:00:41. > :00:57.Hello and welcome to the Women's Football Show, which this week comes
:00:58. > :01:03.from the north-east. We have Arsenal against Sunderland at the Hetton
:01:04. > :01:06.Centre. We will also be looking at Manchester City in the Champions
:01:07. > :01:11.League. First of all colour Alex Scott went to speak to some of the
:01:12. > :01:48.Arsenal players. Kim, they say never go back - what
:01:49. > :01:53.made you come back to Arsenal wanted it is like anything in life, are you
:01:54. > :01:57.going to stay or are you going to improve and develop? For me, it was
:01:58. > :02:02.another change. I think change is good, it means you are able to go
:02:03. > :02:14.again, learn again and to develop. Little! Goal! Number eight! And it
:02:15. > :02:19.is great! What experiences did you get from your time in America? I
:02:20. > :02:25.think it allowed me to take my game to a different level in terms of
:02:26. > :02:31.just playing with different players, playing in a different style. It is
:02:32. > :02:37.quite fast, and it made me have to make decisions much quicker than
:02:38. > :02:44.when I was in the league here. I played with such great players. From
:02:45. > :02:49.being at Arsenal before, when we had the big characters like Kelly Smith,
:02:50. > :02:54.Rachel Yankey, they have all gone, so do you feel that responsibility
:02:55. > :03:00.now? Another reason why I came back was because, yes, it was going to
:03:01. > :03:04.give me that different experience. Vice-captain, I had never really
:03:05. > :03:07.thought about it, I never really wanted to be a captain. But maybe it
:03:08. > :03:17.was my time to take that responsibility. Now, it is, what can
:03:18. > :03:22.I do on and off the field to help people? That is the big change that
:03:23. > :03:29.I have seen from the Kim before, and the Kim now, you have got this error
:03:30. > :03:36.of confidence about you. You were recently on question of sport. Is
:03:37. > :03:39.this the sort of thing that you are adding to Kim Little, little nuggets
:03:40. > :03:45.but you can take from somewhere else? Yeah, having travelled and
:03:46. > :03:51.experienced different things, it opens you up to different things,
:03:52. > :03:55.and I have taken it upon myself to read books, life books, how you can
:03:56. > :04:01.develop yourself, things which are relevant to sports teams. You read
:04:02. > :04:05.all of these books and different things and you're going to pick up
:04:06. > :04:06.habits which make you better and make the people around you better.
:04:07. > :04:24.That is what I will try and do. Scotland have qualified for their
:04:25. > :04:32.first major tournament. How proud I you? Yeah, I have never been in the
:04:33. > :04:37.squad for ten years, since I was 16. Qualifying campaigns, European
:04:38. > :04:45.campaigns. We have been so close to love this time, we made it. And
:04:46. > :04:49.obviously, the first game is against England. Do you feel there is more
:04:50. > :04:54.pressure on the England team then there is on you guys? I think so,
:04:55. > :05:01.but I think that's just natural. England have done so well in the
:05:02. > :05:06.past few years. So, pressure I think is more on England, but that's
:05:07. > :05:15.pretty normal. So, your Scotland team, what are your strengths? I
:05:16. > :05:22.think we are very strong and compact defensively" direct going forward as
:05:23. > :05:28.well. I am writing this down! We have got great attributes and
:05:29. > :05:36.hopefully we can minimise our weaknesses so that they don't get
:05:37. > :05:39.exposed! That is all I will say! You're going to have a new Arsenal
:05:40. > :05:46.manager after the Euros, how do you see Shelley Kerr progressing the
:05:47. > :05:52.team? She has got a lot of different experiences within the game. I think
:05:53. > :05:56.our current coach has been there for a long time, so I think a change is
:05:57. > :06:05.a good thing. I think it will bring new ideas and I'm looking forward to
:06:06. > :06:14.having a new coach. I hope that I can bring my experience as well, and
:06:15. > :06:18.having a lot of caps with the national team can help. With
:06:19. > :06:26.Scotland, our team is very young as well so I hope I can help develop
