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EXCLUSIVE: Nantes goalkeeper Emily Burns discusses facing PSG and dealing with pressure

FC Nantes goalkeeper Emily Burns
FC Nantes goalkeeper Emily BurnsFC Nantes / Nathalie Querouil
A regular in the FC Nantes goal for the last three seasons, Canadian goalkeeper Emily Burns is preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Premier League on Saturday, a team she knows well, having been in France for five seasons. The 28-year-old spoke to Flashscore about her role as goalkeeper and her life off the pitch, as she "doesn't like football".

How are you approaching the match against Paris Saint-Germain?

"I'm approaching it like any other game this season. There are no games that are more or less important. All matches are important.

"Our preparations change every week depending on who we're playing. We know that against PSG, I might have a bit more work to do. So it's a bit like that, you have to prepare for that. But I love it so much!"

As a goalkeeper, is it special to play against PSG?

"Yes, but it's all good. I know I'm going to be in great demand, I hope, but I don't hope too much either. But I don't like games where you don't do anything as a goalkeeper, and we know that in this game, we usually have quite a few things to do.

"I'm really motivated. I'm really looking forward to this match. I'm not scared at all. I feel motivated."

In the build-up to the match, in videos, you must have picked up on a lot of things, because there are a lot of players to watch out for on the PSG side.

"Yes, that's for sure. We watch the video with the goalkeepers, with the goalkeeper coach, and we focus on the players: how they're going to attack, what kind of situations we can face... And then we work on these situations during the week."

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"It's a match I enjoy playing because I know I'll be under a lot of pressure"

Last season, you had a good game against PSG at home in La Beaujoire (losing 1-0). But in the French Cup, you lost quite heavily, 6-1. What memories do you have of PSG?

"Last year, I think of the game at La Beaujoire... we lost 1-0, but it's still the best memory of last year against PSG. Because of the crowd we had at the match, we played in the big stadium and it was something incredible.

"What's more, we played well, we defended well, we attacked well, we had chances and everything. And personally, I made some saves, so I was happy.

"And the Cup match, I admit, I don't have too many memories of because I try not to dwell on matches like that. It was a match where I should have done better. So there you have it, I've learnt a few things, but it's not something that's stuck in my head for too long."

Last season, PSG had quite a few stars. There was Katoto, Geyoro... This season, there are a few less, because both of them have left. Is that important to you?

"There are still a lot of good players, even if they're not stars. They're still great players, good players. I don't think it has any impact on us. We know they're a good team in any case, with or without those players."

Emily Burns' career stats
Emily Burns' career statsFlashscore

On the opening day, Lens drew with PSG. Do you want to take a leaf out of their book?

"Yes, I think there are things we can learn from them, of course. I think they played a good game against PSG. But after that, we can't really compare things because we don't have the same style of play. In terms of the result, yes, we'd like to do what they did. But we don't play in the same way or with the same style."

On the opening day, Nantes won 2-1 at home against Saint-Etienne. It was only your second win in the Premier League at the Marcel Saupin stadium. How did you feel about it?

"I was delighted. We won. We hadn't won at Saupin for a long time. And we didn't win much at Saupin last year. But to start the season with a win is so important to get the season off to a good start. And for me, for us as a team, it was very important. So we were happy."

"It feels good to have been with a club for two years"

What are your expectations for this season?

"I think we're hoping to do better than last year, because that's always the goal. After that, we've set ourselves some objectives within the team, more specific things about what we want to achieve this year: the number of clean sheets, points from a series of games... But I think we're capable, we're all motivated."

What are your goals as a goalkeeper?

"Personally, I don't want to focus too much on the number of goals... I don't like to think like that, because you never know what can happen in a match. There are too many things you can't control.

"So it's more a question of performing well throughout the season. I know there will be games where I won't play as well, but I want that to be limited. I don't want that to happen often. So it's more a case of trying to stay competitive throughout the season."

This is your third season at FC Nantes. How do you feel about that?

"As a player, it's good to have been with a club for two years. It creates stability in my life as a player and in my private life, too. It's good to know that you're here, that you're used to it, that you know the staff, the place, the town and everything. I feel good here. I think I'm lucky to be able to continue at the club."

You're part of a group that gives the impression of living very well together, with a lot of mutual contact. Where do you fit in?

"I think the goalkeepers are in a class of their own. After that, things go well with the whole team. Between all the girls, between the staff... We have a group that lives well, there's a lot of joy. During the sessions, we try to keep smiling when we're playing, when we're training, and that's important. 

"Between us, the goalkeepers, it's really something that I find unique because it's not in every group of goalkeepers that you'll find this, that things go so well between the three of us. And I have a bit of a 'big sister' role. We often say that between us. I'm the big sister, and the two younger ones are the little sisters. I like having that role because I know I can teach the younger two things, but they teach me things too. We have something good between us."

You're in competition with each other, but despite that, there's something very, very healthy between the three of you?

"Yes. We've never had a problem or anything, and we work well together. We know we have to push each other, we have to work together, but at the same time we have to think of each other. A bit selfish, but not unhealthy."

You mentioned your role as big sister; do you also have this role with the group? Because you're one of the most experienced first division players in the group. 

"I don't feel that way with the whole group. I think there are other girls who are even more experienced than me. I'm not the oldest either. I find myself a bit in the middle. I know I'm experienced, but I'm not the most experienced either. I'm still a bit in the middle."

