by Beth McCowen (4/11/23)
Above: Southampton captain Rosie Parnell. Photo: Isabelle Field, Southampton FC.
Southampton’s forthcoming Conti Cup tie with Arsenal is a major event for the Championship club in any case. Yet when you factor in Saints head coach Marianne Spacey’s legendary status at the North London club, then it becomes even more fascinating.
Speaking in an exclusive 1:1 interview with Impetus‘ Beth McCowen this week, Southampton captain Rosie Parnell outlined the focus of preparations being on “us as players.” In relation to Spacey’s previous role at Arsenal, Parnell explained that “Obviously it’s going to be big for her, but I’m sure she’ll just make the occasion about us (…) that’s what she’s like!”
In terms of what it means to have a few more Barclays Women’s Championship games under their belt before meeting Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal on 23rd November, whose season has been turbulent thus far, Parnell explained that “We have a really busy November, so hopefully, we’ll have some momentum going into the game and be in a really good place. It’s at home, so what better place to play at?”
The Saints were promoted to tier two in 2022, and they currently, sit just three points below table-topping Sunderland in the league with a huge game coming up at fellow promotion chasers Crystal Palace in the middle of the month.
When we asked about her impact on the team’s impressive progress since their promotion, Parnell modestly said: “We are in a really good place. We were a little bit disappointed going into the international break because obviously, we did lose our last game, but when we look at the table and how many games are left, we are still happy with where we are, and we’ve got a lot to improve on to reach our end goal this season.”
The Saints skipper also spoke about the importance of Southampton’s transition to a full-time model for their women’s team, which was implemented back in 2022, and how it has allowed her and her teammates to progress both individually and as a collective.
“Going full-time is always going to help you. This last year, the traction has really been good and that’s credit to the staff and a credit to the place we were in part-time, in terms of physically, we were able to deal with the load really well. Going into a busy month like this being full-time, you’re able to adapt to the schedule.
“This week looks so different because of international games, next week’s got three games, so again that looks different. Being full-time allows you to do that by having those recovery days that if you were part-time, you wouldn’t be able to do because you wouldn’t be able to access the facilities as much. So, going full-time has definitely only benefitted us.”
In terms of confidence going into the match against Arsenal, Parnell explained: “Hopefully we’re going to have a good run the next four games, so we will be confident going into the game against Arsenal. I think it helps being at home, we’re going to get a big crowd hopefully, so that’s only going to be in our favour.
“At the end of the day, the pressure’s not on us. We’re not expected to win the game, so it’s a great test for us to see where we are. We’ll be confident going into it and enjoy the occasion as players. We don’t know when that’s next going to come around, hopefully next season if we get promoted, but just enjoy it. The pressure’s on them, just show where we are and show how far we have come from last year when we played Tottenham (a game Spurs won 1-0).”
With Southampton regularly attracting impressive crowd figures to their home games at St. Mary’s, Parnell feels the excitement building among their fans with a bumper attendance on the cards for the visit of the North London giants: “What a game to come to! Especially if it’s your first game, watching us against Arsenal to really see where we’re at and see where we’re looking to go. It’s going to be a good game, one under the lights which in my opinion is even better. Get down to St. Mary’s and hopefully, we’ll put on a good performance and get a good result.”
Finishing our interview on a light-hearted note, we asked which Arsenal player Parnell is most excited about going head-to-head with. Her answer was Alessia Russo. Laughing, Parnell told us that this is because her niece is a big fan of the forward. She jokes about not being sure who her niece will be supporting on the day, but Parnell appears optimistic and hopes her Southampton side will come out on top under the guidance of the experienced Marianne Spacey.
Tickets for Southampton’s Conti Cup tie with Arsenal, to be played on 23rd November with a 6:30pm kick-off can be purchased via this link: https://tickets.southamptonfc.com/selection/event/seat?perfId=10228595168490&_gl=1*11i01um*_ga*MTg5MDQ0MjQyNi4xNjk4ODY4NDAz*_ga_LXLP92QWGK*MTY5ODk0NDE3MC4xLjAuMTY5ODk0NDE3OC41Mi4wLjA.&_ga=2.106175555.1955495173.1698868403-1890442426.1698868403
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