Celtic Women boss Fran Alonso can't wait to realise life-long Champions League dream

By Euan Davidson

August 13, 2021

Ahead of two important fixtures, one of which is a first Champions League outing, you’d expect Celtic Women boss Fran Alonso to be in a buoyant mood.

There seems to be a grin etched onto Alonso’s face most of the time. However, when asked about Celtic’s meeting with Levante on Wednesday, that smile widened even further.

You’d struggle to find anyone in Scottish Women’s football with a bad word to say about Alonso. Having worked with Everton and Southampton’s Men’s teams, Alonso’s CV continues to grow with Celtic.

First of all, though, there’s the small matter of a League Cup clash to get out of the way. Hearts are the opposition, but you can’t really forgive Alonso and the Ghirls for thinking ahead.

Speaking to 67 Hail Hail and other fan media outlets today, Alonso said of the Champions League:

“It will be something you always dream [of]. Since I was a little kid, I dreamt to be in the Champions League. At the time, it wasn’t really possible to dream of the Women’s Champions League, because I never saw it when I was a kid.

“But now, it’s going to be really exciting. We’ve got a new anthem, and that’s a moment I really, really want to experience. I think it’ll be one of my best moments in football.

“Especially because I’m going to be together with this team. We achieved something fantastic last year together, being the underdogs, fighting together.

“That means a lot to us. So the fact we are going to experience it together, that itself, is going to be amazing. If we also get a good game, and manage to get something from the game, it’s going to be a life experience that we will never forget.

“Hopefully we will work as hard and as good as possible, and make it a very good one.”

New experience for Celtic in Champions League

Oddly, Celtic will travel to Trondheim in midweek, to face a Spanish side. It’s a bit unusual, certainly, but Levante will provide familiar opposition for Spaniard Alonso.

Celtic FC Women will be armed with some new recruits heading into the Levante tie. Shen Mengyu officially joined the club earlier today, while Cheyenne Shorts, Maria Olafsdottir Gros, Tyler Toland and Charlie Wellings are getting to grips with Alonso’s system.

A rigorous pre-season, which included a five-goal thriller against Liverpool, has set the Ghirls up nicely. Last weekend, Celtic came back from a goal down to best Partick Thistle in the League Cup, a result which continued the momentum.

The underdog spirit that served Celtic so well last campaign will need to be reutilised for a brand new season, with brand new challenges.

But try telling Alonso’s mile-wide grin that it’s not an exciting time for the Celtic FC Women team.

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