:06:27. > :06:30.the next generation. Journey Kim Little will no doubt have a huge
:06:31. > :06:34.part to play both for Arsenal and for Scotland in the Euros in the
:06:35. > :06:44.summer. She can't play here today, which might be good news for
:06:45. > :06:49.Melanie. The likes of Carli Lloyd, Kim Little, what does it say about
:06:50. > :06:53.the standard of the league? It's certainly going to make the league
:06:54. > :06:58.very interesting. It is a credit to the FA that we can have a league
:06:59. > :07:03.which is so competitive. Big changes for you, how are you enjoying your
:07:04. > :07:08.first stint at the helm but when it has been about five weeks now and we
:07:09. > :07:13.have worked really hard to try to get our ideas over to the girls. And
:07:14. > :07:20.you are a former player at Sunderland, but transitioning from a
:07:21. > :07:24.full-time team last season to what is now part-time, what has that been
:07:25. > :07:30.like? It hasn't really changed much, to be honest. We've still got nine
:07:31. > :07:34.full-time players. So we start at about three o'clock every day and
:07:35. > :07:40.work through. The schedule is pretty much the same as what it was last
:07:41. > :07:46.year. Best of luck, Melanie. Will Sunderland, after holding Birmingham
:07:47. > :07:53.in their last match, be able to hold out against this potent attacking
:07:54. > :07:57.force, Arsenal? The Gunners have softened the blow of losing Kelly
:07:58. > :08:02.Smith to retirement by signing a former USA international Heather
:08:03. > :08:08.O'Reilly. She has a World Cup winners medal, amongst others. Also
:08:09. > :08:17.returning to face her former club for the first time... Kim Little's
:08:18. > :08:21.return should provide a constant supply line to the forwards. While
:08:22. > :08:28.she won't be playing today, the Gunners are not short of creativity.
:08:29. > :08:34.They have got 23 goals in their last five meetings against Sunderland.
:08:35. > :08:47.Sunderland make one Show from their impressive draw with Birmingham. You
:08:48. > :08:56.signings Anke Preuss and Dominique Bruinenberg both play. Beth Mead, on
:08:57. > :08:59.the bench today for Arsenal, after breaking her collarbone. Kim Little
:09:00. > :09:34.is also out injured. Carter, almost got the header in on
:09:35. > :09:39.goal. The manager will be pleased with how his side has started this
:09:40. > :09:57.game. Sunderland, hanging on at the moment. Preparing to take the corner
:09:58. > :09:58.is van de Donk. That's saved well by Preuss. Good opportunity for
:09:59. > :10:18.Arsenal. What a save! Well, Sunderland that time
:10:19. > :10:29.worked it well. The quality delivery was there, and it's an excellent
:10:30. > :10:32.save from Van Veenendaal. So, another opportunity for Sunderland.
:10:33. > :10:40.Arsenal haven't quite got this one away yet... And the shot from
:10:41. > :10:49.Bruinenberg flashes just wide! Sunderland certainly showing Arsenal
:10:50. > :10:58.they are capable of troubling them. Good run by Begovic, finds a bit of
:10:59. > :11:04.space. Opportunity for Arsenal... -- good run by Nobbs. Good save by
:11:05. > :11:15.Preuss, turning it away from the onrushing Carter. Arsenal
:11:16. > :11:27.threatening. The ball in, and O'Reilly, just across the face of
:11:28. > :11:32.goal! Great play. Staniforth, good tenacity and early pressure from
:11:33. > :11:39.Sunderland in this second-half. Bruinenberg tries one, and van de
:11:40. > :11:42.Donk had to tip it over! The Arsenal goalkeeper called into action again
:11:43. > :11:58.from Bruinenberg! Sunderland getting closer! Leon... Maddy Hill...
:11:59. > :12:01.Straight at Van Veenendaal. Good movement from Sunderland, and the
:12:02. > :12:17.execution just needed to be better from Hill.
:12:18. > :12:24.Van Veenendaal arriving, it's supposed to! -- van de Donk. The
:12:25. > :12:37.Arsenal forward has been penalised for a foul on Abby Holmes. So close
:12:38. > :12:45.for Arsenal. Excellent recovery by Hayley Sharp, danger still not
:12:46. > :12:50.cleared. Well, in the end, Sharp got out again to put her off, but
:12:51. > :12:58.Arsenal's movement in and around the box, causing Sunderland problems.
