'This season I have scored different kinds of goals' Frida Maanum ahead of Valarenga clash
Today at 03:00 AM
When Arsenal play Valarenga in Oslo tomorrow night, Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder Frida Maanum will be on familiar ground, if not exactly home soil.
Arseblog News asks the 25 year old whether she has focused on her finishing this season, with far better chance conversion statistics during this campaign, as well as a greater variety of finishes for a player previously renowned for her long range shooting.
'It is definitely I worked on a lot in the summer and during this season, having more focus in training to have repetition but also variety in my finishing. I would say two seasons I scored a lot of long shots from outside the box.
'This season I have scored different kind of goals, it is probably a strength of my game I am trying to build each day.' We also ask whether the signing of Mariona has made a difference to Maanum's game. Mariona tends to drift in from the left flank and play as a dual 10 with Maanum, which is a departure from last season.
'Definitely, I really enjoy playing with Mariona, she is a great player. She is great at combining and you can see that on the pitch that we connect really well.
'It is really joyful to play with her, we find each other really well. I am more covering the right side and she is on the left side within the pocket. We have had a very good connection so far.'
When the Gunners take on Valarenga, there are 1,000 Arsenal fans expected in the away end, a mixture of travelling fans and local supporters.
'It just makes me smile hearing that, 1,000 fans is amazing, for so many to come over to Norway and for me to be home is always special. To have 1,000 Arsenal fans here tomorrow is going to be really special.'
Frida played for Valarenga's city rivals Lyn and she thinks rekindling that old rivalry should give her an extra edge tonight and she has been passing on some intel from some of her National Team colleagues who play for Arsenal's opponents.
'We used to have very special games when I played back in Norway, it is a bit like Arsenal Chelsea for us now so for me it gives the game a bit extra. I have played with a few of their players in the National Team, I know their strengths and I know their weaknesses as well so I have tried to feed that back to the coaches and the team to help our performance.
'We have seen clips from the game they played against Bayern, we have played them already at the Emirates, they are a physical team, they never give up and go till the end. We expect a physical battle, we want to have the ball and create a lot of chances. We expect a tough game.'
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