It was an “emotional” choice by Denise O’Sullivan to depart the membership she captained and had spent nearly a decade with – however the problem of serving to Liverpool escape a relegation battle was one she couldn’t ignore.
The Republic of Eire midfielder performed greater than 150 video games for Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League (NWSL) facet North Carolina Braveness.
Commercial
Liverpool to carry her in earlier this month and had been instantly rewarded when she scored six minutes into her debut in a 6-0 FA Cup win over fourth-tier facet London Bees.
“It jogs my memory a little bit of being again residence in Cork. Persons are simply so pleasant they usually need you to settle in rapidly, so the transition has been seamless,” she instructed BBC Sport.
“Folks in Eire had been completely buzzing that I used to be signing for a membership like Liverpool and I believe my household was simply as excited.
“I’m near residence now – it is solely a 40-minute flight – to allow them to come and watch me play at any time when.
Commercial
“I need to go away a legacy right here and herald my management and my experiences. I need to be impactful for the youthful gamers. Each single day I need to assist them get higher and be a job mannequin.”
‘I need to get the staff out of the relegation battle’
Denise O’Sullivan scored six minutes into her debut for Liverpool [Getty Images]
The duty for O’Sullivan is evident – to assist Liverpool transfer off the underside of the Ladies’s Tremendous League desk and choose up factors.
Gareth Taylor’s facet stay with no win within the WSL this season however have acted within the switch window, including six new signings – together with O’Sullivan.
The Reds, two-time WSL winners, moved into elite coaching amenities at Melwood in 2023 however have fallen behind England’s largest golf equipment on the pitch.
Commercial
“I believe the membership has a transparent imaginative and prescient. They need the staff, within the subsequent few years, to be up there and profitable WSL titles,” mentioned O’Sullivan.
“I do know the scenario that the staff is in and the primary factor is to assist them get out of that scenario and out of the relegation battle. That is what I need to give.
“If you come to an enormous membership like Liverpool, there’s an computerized accountability in your shoulders to carry out and to offer 100% for the shirt.
“It is actually thrilling for me and a giant problem. The membership has a whole lot of historical past and has gained quite a few trophies. They’re one of many largest golf equipment on the planet.”
Commercial
O’Sullivan, who has 128 caps for the Republic of Eire, has watched Liverpool from afar and believes their performances deserved extra factors.
Now there may be extra competitors within the squad from the brand new arrivals, O’Sullivan says Liverpool have been engaged on their “id” in coaching.
“Their type of play is actually going to go well with me effectively. They seem to be a high-pressing staff which I really like as a participant. I am aggressive,” mentioned O’Sullivan.
“They actually do have a transparent id and magnificence of play, and I do know my position throughout the staff now. You possibly can maintain one another accountable to that position.
Commercial
“I believe that is a very, actually optimistic factor and Gareth [Taylor] has been nice to date. He is a very good coach and the little particulars that he sees is one thing that I have never had that a lot of.”
‘I can take so much away from the NWSL’
Denise O’Sullivan spent 9 years at North Carolina Braveness [Getty Images]
In addition to changing into a key participant on the pitch, O’Sullivan hopes to move on her expertise of over 150 appearances within the NWSL.
The 31-year-old has represented golf equipment in america, Australia, Scotland and England, in addition to her native Eire.
“I had a whole lot of wonderful experiences and likewise a whole lot of adversity inside North Carolina Braveness and throughout the NWSL all through the years,” she added.
Commercial
“I’ve discovered to be very resilient in these moments and to be a pacesetter to assist the staff throughout these moments. It has been incredible and I’ve discovered learn how to win.
“I gained seven trophies there, I turned captain of the membership and that is one thing I am going to actually cherish. I can take away so much from it.”
Her time within the NWSL has stored her out of the British highlight, except for her appearances with the nationwide staff.
O’Sullivan by no means felt undervalued by these again residence however she’s excited to be in England and surrounded by a relentless soccer tradition.
“The NWSL is a league that possibly individuals do not watch as a lot in Europe. That is simply how it’s. I used to be utterly advantageous with that and it did not hassle me,” she mentioned.
Commercial
“I simply needed to play soccer. I knew over there that I used to be serving to the Braveness and that is actually all that mattered in my eyes.
“I believe individuals actually admire me in Eire and after I play for my nation, they know what I give. I positively have a brand new power inside me.
“If you’re confronted with a brand new problem it is at all times thrilling and I hope I can be taught so much and be impactful with this staff, then carry that to the nationwide staff as effectively.”
[BBC]
Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are again for one more season of the Ladies’s Soccer Weekly podcast. New episodes drop each Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus discover interviews and additional content material from the Ladies’s Tremendous League and past on the