:12:59. > :13:09.Nice turn by van de Donk. Cleared behind for a corner by Holmes.
:13:10. > :13:15.Sunderland having to hold firm, particularly with Arsenal taking
:13:16. > :13:28.this corner short. Punched behind by Preuss. Begin, Arsenal take it
:13:29. > :13:38.short. Headed away by Williams. It falls to Patten. Now, another
:13:39. > :13:50.corner. This time, van de Donk swings it in. Nobbs, great save!
:13:51. > :13:58.Preuss keeping Arsenal at bay! Katie McCabe chips it in, looking for
:13:59. > :14:06.Carter. Back to Nobbs. And the shot again saved by Preuss.
:14:07. > :14:13.In the end, Miss controlled by van de Donk. Another good stop by
:14:14. > :14:19.Preuss. And there is the full-time whistle. A hugely impressive point
:14:20. > :14:24.for Sunderland against Arsenal. Their first point against the
:14:25. > :14:33.Gunners since 2009. Arsenal just could not find a way through.
:14:34. > :14:42.So, honours even here at the Hetton Centre. The first taste of the
:14:43. > :14:47.spring season, a frustrating afternoon, I can imagine? Yeah,
:14:48. > :14:53.absolutely, from our respect, we expect more from that for ourselves.
:14:54. > :14:59.When we had the chances, we did not create as many as we wanted, but it
:15:00. > :15:06.was not our best football. I think we don't have too much time, we have
:15:07. > :15:12.Liverpool on Thursday. We are capable of a lot more in this Spring
:15:13. > :15:17.Series. We have to keep you leave in our system and in each other, and
:15:18. > :15:22.we'll be fine. You have got a lot of players out but it did seem it was
:15:23. > :15:27.the final third, maybe the final ball, lacking in quality? I think it
:15:28. > :15:33.is all about connection in football, it's all about linking up with your
:15:34. > :15:40.team-mates ready for whatever reason, we were just off in that
:15:41. > :15:45.final third. Wasn't anybody's fault. 11 people out there have to be on
:15:46. > :15:49.the same wavelength. It just didn't seem that way in the final third. To
:15:50. > :15:56.be fair, Sunderland played a really good game, I was really impressed
:15:57. > :15:58.with their physical capacity. I was impressed with the way that they
:15:59. > :16:05.strung together some really good football. They had good outlets. I
:16:06. > :16:10.thought they played a little bit, I was really impressed with their
:16:11. > :16:17.team. And the way that they tried to play. Then again, coming back to us,
:16:18. > :16:24.we are capable of a lot more. I have a lot of belief in this group and
:16:25. > :16:28.the manager does as well. You mentioned the connection between
:16:29. > :16:33.players, there is a lot of excitement about the Arsenal squad,
:16:34. > :16:38.but there are a lot of new faces - is it to be expected that it might
:16:39. > :16:42.take a while to jail? I think so. To be fair, we have been training
:16:43. > :16:50.together since January, so we have had a fair number of months together
:16:51. > :16:58.now, so we expect more. We know what we can do on the training pitch and
:16:59. > :17:04.in matches. That being said, I think we will grow into the Spring Series.
:17:05. > :17:08.All the best for your next game, against Liverpool, later in the
:17:09. > :17:13.week. So, Sunderland, defensively, they were very strong. They were,
:17:14. > :17:23.they limited Arsenal to very few shots in the first half. There were
:17:24. > :17:36.lots of crosses in. Known real free play from the centre, Sunderland
:17:37. > :17:43.stop that happening. This is the third clean sheet in a row for
:17:44. > :17:46.Sunderland, who were letting in a lot of goals towards the end of last
:17:47. > :17:50.season, so I think they have made improvements. We will see how they
:17:51. > :17:56.kept on as the Spring Series goes on. It has been a decade since
:17:57. > :18:00.Arsenal became the first British side to lift European silverware.
