Barcelona's Bronze on turning down NWSL, Real Madrid rivalry, Alexia Putellas' injury

With her declaration moving down astatine Manchester City past season, England right-back Lucy Bronze had her prime of clubs. There was involvement from clubs successful Europe and America's apical flight, the NWSL, but she was precise wide with her agent: lone the champion of the best. For Bronze, that meant Lyon oregon Barcelona, past season's 2 Champions League finalists.

Bronze had already played for Lyon earlier successful her career, winning 3 Champions Leagues and FIFA's The Best Women's Player Award during her clip successful France, truthful this clip she opted for Barca. Domestically, Jonatan Giraldez's side, who mislaid to Lyon successful past season's Champions League final, person rather virtually been unbeatable. They person won 42 matches successful a enactment successful Liga F and person lifted the past 3 league titles.

Barcelona finished apical by 24 points past word and were 30 wide of Real Madrid, though determination are signs to suggest that spread may not beryllium truthful large this season. Madrid's betterment has been accelerated -- they person not yet beaten Barca, but they person rapidly established themselves conscionable beneath the apical ringing of clubs successful Europe. They person knocked Man City retired of the Champions League 2 years moving to marque the radical stages and reached the quarterfinals past season, losing to Barca successful beforehand of a satellite grounds assemblage astatine Camp Nou.

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Real Madrid invested again successful the summer, and among those brought successful has been Scotland planetary Caroline Weir, Bronze's erstwhile City teammate. They person 4 points from 2 European games this season, including a goalless gully against heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, and are unbeaten successful Liga F, 5 points down Barca with a crippled successful hand.

On Sunday, Real Madrid big the Catalans successful the Clasico. With the world's champion subordinate Alexia Putellas and Caroline Graham Hansen among the database of injured players astatine Barca, Madrid whitethorn consciousness this represents their champion accidental yet to bushed Barca for the archetypal time. But, arsenic Bronze explains exclusively to ESPN, Barca's squad runs heavy and they person go the champion broadside successful Spain for a reason, adjacent if they are capable to admit the maturation which is besides occurring successful the superior city.

Bronze spoke astir adjusting to beingness successful Barcelona, whether Real Madrid person earned the Clasico rivals tag, and her way from Dominos worker to Champions League powerhouse starter.

ESPN: So, tin we telephone it a Clasico now?

Bronze: Yeah, it is!

ESPN: Sandra Panos told america Madrid had to gain that right, person they?

Bronze: They person improved a batch and shown they are a apical squad successful Spain. They vie successful Europe consistently present -- they decorativeness precocious successful the array successful Spain consistently. And the games against Barca, I person ne'er played successful them but I person watched them, they are competitory games and they person got immoderate satellite people players.

ESPN: Are Madrid present the large home rivals up of Atletico Madrid?

Bronze: Yeah, I deliberation determination are a mates of teams that are truly strong, similar Atletico, similar Madrid, similar Levante who we conscionable played. But determination is simply a rivalry starting present with Barca and Madrid. I person not been portion of it antecedently but I tin consciousness this clip everyone is excited and up for the game.

ESPN: Any added information to you facing erstwhile teammate Caroline Weir?

Bronze: It's bully to person a acquainted face. She's a fantastic player. She is doing truly good astatine Madrid, which is bully to see, but I don't privation her to beryllium playing excessively good astatine the weekend. I cognize her qualities arsenic a player, but arsenic a squad we volition hopefully beryllium capable to woody with her.

ESPN: Do you speak?

Bronze: I spoke to her rather a portion ago. It's antithetic for maine than Caroline. I person already played successful antithetic countries earlier and learned antithetic languages. So I knew what to expect, that's the archetypal benignant of archetypal struggle, not the football, the civilization change. Not knowing everything that is going connected successful grooming and having to accommodate and get utilized to that earlier adjacent reasoning astir going connected the pitch. It was the aforesaid for Caz [Caroline], from what I know, but she has settled successful beauteous well, scoring goals. From the extracurricular it looks similar she's doing well.

ESPN: Real Madrid didn't effort and motion you connected a escaped successful the summer?

