In Spain, Arroyo built something of a reputation for wise tactical analysis, so perhaps it was no surprise that at half-time she made subtle changes, particularly exploiting Rachel Daly’s No 10 role, and the hosts scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half, first through a Daly header before Chasity Grant’s powerful shot.
‘It’s my dream’: Villa and Arroyo edge closer to Wembley in Women’s FA Cup Natalia Arroyo enjoys her first win as head coach with a 3-2 victory over Brighton and feels their fortunes are looking up.
While the new Aston Villa head coach Natalia Arroyo’s days working as a football journalist for the Catalan daily newspaper Ara are well behind her, she clearly still knows what runs through a sports writer’s mind, as she reflected on her side’s 3-2 victory over Brighton: “It wasn’t that difficult for the journalists, probably.
“It’s something to start from, with more hope, more confidence, and I’m happy for the win,” said Arroyo, whose first action upon hearing the full-time whistle had been to turn, with both fists clenched in celebration, to exchange a high 10 and a hug with Shaun Goater.
Arroyo, stood in the technical area wearing a long, unbranded black jacket, which accompanied the modern-day manager’s increasingly-popular white trainers, raised an arm in frustration when the opener went in, but within moments she was exchanging high-fives with everybody on her bench as Anna Patten bundled in from a corner to equalise, just before half-time.
