Lucy Bronze Q&A: Barcelona, skipping NWSL, Real Madrid rivalry

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Lucy Bronze had a choice of clubs when her contract at Manchester City expired. She told her agent that only the best of the best was what she wanted. For Bronze, that meant Lyon or Barcelona, the two teams that made the final of the European Championship.

Bronze had already played for Lyon earlier in her career, so she chose to play for Barcelona. The side that lost to Lyon in last season's European final have been unbeatable. The last three league titles have been won by them.

There are signs that the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid may not be as large this season. The rapid improvement of Madrid has made them just below the top clubs in Europe. They lost to Barcelona in front of a world record crowd at Camp Nou last season, but still made it to the group stages of the competition.

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The Real Madrid invested again in the summer, and among those brought in was the Scotland international. They have four points from two European games this season, including a goalless draw against Paris Saint-Germain, and are still in the running for the title.

The Catalans will play Real Madrid on Sunday. Madrid may feel this is their best chance to beat Barcelona for the first time because of the injured players at the Catalan club. According to Bronze, Barcelona's squad runs deep and they have become the best side in Spain because of the growth happening in the capital city.

Bronze talked about adjusting to life in Barcelona, whether Real Madrid have earned the Clasico rivals tag, and her path from Domino's employee to a powerhouse starter

Can we now refer to it as a Clasico?

Bronze said it is.

Is it true that Madrid had to earn it?

They have shown they are a good team in Spain. In Spain, they finish high in the table. I have never played in the games against Barcelona but I have watched them and they are competitive games.

The big domestic rivals are now Madrid and Atleti Madrid.

I think there are a couple of teams that are really strong. There is a rivalry between the two Spanish teams. I haven't been a part of it before, but I feel like everyone is ready for it.

Do you have any more motivation to face former teammateCaroline?

It's nice to know someone. She is a great player. It's nice to see that she's doing well, but I don't want her to have a bad weekend. As a team we will hopefully be able to deal with her.

What do you say?

I talked to her a long time ago. I think it's different for me. I've played in many countries and learned many languages. The culture change is the first kind of initial struggle, not the football. Not understanding everything that is going on in training and having to adapt and get used to that before even thinking about playing. From what I know, it was the same for Caz, but she has settled in and scored goals. She seems to be doing well from the outside.

Real Madrid tried to sign you on a free in the summer.

There was a call. I don't recall The only teams that caught my attention were Lyon and Barcelona. There were teams in the United States. I told my agent that I wanted Barcelona and Lyon.

Do you want to remain in Europe?

It's a different kind of league compared to what we have in Europe. I did think about it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to play for another world class team and live in Barcelona and I was never going to turn it down.

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England's Lucy Bronze, Fran Kirby, Ellen White and Beth Mead are participating in a quiz.

You played in France and now in Catalonia in the Spanish league. What are the languages going to look like?

I am more proficient in Portuguese than Catalan. Both languages have aided me greatly. I was able to pick up the sound quickly. I usually use a Portuguese or French accent when I speak. Within a year, I would like to be able to speak Spanish.

There are a lot of English speakers in the dressing room.

Geyse, who's Brazilian, is the only foreign player who speaks English. It's nice to have a place where you can feel at home. We are comfortable because a few girls speak English with each other. We know each other so well that it's good for us to have each other. It has been simpler to settle in.

Walsh's position at the base of the middle as a pivot is very specialized at Barcelona. She is doing well.

It will take time, but she is settled in. The crucial role in the Barcelona side has always been in the middle of the field and it has always had the best players. The bicyle that do that is the one that keeps the ball for Barcelona. It's a big ask for a player to come into that position, but there is no player more prepared and capable of doing that than Keira. If anyone can do it, it's her, she's the most technical player with England.

There is a lot of communication that needs to happen, so it's about getting that up. Even if she doesn't speak the language she has already made good friends with and they're like best friends, she's such a likeable personality that even if she doesn't speak the language she has already made good friends with, she's still such a likeable You want to know how they are communicating. They link well on the field because of their relationship. A person with that type of personality.

Tell us about your position as a right-back.

Bronze is a new way to play the position. I'm asked to do different things in different games. Depending on who is playing, we change our style. We have a lot of world class players and we play a lot. Sometimes I'm asked to be more aggressive. Depending on who I am playing with, the relationship I need to have with the player next to me, in front of me or in the middle of the field. Every game learns a new thing. After the game, the coaches do a lot of clips with you. Every player is given feedback after a game. It was the first time I had that before. There are all those things.

Do you enjoy that part of the game?

If it's just me, I like watching my own performances and seeing if I did well or not. The best way to improve is to see both the good and bad things. It's good that they write what they see and think for us. They write in English which is useful for me.

We do analysis at every club, but never that level of individual insight like I have here. Every game is analysed on an individual basis. It's nice to have your own stuff that you can watch at home and improve your skills. Everything is given to you to improve on your own.

Everyone says the training is more intense at this club. Do you just say it?

It's the intensity. The players at Lyon were just as good as the Spanish girls. I have played with some of the best players in the world and the likes of Marozsan are some of the best I have ever played with. The way they want to play is very intense in the environment we have here. Everything we do is the same as in one small game.

The growth of Spanish players in the last five years is due to the fact that Barcelona changed their training methods. Five years ago no one was talking about the likes of Aitana, Patri, Mapi, and Leon, but now they are among the best in the world. The intensity of training here has made everyone better.

There's a beautiful game here. You can watch tournaments and teams.

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