Jordan Nobbs admits it is an “unbelievable feeling” to be part of England’s World Cup squad this summer after the setbacks she has suffered in the past.
Nobbs, 30, went to the 2015 tournament in Canada but was restricted to just one appearance by a hamstring issue, then missed out on selection for the 2019 edition in France and the Euros that the Lionesses won on home soil last summer following knee injuries.
A year on from that latest disappointment, there was joy for Nobbs as she was included in England boss Sarina Wiegman’s 23 for the forthcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, at the end of a season that saw her make a January move from Arsenal to Aston Villa.
And the 71-cap midfielder said: “I think I’m still waking up now with that butterfly feeling.
“Everyone dreams of playing in major tournaments, and everyone knows the journey I’ve been on, so to be part of this one and such a talented squad, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Nobbs had been with Arsenal since 2010, and she said of her departure: “It was a risk to a certain extent but also with the limited game time I was getting, it was kind of like I had nothing to lose as well.
“Naturally, there were a lot of tears and it was difficult to leave a club that I loved and owe a lot to, but when it comes to wanting to drive for another major tournament, I think I had to do everything possible, and as long as I knew I tried my best, I’d have been comfortable with whatever outcome came from that.”
She went on to make 11 WSL starts for Villa, scoring four goals, as they achieved a fifth-placed finish in the division, and she added: “I think I knew with regular game time I can get back to my best.
“I think Carla (Ward, the Villa manager) just gave me that confidence to go again and allow myself to be in the position I am now. She gave me a bit of love, and game time. Sometimes, it’s the small things that allow you to shine on the pitch.”
While things have come together on this occasion for Nobbs, there has been disappointment for the likes of England captain Leah Williamson and Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead, two of her former Arsenal team-mates who will miss this tournament after sustaining ACL injuries. Fran Kirby has been ruled out due to a knee issue as well.
Nobbs, whose injury prior to the 2019 World Cup was ACL damage, said: “I dropped them a message. But I think when you’ve been through that before, you know how many messages you get.
“So it’s just letting them know you’re there if they need you, but also they all need to take different journeys and roads to deal with the situation and come through that. Naturally, we’re all gutted for them.
“It’s like learning to walk again when you have that kind of injury. It’s a lot of sitting in front of the telly with ice on your leg and not really doing much. I think you do go into a place where you kind of self-sabotage and sit and mope around for a bit.
“Then, once you’re up and going again, that goal is just to get back on that pitch. It’s difficult times, but also that feeling of getting back, it’s what you need to do to get back.”
She added: “I think it does just make you resilient – if I look back and think about what I’ve gone through, and I’m still here fighting, you can come through a lot in football. It’s not just me, there’s other players who have had difficult times.
“It’s just that ‘never give up’ attitude really.”
St. Louis City v LA Galaxy: Reus sets sights on silverware after dream start
Marco Reus is desperate to bring silverware to the LA Galaxy after making a flying start to his time in MLS, with St. Louis City the destination for his first road game on Sunday.
Reus registered a goal and an assist on debut last week as the Galaxy beat Atlanta United 2-0, maintaining their grip on top spot in the Western Conference.
The Galaxy are five points clear of local rivals Los Angeles FC at the top of the standings ahead of Sunday's trip to St. Louis, who are 13th and 10 points adrift of the playoff picture.
Reus' arrival in Los Angeles has caused plenty of fanfare, but he is focused solely on the team's collective aims.
"It's not about me, it's about the team," he said. "We want to be champions. So we take it game by game.
"Besides the traffic, it's really amazing. The people are so friendly. The weather, it's really nice. When you wake up in the morning and the sun is shining, you start the day differently.
"So I'm really, really happy every morning I come into the dressing room. I'm just happy and excited."
St. Louis played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with the Portland Timbers last week, twice throwing away a two-goal lead to leave interim coach John Hackworth bewildered.
"Really don't know what to say," Hackworth said. "It's hard to imagine coming to a place like this and scoring four goals, being up, and then just losing one-versus-one defensive battles.
"Sometimes, the number of goals you give up, or the number of goals you score, can hide a lot of the transition moments.