On the pitch, as a goalkeeper, you have a fairly important role to play in leading the team at decisive moments. How do you implement that on the pitch?

"I try to guide my defence and the whole team. But after that, I'm not a goalkeeper who's going to shout a lot... I'm talking, but I know that there are a lot of goalkeepers who'll shout all match, who'll do things like that, but that's not really my style.

"I think the girls know that if I'm shouting, it's because I've got something important to say. It's not all the time. But I think I choose my moments to be a bit tougher. That way, the message gets across a bit more."

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"If I don't feel pressure, I find it hard to play"

You like playing under pressure a lot. What does that bring out in you?

"Yes, yes, I like it too much. I need pressure to play. If I don't feel it, I find it hard to play. It's more a form of adrenaline. I think I become another person a bit. I don't think other people can see, but in my head, something is happening. When it's time to play, it's a different mentality, it's something else."

How would you define yourself as a goalkeeper?

"That's a tough one. I think I'm an experienced keeper who's still learning and keen to learn. I think there are areas I need to work on. But I think I've managed to strike a balance between being positive and negative about myself."

It's fair to say that you're a goalkeeper with good footwork...

"Yes, I like to play with my feet. When my teammates play with me, I really enjoy it. And I think that's part of the system that Nicolas Chabot wants to put in place. I used to like it, but since I arrived in Nantes, I think I've learned a lot by being here. And it's given me even more confidence."

How do you work on your footwork on a daily basis? By playing with the other players in training?

"Yes, it's usually once a week. We don't train as goalkeepers at all, we're just with the players. So that gives us a lot of work on our feet and that's good. Then we do more specific exercises with the goalkeeping coach, on our feet. But we work on that every day."

Did you get that from your futsal experience with the Canadian futsal team?

"Yes, that was a long time ago. I love playing with my feet. The same goes for futsal. That's why I love playing futsal."

"I'm not at the top, not yet"

That's what makes you different from the other goalkeepers in the Premier League, and you've already been singled out: with the title of best goalkeeper in the second division two seasons ago and among those nominated last season in the top tier. That shows that your level is recognised in France.

"Yes, I think that's starting to happen. I'm not putting myself at the top, not yet. It's something I want to do. I think everyone wants to be the best. I'm working towards that. I think I'm capable of doing better and doing more. But for the moment, I think I'm pretty happy where I am."

Do you feel at home in France now that you've been here for five years? What's your connection with the country?

"I feel pretty good. I know it's a bit hard, I know it's not my country. I know I'm not at home, probably because my family isn't here. I don't know if all my family were here, if it might be different, but the fact that my family is in Canada, my whole life is in Canada, it's a bit complicated to feel that I'm really at home in France. 

"But, I love the country too much, I think it shows. The fact that I've been here for five years, I like the country, and I feel at home here. But I know that when I stop playing football, my life will be in Canada."

This is your fifth season in France. What has changed for you since you arrived?

"I think I have a lot more self-confidence. When I arrived in France, I had a bit of confidence, but not enough. And I think especially at Nantes, the fact that I've played a lot and know that all the staff trust me, that's helped me a lot.

"I think I've matured too, in terms of how I understand football. Because I think that before, I didn't really understand football and it didn't interest me. I often say that, because I don't like football, I'm not going to be at home and watch the games. But it's something I've learned to do by being here.

"I feel fulfilled here and in the project, so it's good."

"I can't just be into football"

When you say you don't like football, does that mean you don't watch football off the pitch?

"Over the last two years, I'd say, I've started to. But before that, it wasn't the case at all. I didn't like watching football.

"I think it's more the fact that if football is my whole life, I won't be able to keep playing if that's all I do. I need something else. I can't just be into football. My brain is like that. When I'm playing football, it's great, but I can't always be thinking about football, because it becomes too much for me."

"You enjoy playing, but not necessarily doing more

I want to do more in the sense that I want to work, I want to do everything I need to outside as well, because it's not just in training that you play better, it's more in the sense that... I know there are girls who sleep for football, who eat for football, whose whole life is football, and I'm not like that."

What do you do off the pitch in your spare time?

"That depends. I like drawing. I have a passion for it. And I play a lot of video games. After that, it's just a question of doing something else, because it's also hard when you're in another country to find something else to do, when you're away from your family and friends... For my own balance, I need other things."

Do you sometimes do things with teammates, or do you stay in your own bubble?

"Yes, with the girls in the team, we manage to do things together, whether it's going for a coffee or shopping. We manage to find things. But sometimes, we know that between us, we need breaks, because we're still together every day. So we have to find a balance between all that."

You said you draw, but I saw that you have a Bachelor's degree in art. What role does art play in your daily life?

"It's not something I do every day, but it's a passion of mine. So it's still important to me. But it's also a pleasure. I don't see it as a job. It's something I want to do and enjoy doing."

You draw, you play video games... But what do you do on the tem bus when you're out and about?

"That's something that changes every time I travel. I either read, draw or play. And I also like to watch series or films. I really like horror films and often, if I'm watching a film on the bus, that's it. Films that scare you."

One last question, which is a bit difficult: you like drawing, so if you had to draw your dream at the moment with Nantes, what would it look like?

"It's hard... I see something with everyone already, with the whole team in the picture. Everyone would be happy. If we're talking about a dream, we could put a trophy on it. It's something you want to have, whether it's in the cup or in the league. You can put a little trophy in the picture!"

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