Stanway confident of strong performance against Paris

Georgia Stanway is feeling right at home in north London, enjoying her first months at Arsenal despite what she described as a “tough” start to the season.

The England midfielder has featured in all five of our competitive matches so far, and will be hoping to continue that run in Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Paris FC.

“I am very, very happy with my decision to be here,” Georgia said, “even though it’s been a tough couple of weeks, I wouldn’t change any part of what this week’s been part of.

“Renee, the team, there’s 50 people in and out of this building every single day and everybody’s taking responsibility for themselves. I think that will only be us in good stead going forward.

“I’m a big believer of the fact that when it clicks, I think it will really click. I’m also a massive believer in the relationships that you build off the pitch helping on the pitch and we’ll continue to do that.”

Our new no.4 has not only played plenty of minutes in the early days of her Arsenal career, but has also played alongside several different teammates.

Georgia has enjoyed the challenge of building new connections and working on combinations, both in training and on matchday.

“Whenever you come into a new environment, you want to throw yourself in as much as possible. I think it’s important that you say yes to everything, whether that’s in the environment or outside the environment, because those are the times you can get the greater connection.

“Of course, a lot of the work is done on the grass, it’s playing with different partners, seeing exactly how somebody likes to receive the ball or how they like to move, getting to know people’s habits. Everything’s happened so naturally.

“From the very beginning, there was a banner up on the first day that said ‘no matter what, I’m here to give my entire heart,’ and that is what I will continue to do for Arsenal, for the fans, for my teammates and for the staff.”

While Georgia is settled at the club, our results in the early part of the season haven’t quite been as we’d have liked.

Draws with Crystal Palace and Manchester United before a defeat to Chelsea leave us with five points form our first four league games, having beaten Brighton on the opening weekend.

But the England midfielder is adamant that she and her teammates are completely confident that we can turn our fortunes around.

“I would say [a lack of confidence] is a bit of a myth. Based on the level of training and the standard, the intensity, I’d say that the confidence is there, it’s just a matter of us being able to do it at the weekend.

“That comes from us taking responsibility for our own actions. At the moment, I do really believe it’s fine margins and there is confidence within that dressing room downstairs, there’s a lot of belief and there’s also a lot of motivation.

“We’re constantly battling to find solutions, to find ways in which we can challenge the opposition, create chances in the final third. Communication is the most important, I think that can really lift the energy, it can get people talking, it’s not about dwelling on what’s just happened, it’s about speaking to each other, building those connections and bringing the energy within the room.”

We made a winning start to our Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win over HB Koge Women, a result we’ll look to build on against Paris FC on Wednesday night.

The Champions League carries a special significance for Georgia, as it’s one of the few trophies she’s yet to add to her collection.

“We’ve spent the last two days putting ourselves in the best possible position to be ready to fight tomorrow, be ready tactically and technically, be better than them and that is exactly what we’re going to try and execute.

“The Champions League is my overall dream. It’s something that I’ve never got close to and something I’d love to make happen and I’d love to do that in an Arsenal shirt.”