"An easy way to prevent some of these defensive miscues from happening is to just be better with the ball."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
St. Louis City – Eduard Lowen
Lowen scored his fourth goal of the MLS season last time out, converting from the penalty spot as St. Louis drew 4-4 with the Timbers.
Only Joao Klauss, with five goals, has outscored him for St. Louis this term.
LA Galaxy – Marco Reus
Reus is one of 20 players in MLS history to record a goal and an assist on his regular-season debut.
He is also the fifth Galaxy player to do so, after Steven Gerrard, Andreas Herzog, Giovani dos Santos and Sasha Victorine. No other team have had more than two players achieve the feat.
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
The Galaxy have won 10 of their last 13 regular-season matches, the first time they have done so in a single season since 2011. LA have not recorded 11 wins in a span of 14 matches within a single regular season in the post-shootout era (since 2000).
It would be no surprise to see the points shared in this one, though. All three meetings between St. Louis and the Galaxy have ended level, all with different scorelines (1-1, 2-2, 3-3).
St. Louis have only won one of the last six matches in which they have held the lead in regular-season play dating back to the beginning of June (four draws, one defeat).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
St. Louis City – 35.8%
LA Galaxy – 38.1%
Draw – 26.1%
Raphinha hails Barcelona after statement win over Valladolid
Barcelona forward Raphinha believes the team have laid down a statement of their intent by starting the season with four straight wins in LaLiga.
Raphinha scored the first hat-trick of his career and also delivered two assists on Saturday, as Barca crushed Real Valladolid 7-0 at Camp Nou.
Hansi Flick's side already possess a four-point cushion at the top of the table after also recording victories over Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano.
Raphinha believes their results have demonstrated the club got things right in the transfer market, telling Movistar: "Today's game has shown that there is no need for anyone else to come. We are very happy because of that.
"We are in very good shape. The team is working hard. Today's result shows what we are working for.
"We saw that the coach was on the sidelines asking for more goals and that's our mentality.
"We are hungry and want to score as many goals as we can. When we are dominant like we have been, the best way to respect our rivals is not taking the foot off the gas."
Raphinha was one of the players who faced criticism during Barca's trophyless 2023-24 campaign and was rumoured to be on his way out ahead of the new season.
The Blaugrana again battled financial restrictions throughout the window, allowing Ilkay Gundogan to leave in order to secure the registration of new arrival Dani Olmo.
With his future now certain, Raphinha is keen to nail down a starting spot and contribute on a regular basis.
"I don't know if today's was my best game, but it's certainly among my best. I will try to play even better and as much as I can," the Brazilian said.
"I'm very happy to be able to help the team. I feel good. I knew that this season would be very important for me. I'm looking for my best version to help my team-mates and be more confident."
Lazio 2-2 Milan: Leao salvages draw but Rossoneri still winless
Rafael Leao came off the bench to earn Milan a 2-2 draw with Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, but Paulo Fonseca's side are still without a Serie A win this season.
Milan were in front at the break through Strahinja Pavlovic's eighth-minute goal, the Serbian rising highest to power home a header from Christian Pulisic's corner.
However, Lazio hit back in the second half with Valentin Castellanos and Boulaye Dia scoring in quick succession.
Nuno Tavares' first-time ball into the centre was met by the unmarked Castellanos to level in the 62nd minute, then Dia tapped another Tavares cutback home to put the Biancocelesti ahead four minutes later.
Fonseca reacted by sending on four substitutes, and those changes had a swift impact as three of them combined for the leveller.
Theo Hernandez – who joined Leao in being dropped from the start – picked out Tammy Abraham, and his lay-off allowed Leao to escape Tavares to fire past Ivan Provedel.
The game was preceded by an emotional tribute to the man who led Lazio to their last league title, Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died at the age of 76 on Monday.
A Lazio shirt bearing the Swede's name was displayed on the home bench, while a banner held up by the home fans read: "You brought us to the top of the world... Have a good trip Mr. Sven."
Data Debrief: Milan's slow start continues
New Milan boss Fonseca is already under pressure after overseeing a return of two points from his first three league games at the helm.
It is the first time the Rossoneri have drawn two of their opening three matches in a Serie A season since 2011-12, when they also drew two and lost one,
They went on to finish second that season, just four points adrift of champions Juventus. If a title challenge is to take place this term, rapid improvements are needed.
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