Game Ready

Spurs forward Rosella Ayane, on loan at Chicago Red Stars for an NWSL play-off push, answers the recurring Game Ready questionnaire on matchday habits and mentality. The 28-year-old Morocco international, who scored in the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final in front of 50,000 fans in Rabat and featured at her country’s debut World Cup, recalls losing her lucky matchday underwear and socks when an airline mislost her luggage before the World Cup – forcing an abrupt end to her superstitions. She discusses pre-match visualisation, managing nerves privately with close family and friends, and mental reset techniques for bouncing back from an off night, having also reached the 2024 FA Cup final with Tottenham.