“It’s the way we want to win” – Maestre and Van de Donk ahead of London City Lionesses vs Manchester United | OneFootball

Anne Butzelaar, Women's Football Editor

Earlier today, London City Lionesses manager Eder Maestre and newly appointed vice-captain Daniëlle van de Donk spoke to the media ahead of their Women’s Super League opener against Manchester United on Friday, 4 September at 19:00 BST at the CopperJax Community Stadium.

Expectations surrounding London City have risen considerably following an ambitious summer in the transfer market.

Already boasting considerable experience within their squad, London City have strengthened further with the arrivals of some of the biggest names in women’s football, including former England goalkeeper Mary Earps, Spain defender Mapi León and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.

Despite only entering the Barclays Women’s Super League last season, London City’s recruitment has prompted suggestions that they could challenge the established order at the top of the league and compete for both the title and UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification.

For Maestre, however, those ambitions begin with a simple mentality: believing his side can win every game they play.

“I think one of the most relevant things I can share is that when we plan every match, we really think that we are able to win the match,” he said. “If you think that you are going to be able to win every match, having all the games still to play ahead of you, then the maths are on our side. Obviously, we know it’s going to be very difficult because it’s not only about having these talented players. You need to create something bigger than that: an identity and a working culture.

“It’s going to be very challenging, but having the players that we have, if we can align all of them behind the same purpose, on the same page, and create this winning mentality that I believe in a lot, I think we are going to be close to pushing the best teams in the competition, for sure.”

Maestre took charge of London City midway through last season, meaning this summer has provided his first full pre-season with the squad and an opportunity to further implement his ideas.

He believes the experience within his squad can prove invaluable as London City attempt to take another step forward.

“The players that we have are going to be key in terms of providing the team with consistency,” he explained. “We have a lot of players who really know what winning means.

“The foundations are there. We need to keep building on those foundations. We finished the competition very strong off the ball, so if we can manage that and start being stronger in possession, taking into consideration the talent of the players we have, then we can improve.

“I repeat this sentence a lot, but dreaming big creates realities. I’m here to dream big, and hopefully the whole team can be infected by this energy.”

Van de Donk shares that ambition.

“I want to win it all,” the Dutch midfielder said. “I think we have a lot of players like me. You’re not going to go into a game to lose, so we’re going to go into every game to win.

“We’ll try and win it all.”

Building a team from a squad of stars

The scale of London’s recruitment brings its own challenge. Maestre has an abundance of individual quality at his disposal, but transforming those players into a cohesive team will be crucial.

For the Spaniard, that may be one of his most important responsibilities.

“Maybe it’s the most challenging thing when you are a coach, trying to align everyone on the same page,” Maestre said. “But I really think everyone here is committed to reaching the highest standards and reaching the target that we have on the table. It’s about going day by day and trying to explain everything that we are doing. I want to convince the players through arguments, not just because I am saying things. I think I am a very didactic and approachable coach. It’s about understanding the players as well and providing them with the tools to respect the identity, but at the same time not pushing them into positions where they are struggling.”

Rather than imposing a rigid system, Maestre sees himself as a guide for his players.

“I’m closer to a guide, showing the tools that we can use to beat opponents, instead of being married to one fixed way of reaching our targets,” he added. “The players are the most important part of the equation. They’re the ones feeling the real game and they’re the ones playing. I’m there to support them in every action they take.”

That philosophy has been easier to implement with a full pre-season behind him.

Van de Donk, who missed significant periods of last season, said this summer has almost felt like a fresh start for her too.

“For me, it feels a bit like I’ve started this season as well because last year I wasn’t able to be there much,” she said. “I can really only talk from this pre-season, and it’s been very clear. We’ve had loads of meetings and training sessions, and we’ve already had some very good games. I think it’s all coming together very nicely. Obviously, with so many new players, it takes some time, and there will be mistakes. But as Eder says, he’s very open-minded. Mistakes will be made, and there’s no pressure about that. We just give it our all and play football.”

Maestre wants London City to entertain

Maestre’s vision extends beyond results. He wants London City to establish an identity based around possession, aggressive pressing and spending as much time as possible in the opposition half.

“When I was a player, one of the things that I really liked was having the ball,” he explained. “If we want to be dominant with the ball, the first thing that we need to commit to is the out-of-possession moments. And because I really want to score a lot of goals, being close to the opponent’s goal is the best way to be close to scoring.

“The identity I want to create here is related to all those things we felt when we were playing football as children: having the ball, attacking a lot and scoring goals. The way to reach that is trying to be aggressive in the press, trying to recover the ball as soon as possible and trying to recover it high.”

Ultimately, Maestre wants London City to become a side capable of entertaining supporters while winning matches.