Bronze: Was determination a call? I don't adjacent retrieve to beryllium honest. There were lone 2 teams, Lyon and Barca were the champion teams successful Europe, they were the lone teams that would drawback my attention. Obviously determination were teams successful America arsenic well. But I conscionable told my cause I lone privation the champion and the champion was Barca and Lyon.

ESPN: You wanted to enactment successful Europe?

Bronze: Obviously a batch of players spell to America, it's a antithetic benignant of league to what we person successful Europe. It did transverse my mind. But I person played astatine Lyon and was truthful palmy determination and the accidental to play astatine different satellite people squad and unrecorded successful Barcelona, it was erstwhile successful a lifetime, I was ne'er going to crook it down.

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England's Lucy Bronze, Fran Kirby, Ellen White and Beth Mead instrumentality connected ESPN's You Have To Answer quiz.

ESPN: Your dada is Portuguese, you played successful France, present successful Catalonia successful the Spanish league. How are the languages coming along?

Bronze: They accidental Catalan is akin to French, which I americium much fluent successful than Portuguese. But some languages person helped maine a lot. I person picked up the listening rather easily. But erstwhile speaking I thin to enactment connected a Portuguese oregon French accent due to the fact that the words are similar! I anticipation my Spanish volition beryllium fluent wrong a year.

ESPN: Keira Walsh has travel successful arsenic good and determination are batch of English speakers successful the dressing country now.

Bronze: All the overseas players talk English isolated from Geyse, who's Brazilian. It is bully to person that small spot of location successful the dressing room. A fewer girls talk English unneurotic truthful we consciousness comfortable. Obviously it's bully for Keira and maine to person each other, due to the fact that we cognize each different truthful well. It's been a batch easier to settee in.

ESPN: It's Walsh's archetypal clip overseas and her position, astatine the basal of the midfield arsenic a pivot, is precise specialised astatine Barca. How is she doing?

Bronze: She is settling successful good but it volition instrumentality time. The important relation successful the Barca broadside has ever been successful midfield, it's ever had the champion players, the likes of Alexia, Patri [Guijarro], Aitana [Bonmati], determination are truthful galore satellite people midfielders that play for Barcelona. And Barca are known for tiki taka, keeping the ball, and it's the midfielders that bash that. So for Keira to travel into that presumption is simply a large ask, but determination is nary subordinate much prepared and bully capable to bash that than Keira, from what she has showed with City and England. She is our astir method subordinate with England, our astir intelligent subordinate with England, truthful if anyone tin bash it, it's Keira.

It's conscionable getting the connection and being capable to speech connected the pitch, determination is simply a batch of connection that needs to happen, truthful it's astir getting that up. She is simply a speedy learner and she is specified a likeable property that adjacent if she doesn't talk the connection she has already made specified bully friends with, instrumentality [Claudia] Pina for example, doesn't talk English, but they're similar champion friends. You're similar 'How are they communicating?' But they get connected truthful good disconnected the transportation and nexus good connected it due to the fact that of that relationship. Keira has that benignant of personality.

ESPN: Tell america astir the nuance of your relation arsenic a right-back astatine Barcelona.

Bronze: It decidedly feels similar caller mode to play the position. I get asked to bash antithetic things successful antithetic games. We accommodate our benignant depending connected who's playing. We person truthful galore satellite people players, we person truthful galore games, we rotate a lot. Sometimes I americium asked to beryllium much defensive, immoderate times much attacking. It depends connected who I americium playing with, the narration I request to person with the subordinate adjacent to me, successful beforehand of maine oregon successful midfield. Every crippled is learning thing new. It is truly bully due to the fact that the coaches bash loads of clips with you aft the game. Every azygous subordinate gets their feedback aft each azygous game. I ne'er had that anyplace before. All those details.

ESPN: Do you similar that broadside of the game?

Bronze: I don't similar watching games backmost but if it's conscionable me, I similar watching my ain performances and seeing if I did thing good oregon not. I deliberation that's the champion mode to improve, not lone to conscionable spot the bully things, but the atrocious things and vice versa. It's bully that they bash that for us, clipping the bully and the atrocious and penning arsenic good what they spot and think. And for maine they constitute successful English, which is helpful.

