Kosovare Asllani: 'I feel like we have something special because we don't have to demand things'

Kosovare Asllani is confident that the future is bright for London City Lionesses.

The Swedish forward made her mark on her debut in blue, scoring the equaliser to ensure the Pride would share the spoils with Newcastle United come the full-time whistle on the opening weekend of the season in the Barclays Women's Championship.

After the match, Asllani spoke with reporters; this is every word she said.

Kosovare Asllani, London City Lionesses (Image: Simon Lapwood)

BBC Sport, Emma Sanders: It was your first match for a new team, in a new league, and in a different country – tell us about how you feel...

It’s been an intense few months, training with a new team, coach, and league. There have been a lot of new impressions, so I’m still getting used to it, but I think we are building something great with London City Lionesses.

Newcastle United were a strong opponent today. We’ve only been together for the last month, so we are still building.

BBC Sport, Emma Sanders: There’s a lot of excitement from outside, have you been able to get a sense of that?

For sure, I feel like we have something special going with this team and that a lot of people want to follow us now on our journey. It’s exciting, the whole project is important, and I can only imagine what it will become as we continue to work on the gameplan set by the coach. Obviously, we wanted to win this game, but it’s a good point against a good team.

BBC Sport, Emma Sanders: I should’ve asked this question first – it looked like you were limping at the end?

I’m getting used to this league – and that’s enough said!

The Guardian, Tom Garry: You’ve been part of new projects before, what feels different about this one?

It’s the investment. It’s a woman investing, who believes in this [women’s sports] with her whole heart as much as we do. We still have a lot of things to do with the facility, which will be done as soon as possible to give us the best possible resources.

I feel like we have something special because we don’t have to demand anything, they want to give us everything we need to create a successful team – and I think that’s the coolest part.

The Guardian, Tom Garry: How did it feel to score on your debut?

It was great to score my first goal, helping the team when we were 1-0 down. I think, overall, we have more in us. This is the first game, we have a lot of quality, but it takes time for people to come together and adapt. We’re trying to create a certain culture in this team; now, we just need to keep building.

The Sun, Sandra Brobbey: How does it feel for you to be in this leadership role, as London City are making the changes they are?

It feels natural to me. I’ve been in similar situations with Real Madrid, as their first signing, and I know what responsibilities I have – and I like to take that on. It’s not just on the pitch, there is a lot to do to bring the team together and create a professional level.

Even though we are in the Championship, we don’t want to be treated like a Championship team – we demand professionalism all of the time and that’s why we’re here. We’re trying to be the best in England and this is the start of our journey.

The Sun, Sandra Brobbey: What did you make of the level of competition, playing against a team like Newcastle United?

I heard that it was going to be tough and physical, but it’s not a big difference from playing in Sweden. I think the Women’s Super League is probably the best league in the world at the moment and the Championship is a similar style of play.

It’s all about how you use the ball and moving it quickly. I think being the smartest team is how we will win games – and we’re getting used to it. They’re an ambitious team, so it was a good test to start the season.

WSL Full-Time, Dan Pentland: Izzy Goodwin, who has a huge reputation, came on in the second-half – how much is she going to raise the bar?

She has only trained with us once, but I could directly see that she has a lot of potential. It will be exciting to see her develop. I was happy to see her come on and create a chance for herself very quickly.

She has speed and size, so I think she will be a great addition to this team. I didn’t hear about her before, because I don’t know the Championship too well, but I’m sure her qualities will help us a lot.