Natalia Arroyo: "When faced with doubt, I chose to be braver than ever."

Birmingham (England)In April, Natalia Arroyo (Esplugues de Llobregat, 1986) was chosen as the best coach in the Women's Premier League. A former Barcelona and Espanyol player, ARA journalist from 2010 to 2020 and later Real Sociedad manager, Arroyo arrived at Aston Villa mid-season and got a team at risk of relegation back on track, with an incredible run of results that included thrashing Barça's opponents in the Champions League final, Arsenal, 5-2 in England. Welcome to the match program sold at the stadium. She thrives on top-level pitches and lays the foundations for an ambitious project.

You arrived at Aston Villa in January, when the club was struggling. How do you assess these first few months?

— Coaches are a product of results, and finishing the season well makes for a positive assessment, but overall, it was an adventure I was looking forward to after my time at Real Sociedad. Personally, I was looking forward to a challenge like this, and I think I've made the right choice. I'm excited and believe the future is beautiful. I'm happy to have laid the foundation for what's to come, for what we want to build.

What happened between leaving Real Sociedad in the summer of 2024 and signing for Villa in January 2025?

— I felt the need to revisit certain aspects of my footballing beliefs, to look at football again, not from the perspective of the calendar, but with pause. To think about how I approach my team's strategy, how I can best approach the players... I wanted to look at football with somewhat fresh eyes, so I traveled, read, and analyzed. I went to see teammates who coach elsewhere, I thought about tactics, and I trained myself. I wanted to improve my English, so I worked as a journalist in that language, I traveled to the United States and England... I was clear that I wanted to try my hand at these leagues. I watched women's and men's football, I spoke and listened, with the goal of finding the essence of the football I love, how I want my teams to play. And I thought about practical situations, because the romantic idea we have of football is one thing, and putting it on the field is quite another. It's a challenge to transform your ideas into reality when you have three or four training sessions a week.

You talk about having a project, but it wouldn't be easy to join a big club that was in a bad patch, with little time to work.

— I knew it was a possibility. Because when I signed in San Sebastián, the scenarios I had in mind were either starting an adventure in the US league, which meant doing so in January due to their schedule, or waiting for a change on an English bench, as happened. It's not easy to join a project from which the manager has been fired; it means it's in a bad situation. It was a new scenario for me, and it wasn't easy, because expectations were high at the start of the season. The squad felt vulnerable; they had set up an ambitious season, and suddenly they weren't getting ahead. I've had to work hard to find a way to be consistent in a very tough league. It's been about learning, listening, observing... and all under pressure to avoid relegation.

You made your debut against a Chelsea side, putting up a fight. But then the team kept losing until they reacted, and suddenly, you're the best manager of April. And you've scored a lot of goals. What did you do?

— It was clear to me that in January I wouldn't be able to suddenly transform the team. So I tinkered with things, getting to know the club and the players... And the results told us that wasn't working. I didn't feel like the team was completely mine after the first few months; we were stuck in the middle of everything. I was cautious from the start, as I understood the team wasn't at a high level of confidence, and I had a lot of respect for it in England. I was pragmatic... and I'm not like that. I never will be, I think. It was like when you sink into a pool, you touch the bottom with your feet and push up. The key was to return to being aggressive in pressing, being vertical, and going out to win instead of going out to avoid getting lost. When I had doubts, I was braver than ever. And the results came, and in the process, the league award for the best monthly coach. We tweaked the structure, and I called on the most energetic players. The idea was to play more courageously. We've finished with five consecutive wins, and that's a reward, but the greatest pride is seeing how the team played. I'm happy with how the season has ended.

One of your interlocutors is Monchi, who leads a project for a giant social club that's shining in the men's arena. What's the women's project like?

— It's a giant club deeply rooted in a big city like Birmingham. The women's team is still relatively new, but the club believes deeply in it. The fans are spectacular, and I think that helps us recognize the club's great history as we build the project. From the beginning, we've had good communication with Monchi and Damián Vidagany, the people in charge of leading the project on a sporting level. We connect with the long-term vision of the owners, who want to move forward. Our role is to try to give consistency to a project that aims to be ambitious, that seeks to establish an identity and move closer to the top teams, the four strongest. The facilities are wonderful, and we have plans for a new building for the women's team.

You have a three-year contract, right? How are you approaching your first summer with time to work?

— Exactly, another three years. The project is long, and we have a good starting roster, but we need young blood; it was the most veteran squad. We need energy and fresh legs, people with hunger. We have to take this transformation step by step; we'll have to bring in talent and players who fit the game we want.

What are the differences between the Spanish and English leagues?

— I think I come from a good background, as Real Sociedad took great care of the team, but it's true that there's a big difference between the Spanish and English leagues. Here, I do feel that the league takes more care of it. It believes more. It fits with the club culture; when people believe, they bet big. But it helps that there are rules and fines for clubs that don't meet minimum infrastructure requirements. In Spain, the reality is different. I remember ten years ago writing articles in ARA saying that the Spanish league would require playing on natural grass pitches. Has that happened? No. In England, it would be unthinkable. The budgets are also bigger, and that allows us to sign good players from abroad, when a decade ago they were all English. The league is more competitive, with three or four contenders for the title. A short league, with 12 teams, but competitive. It's true that Barça is above everyone else, but as a league, this is fun and competitive. The product is well-crafted. And the game is attacking, with dynamic, very vertical matches. I think in the Spanish league there's been a lot of talk about having possession, but generally there's less attacking than in England.

You were at Stamford Bridge watching Chelsea-Barça in the Champions League. How do you see Pere Romeu's team ahead of the final?

— Look, it was a curious match, because it's true that near the stadium, the Chelsea fans believed they could come back. And, really, Barça sealed the deal right away. Chelsea are improving, but they're still far from what Barça is capable of when it comes to competing, dominating the tempo of the match, having individual quality, the technique to solve key plays, Aitana... You remember the defeat to Manchester City in the group stage and you realize how Barça has grown throughout the season. All the new players have adapted, found their way... Barça is far superior. Right now, it's hard for me to see who can hurt them. You can beat Barça in a single match, true, but it's almost impossible. You have to compete for 90 minutes and make the right decisions in the key moments against a team that has everything: team play and individual talent.

Your Aston Villa scored five goals against Arsenal. Did Pere Romeu tell you anything?

— No, not him. But the Arsenal manager did tell me as we walked towards the dugout that she'd call me for advice on Barça's qualification for the final. They're a historic club, one of the first to invest in women's football.

Arsenal's big star is Mariona Caldentey, the league's best player of the year.

— She's played at a high level, partly because she arrived at a mature age, unlike other players like Bruna Vilamala or Laia Aleixandri, who arrived at a young age. Mariona has experience and has continued at Barça's level. She makes a difference with goals and assists, although curiously, Arsenal uses her more as an organizer, as she best understands what's happening around her.