Obviously we bash investigation astatine each nine I person been at, but ne'er that level of idiosyncratic penetration arsenic consistently arsenic I person here. Every azygous crippled is analysed connected each idiosyncratic and you get that feedback personally. We bash truthful overmuch squad worldly successful training, it's bully to person your ain worldly that you tin ticker astatine location and amended yourself. If you privation to amended individually, past everything is fixed to you to bash that here.

ESPN: Everyone says the grooming present is much aggravated than their erstwhile clubs. Is it existent oregon bash you conscionable accidental it?

Bronze: Yeah, it is the intensity. Being astatine Lyon, the method quality of the players determination was conscionable arsenic bully arsenic these Spanish girls. I person played with satellite people players, the likes of Dzsenifer Marozsan are among the champion I person ever played with successful presumption of intelligence, interaction and ability. But the situation we person successful grooming present is truly intense, the mode they privation to press, play, is simply a truly intense, precocious level. And it's not conscionable similar successful 1 tiny game, it's everything we do.

I deliberation that's wherefore you look astatine the halfway of Spanish players, Alexia etc., and their maturation successful the past 5 years, it's due to the fact that Barca changed the mode they trained. They upped the strength and made these players adjacent better, the likes of Aitana, Patri, Mapi [Leon] -- truthful galore of them that possibly 5 years agone nary 1 was talking astir and present they're among the champion successful the world. I deliberation it is due to the fact that the strength of grooming present has stepped everyone up a level.

ESPN: Has that amazed you?

Bronze: I expected grooming and the players to beryllium good, I had played against each of them for Barca oregon Spain, but it inactive amazed me, the level, however precocious it was at. I was astatine Lyon, the level was high, but the strength here, it did astonishment maine that it was truthful high.

ESPN: And the extent of the endowment here, person you seen that before?

Bronze: Lyon was bully for processing younker similar Selma Bacha, I deliberation she was 18 erstwhile I was there, determination were a mates of them. The quality astatine Barca is determination are 100s of them. There are conscionable similar clones and clones and clones of these astonishing technical, intelligent players. We had a crippled [on Thursday] nighttime wherever we enactment connected 3 oregon 4 kids truthful we could remainder players. In preseason, we had fractional the younger players travel with america and the level did not drop. That's thing I don't deliberation I person seen earlier and surely not successful England. That's recognition to the methodology of the grooming successful Barcelona.

ESPN: How has Liga F compared to the Women's Super League and disapproval that it's a one-team league?

I deliberation it was the aforesaid successful Lyon. Lyon were that bully that it was hard for the different teams to compete. It's the aforesaid successful Spain. From the outside, radical speech and accidental the different teams are not good, but I person been pleasantly amazed astatine the level of immoderate of the teams. And it's pugnacious for them, but we person specified a bully squad astatine Barca. It's not conscionable our XI, we tin rotate. And to beryllium honest, that's benignant of what's happening successful England. People accidental 'Oh Barca ever win' oregon 'Lyon ever win,' well, Chelsea person ever won the league successful England yet an English squad has not won the Champions League for years and years. Barca and Lyon have.

It depends however you look astatine it. Lyon won the Champions League truthful galore times but they dominated their home league arsenic good due to the fact that they were that good. It's the aforesaid with Barca, they were that bully that they could predominate domestically and triumph the Champions League. If you privation to triumph the Champions League, you astir apt volition beryllium dominating domestically. That is what it takes to vie astatine the highest level successful the Champions League. That is what I person seen from being successful Lyon, being successful Spain, being successful England. That is the level it takes to beryllium that palmy and beryllium known arsenic that squad that's the best, arsenic Barca and Lyon person been known for.

ESPN: How bash you spot the Champions League this season?

Bronze: I deliberation it's inactive aboriginal days. Lyon's commencement particularly is purely down to injuries. It is brainsick the magnitude of semipermanent injuries they person got. They could marque different XI with the players that are missing and these players are unbelievable, the likes of Marozsan, Mbock, Hegerberg... It's hard for them, but if they get those players back, and qualify, they volition beryllium a large threat.

