Busy IzzyC (Izzy Christiansen interview)

Izzy Christiansen headed the only goal as Manchester City won October’s FA WSL Continental Cup final against Arsenal, the club’s first major trophy, and reflects on a year of firsts. The celebrations were wild, she says, though the coach did not reach Manchester until five in the morning because Jill Scott was held up by drug testing. Having joined from Birmingham in February, she describes the transition to full-time football as the biggest change in her life, bringing routine and noticeably fewer injuries. She praises Nick Cushing’s work ethic and attention to detail, credits Karen Bardsley, Toni Duggan and Krystle Johnston with lifting the dressing room, and laughs off a viral video of her dancing. Now a Sport and Exercise Science graduate, she is weighing media and teaching.