:18:01. > :18:04.Manchester City were on course to become the second, but they had it
:18:05. > :18:16.all to do as they headed to Lyon to try to overturn a 3-1 deficit. And
:18:17. > :18:30.inside the opening two minutes, Lyon have a penalty. Great all, equaliser
:18:31. > :18:38.for Manchester City! Shot! Lyon take the lead again! Le Sommer finishes,
:18:39. > :18:42.and it will be a mountain for Manchester City to climb in the
:18:43. > :18:46.second leg in France! Three away goals required for Manchester City
:18:47. > :18:49.if they are to progress to the Champions League final in their
:18:50. > :18:52.debut season in the competition, otherwise it will be a
:18:53. > :18:58.record-equalling sixth final 43 times winners Lyon. Shot! Not a bad
:18:59. > :19:09.effort at all from the German international! And a decent save
:19:10. > :19:15.from Bardsley. Ada Hegerberg, Le Sommer... Shot shoots from distance
:19:16. > :19:24.again. Bardsley, confident with that one.
:19:25. > :19:41.Here's Majri. Back to Majri! Saved by Bardsley at her near post. I
:19:42. > :19:52.think Ada Hegerberg wanted her to cut that one back. Lovely skill.
:19:53. > :20:02.Jill Scott has a chance to shoot...! Went for placement, comfortable save
:20:03. > :20:11.in the end from Sarah Bouhaddi. Lovely ball down the line by shot.
:20:12. > :20:25.Oh! So close! It was merely an own goal from Stephs! -- from Kritzer!
:20:26. > :20:53.Lloyd... Good save. Good chance, this. For Manchester City. What a
:20:54. > :21:03.dreadful error by the goalkeeper! And Carli Lloyd gives Manchester
:21:04. > :21:07.City hope! A dreadful attempted pass by Sarah Bouhaddi. It was only going
:21:08. > :21:25.to end one way. City lid on the night. And it's touched in by Le
:21:26. > :21:30.Sommer! But it's not going to count! The French striker, adjudged to be
:21:31. > :21:38.offside, and rightly so. City get away with that one. And that's it.
:21:39. > :21:43.Manchester City's Champions League journey comes to an end at the
:21:44. > :21:50.semifinal stage. They have won on the night, but just too much to do
:21:51. > :21:56.from the first leg. Lyon are through. So, it will be Lyon against
:21:57. > :21:59.Paris Saint-Germain in the first all French Women's Champions League
:22:00. > :22:03.final on the 1st of June in Cardiff. For Manchester City, it was a big
:22:04. > :22:06.step up and they must take great optimism from going over to Lyon and
:22:07. > :22:17.beating them over there? Yeah, that's no easy task. Nobody normally
:22:18. > :22:21.gets anything from there. I think it is really a sign of how much
:22:22. > :22:25.Manchester City have progressed, playing against a Lyon team which is
:22:26. > :22:28.full of world-class players. We spoke about how Manchester City have
:22:29. > :22:35.improved their squad over the years and how dominant they have become in
:22:36. > :22:40.this league. Ringing in Carli Lloyd, but at Lyon, they have world-class
:22:41. > :22:46.players across-the-board. So I think City have made huge progress. It was
:22:47. > :22:52.a great opportunity for them to go up against a team like Lyon - how
:22:53. > :22:57.far away are Manchester City from regularly competing at that level
:22:58. > :22:59.and perhaps going even further? I think they're a vision when they
:23:00. > :23:04.started, just a few years ago, was to win trophies and get into the
:23:05. > :23:14.Champions League. -- I think their vision. They really have matched
:23:15. > :23:18.Lyon in a lot of departments, and that's what the likes of Manchester
:23:19. > :23:23.City and Chelsea will progress. I can see Manchester City coming, with
:23:24. > :23:27.the resources that they have at the club, a dominant force across
:23:28. > :23:31.Europe. It's just going to take a bit more time. These experiences,
:23:32. > :23:41.for a lot of them, it is their first time up against the likes of Lyon in
:23:42. > :23:46.such a big name. That will stand them in good stead. Some of these
:23:47. > :23:53.Manchester City players are still valid young. Wall this experience
:23:54. > :23:58.will help them for next year. For Manchester City, attention now turns
:23:59. > :24:02.back to domestic matters. And that is what we will do now. If more
:24:03. > :24:10.matches to catch up on, starting with one of the favourites for the
:24:11. > :24:14.Spring Series title, Chelsea. Yeovil Town made their first trip to west
:24:15. > :24:20.London to take on a new look Chelsea side. It was Ji So-Yun who opened
:24:21. > :24:29.the scoring at the end of the first half. One minute later, Karen
:24:30. > :24:35.Carney's corner led to this... After hitting the woodwork in the first
:24:36. > :24:43.half, it was US international Crystal Dunn with a close range
:24:44. > :24:56.header. A super run down the middle from Ji set up 18-year-old Cuthbert.
