Turin. Amanda Nielden succeeded in the Algarve Cup this spring and gained huge confidence in Juventus.
The team’s last rally ended in a terrible setback, but it did not change the ambition of a place in the European Championship squad.
“I work hard for it, I think about it every day,” says Amanda Nielden when she meets Sportbildet in Turin.
Under the afternoon sun in the Italian industrial city. In the square, tourists mingle with the townspeople and outdoor cafes are filled. Soon the Eurovision competition will be in Turin and the pandemic has unleashed its grip on society.
Three older teenage boys look at Amanda Nielden before their adventure.
– We watch team matches, says someone.
Swedish Juventus players pose for a photo with the fans, and more to follow.
– I thought people don’t care much about female players, but many see us as men. The 23-year-old says it’s fun with fans.
We meet over a cup of coffee and a little Italian cake. Stockholm-born Nelden is in his first season at the Italian giants and has earned the trust of Juventus coach Joe Montemoro, who is himself a prestigious signing from Arsenal.
During the morning game, several players of the team lost due to Covid, and the coach puts Amanda Nelden in the center. She thanks for confidence with a cannon target. Amanda Nildén prefers to play at left-back, but the dimensions of her qualities mean that she can play in more positions.
Earlier this winter, the Juventus Women’s Super Cup won. The day after the meeting they won the league title and the week after the league. Juventus is the nickname of the trio.
Winning the treble has never happened before at the club, says Amanda Nelden.
A setback after the success of the spring
It would be a dream come true for her. The second big target for this summer, she’s lowered her expectations a bit, but she’s working hard to keep the dream alive.
She attracted the European Championship play-offs in England and the impressions they left behind earlier this spring were strong.
Regarding the Algarve Cup, Amanda made her second rally with the national team for the first time since the start in the national team. She was in her bag and made all the matches for the youth team, not least the U23.
It ended with success and praise from the league leader Peter Gerhardson.
When the team met for the World Cup qualifiers in Gothenburg in April, Nelden’s ambition was to show himself again in hopes of joining the European Championship team. But the group ended up being isolated in a room, sick.
When Sportbladet interviews her, she talks about feelings about relapse.
– There were many ideas running through my head. I thought: Are you working now? became a void. I cried for a while in the room, but in the end I thought there was nothing to do about the situation, but just accept and work hard when I recover, she says.
Amanda Nielden returned to Italy and focused on the club’s team performance.
She hopes this will lead to an EC adventure.
I work hard for it, think about it every day, says Amanda.
See you days after the news that Italian women’s football will be completely professional. The decision to redraw the map and raise the profile of women’s football internationally.
But in Juventus environments, it’s been professional in many ways for several years.
Young Football Players Council
For Amanda Nielden, the step to Italy was perfect. She came there after a season at her home in Sweden. Homecoming from Britain’s first foreign adventure in Brighton (2018-2020) has become the perfect starting point.
My time in England was useful, but challenging.
– It was a pleasure to come home. I moved on so young, it was a lot of time on my own and I felt like I needed to find myself again and I felt like I could do it at home.
A year at home has made me grow a lot as a player and as a person. I feel like I’ve found peace on the pitch, I don’t stress but I feel like I can trust my qualities. She found myself as a footballer and it made me able to take great strides, explaining her new level.
What are the main challenges in England in your opinion?
I wanted an adventure and tested my wing abroad and had a good chance in Brighton. But not much was known. English football is tough and our coach was very tough. There were other instances compared to what I experienced before. It was a shock to me and I got a lot of injuries.
– I had a concussion and had to stay in my apartment for three months in dark rooms. It was awful, I couldn’t look at the phone without getting dizzy and a headache.
Both Amanda’s father and grandfather played in AIK, so he began providing support for her project. She has deliberately recovered and taken a new approach, and despite her young age, she has a great deal of experience.
Many young Swedish players see opportunities to leave for a career now, what advice would you give them?
– Sit still boat! Trust yourself, if you don’t and you lose yourself, you can stop. But keep fighting. did. It’s not just about thinking about football, and it’s not always about a dance of the roses.