“Everything is aligned towards living as much as we can in the opponent’s half, giving that energy to the crowd, creating those good feelings and creating good football, something that can be lovely to see. The identity isn’t just that we want to win; it’s the way we want to win. We have talented, experienced players, so I really trust that we are going to be capable of playing this kind of football and beating the best teams in the competition through this kind of football.”

London City’s growing Spanish contingent could help implement that philosophy, but Maestre stressed that he does not want his team to be restricted to a single style.

“I’m Spanish, but I’m Basque as well,” he said. “I think I have a very good mixture of Spanish and English football because, if you know the Basque identity, maybe it’s closer to English football culture. Having more Spanish players will help us reach the Spanish style, but we don’t want to lose the roots of English football. The way to play is about exploiting spaces. If the opponent allows us to exploit the space in behind, we’re not going to hesitate to exploit it. It’s not about being married to a very specific way to play.”

Instead, Maestre wants London City to have the tactical flexibility to adapt to whatever opponents give them.

“Sometimes you’re going to be more direct because of the opponent. Sometimes you’re going to be more indirect because of the opponent as well. It’s about understanding how to apply the correct cards to be dominant in all the different registers that football can have. The more flexible we can be in understanding the spaces that are constantly appearing in the game, the more unpredictable we can be.”

Putellas already making an impression

Among London’s high-profile arrivals, few have attracted more attention than Alexia Putellas.

The two-time Ballon d’Or winner has already made a considerable impression on Van de Donk.

“Obviously, I’ve watched her play a couple of times and she’s been amazing, but you realise how good she is when you actually train and play with her,” Van de Donk said.

“I can’t wait to play more games or do more training with her. She’s really, really comfortable on the ball, and she slows it down, but she also speeds it up whenever we need that. She’s just very intelligent.”

Van de Donk believes there are already elements of Putellas’ game she can learn from herself.

“When I train, I give 100 percent, and I just go, go, go because that’s who I am,” she explained. “With her, sometimes I’m thinking, ‘Oh, you slow it down now. You actually speed it up now.’ It’s quite clever and intelligent, so maybe I can add that to my game. It’s been really nice having her there and seeing what she’s capable of. But it’s not only her. There are so many more signings and they’ve really impressed me as well.”

‘I feel like I’m part of something bigger’

Van de Donk joined London City last season and has witnessed the speed at which the club is developing first-hand.

“A lot has changed,” she said. “We’re making steps every day. Every time I drive in, something else has been built. It’s developing in every aspect, really. It’s really nice to see. It’s not what I expected, it’s well beyond my expectations. I feel like I’m part of something bigger.”

Her experience has also made her an important figure in helping London’s considerable number of summer arrivals settle into their new surroundings.

“I’m always a player who likes everyone to feel welcome and like they’re part of the little family that we have,” Van de Donk explained. “I talk to everyone as much as I can and show them my appreciation. I’m really thankful that they’re here because they’re so good and they make us even better, so I can’t complain.”

That sense of togetherness could prove important as London City deal with the heightened expectations surrounding the club.

Van de Donk is embracing their position as potential disruptors to the established WSL order.

“It’s a nice position we’re in,” she said. “We have great players, we have great staff around us, and I think we can really do something special this year in the league. I already knew when I signed here in the first year that the squad was going to be something else. We didn’t expect it was going to develop this fast, with all the developments that have been made. It’s just really exciting for us.”

Manchester United provide an immediate test

There will be little opportunity for London City to ease themselves into the new campaign.

Manchester United arrive at CopperJax on Friday under new manager Eva Olid, and Maestre is expecting a tactically demanding opening encounter.

“She came from a very good experience in the Scottish league,” Maestre said of his counterpart. “I think she’s a typical Spanish coach. She loves possession, and she loves feeling dominant. I think it’s going to be very challenging because they’re going to be very fluid in how they rotate their players, trying to create asymmetries by having the full-backs in the inner channels and the wingers inside. We have to consider all the things they’re going to try to put on the pitch. I think she’s going to be a successful coach in terms of creating a very strong way of playing at Manchester United.”

While Friday represents just one match in a long season, Maestre is under no illusions about the significance of the occasion.

“All the expectations are on our shoulders,” he said. “We have to be very committed to the fans and everybody here at the club to try to do our best, try to win and play a very good game while feeling dominant. It’s going to be tough, but these are the games that we need to win. We need to feel dominant and we need to be strong if we want to push towards the target that we have. We know how important this game is because of everything surrounding it: the first game, we’re opening the competition and there’s been a lot of talent signed this summer. All eyes are going to be on this game, so hopefully we’re going to be able to respond with our best version.”