:24:57. > :25:04.And Dunn powered past the defence to get Chelsea's fifth. The Blues would
:25:05. > :25:14.find their sixth goal but not without drama. Yeovil's goalkeeper
:25:15. > :25:24.Charlie Haynes was injured and replaced. There was no mistaking
:25:25. > :25:28.Liverpool this week, as they turned up against Reading in their correct
:25:29. > :25:37.kit. They made their intentions clear with Natasha Harding getting
:25:38. > :25:51.them off to a good start. Reading responded quickly through Chaplen.
:25:52. > :26:00.Reading then scored again. Harding then added to her tally, making it
:26:01. > :26:09.two apiece. Liverpool restored their lead before the break, a tidy tap-in
:26:10. > :26:14.from Caroline Weir. And victory was sealed for Liverpool early in the
:26:15. > :26:19.second half, faxed to Laura Coombs, leaving Liverpool sitting pretty at
:26:20. > :26:24.the top of Women's Super League One, with Reading right behind them. In
:26:25. > :26:29.the early stages of this Spring Series, it is Liverpool who lead the
:26:30. > :26:35.way. Chelsea are now in second. Manchester City are yet to get their
:26:36. > :26:39.campaign under way. Bristol City and Yeovil Town are still looking for
:26:40. > :26:42.their first points of the series. Big result for Chelsea there, how
:26:43. > :26:47.big a statement is that? I think it is. You look at the signings that
:26:48. > :26:51.they've made in the off-season, it has all come together. Absolutely
:26:52. > :26:56.blowing away Yeovil, who unfortunately so far, they have
:26:57. > :27:04.leaked a lot of goals. You can see there is a big gap. And I think it
:27:05. > :27:09.is a statement. Likes of Man City, Arsenal overhaul contending for the
:27:10. > :27:13.title, for this series, and for next year, it is huge, they have got
:27:14. > :27:27.players from all over the world now. To bringing these players, like
:27:28. > :27:32.Crystal Dunn, not only does it bring the standard of women's football up
:27:33. > :27:39.within Chelsea, it really highlights to the rest of the league what teams
:27:40. > :27:44.need to be doing to compete. It is difficult for the players who were
:27:45. > :27:47.at Notts County, but some good news, in that they will now be able to
:27:48. > :27:51.sign for clubs in England and abroad. The difficulty will be
:27:52. > :27:57.trying to find a club who still needs players? And clubs who still
:27:58. > :28:01.have a budget for players as well. The announcement was two days before
:28:02. > :28:06.the start of the season. At that point, most teams have their house
:28:07. > :28:13.in order. They have done their pre-season, they do not really have
:28:14. > :28:17.any spots left in their roster. So for the likes of the England
:28:18. > :28:25.international players, Laura Bassett, Carly Telford, they will be
:28:26. > :28:31.on the doorstep, ready to go to the Euros, they need to be playing
:28:32. > :28:35.regularly. I hope that they can quickly find a new home and get back
:28:36. > :28:41.to playing regular football, because that's what this next couple of
:28:42. > :28:46.months is all about. Up in Scotland, may be cropping down a level, or
:28:47. > :28:51.just sent a clubs, I will play for nothing? I would play for nothing,
:28:52. > :28:59.100%. It's all about preparing for the European Championships. --
:29:00. > :29:03.dropping down. Whatever it takes. Keep training every single day, I
:29:04. > :29:06.need to be part of an infrastructure, part of a club, at
:29:07. > :29:14.ever it takes. So what, it is two months out of your whole career.
