got me really excited.
05:02And I think, as we know, I love football, I love talking about football.
05:08And, yeah, I really can't say a better thing about him.
05:12And I'm really looking forward to actually work with him
05:14and work with the other girls.
05:16And, yeah, I aspire about football a lot as well.
05:19You've obviously scored so many goals across your career,
05:21but you've always made a big point
05:23about how you also take a lot of pride in providing for teammates as well.
05:27Why do you feel that's so important,
05:29beyond obviously being the one to finish off the move,
05:31also being the one to spark it or create it?
05:35Well, as a number nine,
05:37I'm not going to pick up the ball myself on my half
05:40and dribble past ten people to then score it.
05:42I think, especially as a number nine,
05:44you're always really reluctant on whoever is playing next to you.
05:48And you want the ball in the box, you want to get assist from others.
05:51And I think, along the way, as I said, I started playing as a ten,
05:54I've been on the left wing.
05:56I've always felt that enjoyment in creating chances for others.
06:01And I think that has really helped me to be a more complete number nine.
06:05Obviously, yeah, I do like scoring goals,
06:07but I do love assisting others probably even more.
06:11I think that's also obviously the slight change
06:13that I've made in my career recently
06:15is that I don't always need to be the deep number nine.
06:18I can also be a ten around the nine
06:20or have a free roll around the number nine.
06:23And I think in that sense, I'm quite flexible.
06:26But again, I think if you look at the qualities the team already has,
06:30I think I can just add a wee bit more of that creativity to it.
06:34And yeah, I'm really, really looking forward
06:36to actually see how that's going to combine together.
06:39So one of the key examples of how goals aren't just everything,
06:42it's about providing a few teammates,
06:44is that one of your many WSL records
06:46is you were the first to 100 goal involvements, 70 goals, 30 assists.
06:51We could talk about the amount of records
06:53you've broken about the WSL for forever.
06:56But you mentioned earlier that there was a real desire to stay in the WSL.
07:00Yeah, I think I really wanted to stay in the WSL,
07:03not really for the records, but for the development of the league.
07:06I think over the last couple of years,
07:08we've literally gone from playing in the smallest stadiums
07:10with maybe 500 people in the stands
07:12to selling out crowds all over the country.
07:16I think, obviously, as I said,
07:19my way of playing is that I do set up other players around me.
07:25I did want to stay in the WSL because I think it's the best league.
07:28I don't necessarily think that's transformed
07:30into English clubs winning the Champions League yet,
07:33but hopefully we'll get there.
07:37I do think that this is just the place to be right now.
07:40In the end, as I said, it was an easy choice for me.
07:43I want to challenge myself every single day in training,
07:46but also every single week in the games that we play.
07:49I think City is the right place to do that right now.
07:52This is obviously your first day here.
07:54I don't know how much you've been able to see,
07:56but what have you made of the facilities so far at the City Football Academy?
07:59You've obviously played at the Joyce Stadium,
08:01but have you had a chance to see the training ground and everything so far?
08:04Yeah, obviously it's my first day.
08:06I have played here many, many years and many games,
08:09but it's been really nice to see everything behind the scenes a bit.
08:13Clearly not see everything yet,
08:15but I'm pretty sure that when we start in July,
08:17I'll get to see everything, get to see all the girls.
08:20Obviously, again, one of the reasons that I wanted to come to City
08:24is because everything is so professional.
08:26The ambition from the club is really, really high
08:29and I can't wait to get started in that sense.
08:33Manchester as a city, we've been greeted by a random downpour,
08:36which is trademark of up here,
08:38but what have you made of the city from what you've seen so far?
08:41Are you excited to experience it away from the pitch as well?
08:45I'm not a massive, big city person.
08:48I really struggled in London sometimes when I went in
08:51and I've been in Manchester a couple of times
08:53and it seems really chilled.
08:55I know the weather isn't that good, but I am used to that.
08:58I am Dutch, so we don't get massive hot summers either
09:02and I'm pretty sure I'll adjust to that straight away.
09:05I'll probably have my gloves on from August till July, but it's okay.
09:10No, it's really exciting to be here in Manchester.
09:14I think, again, it's one of the cities that just lifts and breathes football.
09:19Obviously, the rivalry with the other side,
09:22and I can't wait to explore it a wee bit more.
09:26Focusing back on the pitch very quickly,
09:28just talk us through any ambitions you have
09:30in terms of individually, but also collectively.
09:32What are you hoping to achieve at City?
09:34After the last couple of years, I think my biggest wish and hope
09:38is that I'm just going to be able to play a full season again.
09:41I'm feeling really, really good, so I'm really looking forward to that.
09:44Obviously, the reason I chose City is because I think
09:47they've got the same ambitions as me.
09:49They want to win the league, they want to win titles,
09:51and that really applies to what I want as well.
09:54I think, over the last couple of years, the development has been really good.
09:58They've got such a clear philosophy on how we want to play.
10:03I really, really think that we can take this team to the next level
10:07and I'm really excited to see what that next level is going to bring us.
10:11Finally, I'm sure I speak for every City fan when I say
10:14that everyone is incredibly excited that you've joined the club.
10:17Do you have a message for the City fans ahead of potentially getting out on the pitch soon?
10:21Obviously, I've been very fortunate to play in front of a lot of big crowds
10:26and I can't wait to play in front of the City fans.
10:29Just come support us, come to the stadium every single week.
10:33As a player, you appreciate the fans being there so much.
10:37For me personally, and I'm pretty sure for all the girls as well,
10:41it's really important to have that connection with the fans.
10:43I don't normally celebrate goals, but I hope that I am going to be able
10:48to celebrate a lot of good moments with the fans.
10:50The fans will definitely be celebrating, that's for sure.
10:52They can do that for me.
10:53Viv, thank you so much for your time and once again, welcome to Manchester City.
10:57Thank you so much.