We person done well, we are inactive improving, getting our benignant backmost and besides person players injured, Caro, Alexia, who volition hopefully travel backmost 2nd fractional of the season. Chelsea person done reasonably well, PSG person done OK, Bayern Munich are a apical team, Wolfsburg are a apical team. It volition beryllium pugnacious for whoever gets to the final, we privation to get determination and assistance the trophy. We person what it takes but you ne'er cognize successful football. There are a batch of teams that astir apt deliberation they person a bully accidental this year.

ESPN: What's Alexia's relation been portion she's injured?

Bronze: The bully happening astir Barca is we person a fig of captains, truthful determination is nary unit for her. Everyone conscionable wants her to absorption connected getting backmost fit. I deliberation erstwhile you're injured, you should not request to consciousness similar you request to propulsion the squad excessively much. Alexia has been great. I person made rather bully friends with her now. She is ace focused connected getting backmost fit. She is successful and astir the squad erstwhile she needs to be. She is doing good astatine the minute. I americium conscionable excited for her to get backmost connected the transportation due to the fact that I americium yet to play with her.

ESPN: Have you spoken to her astir the superior wounded you had astatine the commencement of your career?

Bronze: I person spoken to her. I cognize radical cognize astir it, but I don't deliberation they cognize the ins and outs. I told her benignant of the communicative of what has happened to my knees, however it is inactive a occupation these days, but determination is thing I tin bash astir it. I conscionable person to get connected with it and enactment hard. Sharing stories and experiences helps different radical and possibly helps her recognize her ain genu a small spot better.

And sometimes, it's not nice, but to stock experiences and cognize different radical person gone done those things, I conjecture makes you consciousness a small amended that you tin travel retired the different end. I went done each that successful my 20s and inactive managed to marque it to the apical of my game. She is astatine the apical of her crippled already, truthful she tin travel backmost astatine the extremity of this injury, get herself adjacent higher, bash adjacent more, propulsion herself adjacent much and possibly larn a spot astir herself that she would not person learned if she was injured.

ESPN: During those moments successful your career, erstwhile you were injured oregon erstwhile you were studying and moving astatine Dominos, would you person believed you would beryllium sitting present playing for Barcelona and a European champion with England?

Bronze: I was truthful focused and driven that I person ever thought thing is imaginable and I tin execute anything. But the way to it was astir apt a precise windy way erstwhile I deliberation astir it backmost then: being injured, moving astatine Dominos, not truly being successful favour with England, having zero pounds successful my slope relationship to facilitate immoderate benignant of training.

The way was a hard one, with a batch of obstacles successful the way, but the information I was truthful driven and motivated, particularly astatine that age, pushed maine to now. It is bully to look backmost to moving astatine Dominos to present being a look of their campaign, to being injured to being a European champion, Champions League winner, champion subordinate successful the world, everything. It's bully to deliberation astir that travel but the travel continues. I volition look backmost connected it erstwhile I americium retired and that's erstwhile I volition beryllium truly rather arrogant astir however it started and ended.

ESPN: A Wembley last with England and present Camp Nou this period with Barcelona. How bash you deliberation that volition compare?

Bronze: Speaking to the girls who played determination past year, I deliberation it volition beryllium amazing. It is hard to comparison it to England, but I deliberation it volition beryllium a akin feeling of these brainsick fans that perfectly adore the team. Playing for England and the full state was down us, I had ne'er had that feeling before. To travel to Barcelona, the fans already person been crazy, they're astonishing -- I benignant of person that aforesaid feeling of what it was similar successful the Euros with English fans.

I person that with Barca fans each clip we play. To person that accidental astatine nine level with Barcelona, I americium truthful excited. To person that feeling... I walked retired astatine Camp Nou erstwhile I signed and adjacent conscionable lasting successful the stadium was crazy. To deliberation we could capable that stadium, playing a large game... and it conscionable truthful happens it's Bayern Munich. And with England it was Germany, truthful determination is simply a resemblance there. I americium truthful looking guardant to it.