:29:15. > :29:18.Maybe they will have to suck it up, really, but it is for the bigger
:29:19. > :29:24.picture. And we wish them all the best. Today we saw the launch of the
:29:25. > :29:37.BBC Women's Footballer Of The Year Award. Here are the five nominees.
:29:38. > :29:47.TRANSLATION: Our goal was to win a medal and in the end, we got old.
:29:48. > :29:51.That was an amazingly beautiful feeling. I have never before made it
:29:52. > :29:55.to the finals at the Olympics. It was an enormous success for me. And
:29:56. > :30:05.because of that, I knew then that I would stop after the Olympics. The
:30:06. > :30:10.highlight was with the new Champions League trophy. It was a great
:30:11. > :30:14.feeling, winning with the team after so many months of hard work, and
:30:15. > :30:17.having the same ambition, I would say it was much more special than I
:30:18. > :30:29.thought it would be, winning the Champions League. Contact I had gone
:30:30. > :30:34.the right way five times and I managed to save two. The last save
:30:35. > :30:41.is probably the one that I was most proud of, because I really had to
:30:42. > :30:49.stretch. Weep performed above everyone's expectations. It was an
:30:50. > :30:54.exciting time, it was a big rush, but it was worth it, because it was
:30:55. > :31:06.an historic moment for me and I think overall for women's football.
:31:07. > :31:12.I remember my first couple of years on the national team, and thinking,
:31:13. > :31:17.how the heck do we have two score so many girls in her career?! Nobody is
:31:18. > :31:22.ever going to reach that. I had her jersey growing up, and to think that
:31:23. > :31:37.I passed her last year, it's kind of crazy. You can vote by heading to
:31:38. > :31:42.the BBC Sport website. Rachel, that would be some 5-aside team, wouldn't
:31:43. > :31:47.it just a little bit! Any one of those would be a worthy winner.
:31:48. > :31:50.Speaking of international football, the draw for the Women's World Cup
:31:51. > :32:08.qualifiers was made earlier this week. Here are the groups. While in
:32:09. > :32:13.Group 3... England have got to be fairly happy with their group,
:32:14. > :32:17.Rachel, they were always going to get a decent group, being in the top
:32:18. > :32:23.pot, but it is nice to have Wales in there as well? Oh, it is, it is
:32:24. > :32:25.fantastic to get two Home Nations matched up against each other.
:32:26. > :32:36.England will be happiest, Scotland and I think will also be happy with
:32:37. > :32:39.the draw. Yes. It does give them a little hope for perhaps finishing
:32:40. > :32:43.with one of the best second placed positions? And how wonderful would
:32:44. > :32:48.that be, to get Scotland into a World Cup? It is where they expect
:32:49. > :32:52.themselves to be. And opportunity to qualify for a World Cup is a great
:32:53. > :32:58.opportunity. That is about all we have time for. But there is plenty
:32:59. > :33:00.more sport coming up on the BBC. On Monday afternoon, coverage of the
:33:01. > :33:12.world snooker championship final continues on BBC Two. Liverpool then
:33:13. > :33:15.continue their pursuit of a top four finish at Vicarage Road, facing
:33:16. > :33:21.Watford at eight o'clock. Commentary is on Radio 5 Live. And there is
:33:22. > :33:27.more WSL Spring Series action on Wednesday night, Manchester City
:33:28. > :33:32.hosting Birmingham. That's a dress rehearsal for the FA Cup final. You
:33:33. > :33:36.will be able to see it live on the red button and on the BBC Sport
:33:37. > :33:38.website. We will be backed back next Sunday to look ahead to that FA Cup
:33:39. > :33:58.Final. Goodbye for now. Full disclosure - you're looking at
:33:59. > :34:01.a room of double glazing salesmen. we're not quite the social pariahs
:34:02. > :34:07.you lot probably know and loathe.