Kerstin Casparij: Manchester City full-back signs new deal and discusses Chelsea run and Christmas plans | Football news

Kerstin Casparij is looking forward to a quiet, comfortable Christmas based in Manchester this year, after being able to put a lid on her new and improved contract with Manchester City.

“It's been a long time but a nice early Christmas present,” she explains Sky Sportsfrom Joie Stadium, which she fondly calls “home”.

Casparij arrived from her Netherlands in 2022, signed from Twente, in response to Lucy Bronze leaving for Barcelona the same summer. Then 22, the defender took some time to get used to life in the north-west as well as Man City's unique brand of fast-paced football, but he is now thriving in his settled environment.

“I'm really settled in Manchester and I'm having a great time,” she continues. “I'm not a city girl, and Manchester doesn't feel like a city, it's comfortable .The people are really nice, which I hear is a northern thing.

“I'm enjoying my time at the club. The values ​​the club has attached to me and who I am as a person, but also on a football level, I've grown so much here .”

Casparij has played every minute of Man City's Women's Super League campaign this season, as Gareth Taylor's side trail Chelsea with six points in the table. The back, who is responsible for both sides, has provided two assists while showing her talent in possession, boasting a passing accuracy of 90.2 percent.

Her third-down pass percentage – she's completed 140 – is the third-best of any defender in the league, and it's that willingness to go forward and join attacks that ' making Man City less dangerous in wide positions.

City's emphasis on ball retention is also a big reason for Casparij's success. As a team, they are averaging nearly 70 percent of possessions this season, the highest share of any team in league history. But not everything is fun and exciting.

To challenge for the WSL title in 2024-2025, Man City will need to close a huge six-point gap to leaders Chelsea, and they failed to capitalize on their slip against Leicester this weekend by being losing disappointingly to Everton for the first time in 17 meetings.

“Chelsea are a very strong team and unfortunately we didn't use the drop points, which is a pity,” said Casparij. “But football is like that, they drop points and us too. The big things for us are not to be distracted from them, we have to focus on ourselves.”

The main goal now is to close out the main goal positively. Man City travel to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday, hoping to end 2024 with another memorable win over their Catalan counterparts, to add to the statement 2-0 scalp they delivered in the game on back in early October.

“We are confident, feeling good. It is good to travel to Barcelona and it is a wonderful facility to end the calendar year ahead. I hope it will be a little warmer than the here, I can't wait for some vitamin D. It's been a busy schedule, but we want to play in Europe and go deep in all competitions.”

Away from football, Casparij's Christmas plans are a little different this year as she celebrates her recent property purchase by inviting her family to enjoy the UK holidays for the first time. Apart from early morning training sessions – non-negotiable over the winter hiatus – what else does the winter break offer the Man City full-back?

“I'm looking forward to having my family time. We have a lot of time off, the club is good at recognizing when we need a break, but obviously we can't sit still. I get up early to train.

“I'm living in Manchester this year, and my family is coming here, so I'll be showing them around and cooking Christmas dinner. We bought a building and have enough space to host so we have invited everyone. I cook and cook. my partner is the baker, so between us we can cover all aspects of Christmas dinner.”

Casparij's growth, awarded a contract until the summer of 2027, is a prime example of Man City's direction. They have been in the building phase for several seasons and now is the time to bring some of that renewal to fruition.

Catching Chelsea in the final sprint between January and May must be seen as the biggest priority of all.