Arroyo reflects on Lyonnes test and pre-season so far

Head coach Natalia Arroyo is pleased with the progress Aston Villa are making as they prepare for the 2026/27 campaign. The side battled hard against OL Lyonnes in their latest pre-season encounter on Friday, taking a first half lead through defender Océane Deslandes before the French champions upped their attacking efforts in the second half to claim a 3-1 victory. Despite the defeat Arroyo was upbeat after the match, praising the strong mentality her players showed as they went toe-to-toe with one of the best front lines on the continent. “We wanted this type of physical challenge against one of the top teams in Europe,” Arroyo told VillaTV. “I think in most parts of the game we were able to show resilience out of possession, which will be important especially in our first games. “In the defensive part we are developing in a way where, when we are forced to defend a little bit lower we can be compact and we can feel in control.” It was a difficult start to the game for Villa, as they were made to withstand heavy early pressure from last season’s Champions League runners-up. However Arroyo says that experiencing such moments of adversity will provide a key foundation for tough moments that crop up throughout the season ahead. Arroyo added: “We were a bit scared in the first actions of the game, which is something you need to go through. As I said before, that will be important against Chelsea in the first game not to give them these three, four, five or eight minutes at the beginning. “In possession I think we were trying some of the things we were working on and understanding when to accelerate and managing the rhythms. "When do we have the opportunities to break and make them run? When do we need to be more patient? We showed some good things from our identity against one of the best teams in Europe.” It has been a busy off-season in B6 with eight new signings coming through the door to date, and Arroyo is pleased with how each one has settled in and begun to make their mark on the group. The head coach explained: “So far we are happy with how they are integrating. For example with Amelie [Vangsgaard], we have these different options in attack. When she plays more central, whenever she plays more wide, she gives us this threat, this holding opportunity, and smart movements. “With Kamilla [Melgård] we have also this intensity on the wide channels. She is really honest in her work. Justine [Kielland] is bringing a lot of experience from her national team in Norway and also from Wolfsburg, and bringing energy, duels, defensive awareness in the middle.” Arroyo continued: “We have Mia [McAulay] and Lily [Murphy], both young players, very talented on the wide channels, positive in the one v ones. They are honest to do the job defensively and helping our full-backs. "Mathilde [Harviken] is strong as well in the defensive part. Akane [Okuma] is performing really well as a new goalkeeper. “We are bringing a nice mix between quality, experience, energy, dreams and ambitions. The young ones come with a smile. They come with the intention to help. They are growing. So, I'm happy.” Click below to hear Natalia's full post-match thoughts via VillaTV now...