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pitchsidestories · 6 months ago

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can't stop this feeling (2) II Alessia Russo x Reader

part 1 I masterlist I word count: 1869

a/n: hi, yes, we're still obsessed with the Alessia picture above and hope you'll enjoy part 2 as much as the one before, can be read before part 1. 💕

When the final whistle blew, the sound reverberated across the football field. You sighed in defeat. Arsenal had lost their game. It was stupid and unnecessary but it had happened.

You tried to shake the loss off as quickly as possible, the next game would come soon. From across the field, Alessia caught your attention.

She stood in front in front of the Arsenal fans, her head hung low and applauded them. She looked sad and embarrassed like she wanted to be anywhere else at this moment. Your heart ached for her.

You walked over, slipping a hand on her shoulder: “Heads up, Lessi.“

“Yeah… wasn’t a great game…“, she admitted, her voice was thin and hoarse.

“We all have those games.“, you tried to encouraging.

When Alessia finally turned to her, you realized that her eyes were rimmed red. “Feels like I constantly have them.“

“That’s not true. It’s your first season here, it’s normal that it takes time. Plus, you already showed your potential.“, you shook your head.

Alessia was taller than you but she looked so small standing right in front of you. “I just feel like people expect more from me…“

You smiled at her: “Yeah, because you’re the star girl.“

“Not at the moment.“

“To me, you’re.“, you assured her.

The corners of her mouth slightly quirked up: “You’re the sweetest. I love you.“

You blinked at her for a moment. It’s been weeks since your talk, weeks since you started dating. A lot of things were still new to Alessia so you were taken aback by the fact that she said it so casually.

“I love you too.“, you finally replied after a few heartbeats.

“You always make me smile.“ The striker pulled you into a quick hug.

“It was the first time you said it out loud…“

She looked at you just as surprised: “Was it?“

“Yes…“

“I didn’t even realize.“

For a moment you both only stood there, astonished by the situation. A slow warm sensation spread through your body, the exhilaration of hearing these three words for the first time pushed aside the defeat.

You could feel yourself grinning as you took Alessias hand: “Come on, we’ve team dinner tonight.“

“Yeah, can’t wait. That’s always fun.“, she nodded and followed you towards the changing room.

“I’m sure Kyra’s already up to some mischief again.“

“She always is.“, the striker laughed.

“Let’s go, love.“

You watched Alessias cheeks turn pink as you left the pitch and the bad game behind.

Alessia loved camps with the England national team, the Mediterranean location in which they their staying at spoke to her sunny soul.

After the training she and Lucy immediately jumped into the ice tub to cool themselves down. The Blonde loved chatting with the older woman who was in a relationship with one of her closer friends:” I know that Ona is very happy with you Lucy, when we actually find time to phone call each other, she won’t stop talking about you.”

“Ugh, can’t believe you still talk.”, the defender groaned playfully.

“Excuse me? Friendship never ends.”, Alessia snorted.

“I know you two gossip about me.”, she replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“All the time and about y/n.”, the forward laughed light-heartedly.

“I knew it!”, the dark-haired woman grinned.

“I mean it’s always fun to gossip about each other’s girlfriends.”, the younger woman shrugged nonchalantly.

Immediately the chattiness between all the players who were soaking up the sunshine came to a halt and stared shocked at the two players standing in the ice tub.

“Girlfriends?”, Lucy repeated stunned.

“Yes, y/n is my girlfriend.”, Alessia told her proudly smiling as she tried hard to o ignore the quietness around them.

“I didn’t know you were into girls.”, the defender muttered. It was a rare occasion to see her this surprised about something.

“Me neither, y/n was the first woman to make me question things.”, the half-Italian answered in an honest tone.

“That’s how we all started.”, Fran explained, the smaller player who was sitting closest to them was coming to her to pad her shoulder encouraginlx.

“Very true.”, Millie added smirking.

“Who would have thought.”, Lucy shook her head in amusement.

“Not me.”, Jess admitted truthfully.

“But I knew!”, Beth tuned into the conversation with a triumphantly smile on her lips.

“And I was the first whom Lessi told that she kissed a girl!”, Ella yelled excitedly, hugging her best friend after she and the Barcelona player left the ice tub.

“Guys!”, Alessia nervously tucked a loose string of her hair behind her ear. This was too much attention on her coming out for her liking.

“Don’t worry, baby gay, we’re here for you.”, Lucy winked at the red-faced forward.

“Oh my god.”, slightly embarrassed the younger woman hid her face in her hands.

“It’s okay to be gay, you’re in good company.”, Beth reassured the fellow Blonde cheerfully.

“I know it’s. I just don’t won’t to be babied.”, Alessia clarified while sticking her tongue out into the direction of the Barcelona defender.

“Lucy won’t do it again. I’ll take care of it.“, Beth promised, raising an eyebrow in the direction of your older teammate.

Unimpressed by Beths threat, Lucy smirked at her: “What are you going to do about it?“

“I’ve my tools for that.“, the winger replied, elbowing the defender hard in the side.

Alessia had to suppress a laugh. Yes, it was still awkward to talk about it but she could always count on her teammates to provide a safe space.

Right after the international break, you had a few free days. And you had something planned for Alessia.

Cluelessly, the blonde striker followed you through the streets of London. You had told her to dress up and that you would go out but you never said where you would take care.

You felt a bit nervous, hoping that she would like the idea as you came to a stop.

Alessia looked at you, then at the sign of the gay bar. You could see her thoughts racing behind her eyes.

You smiled at her encouragingly: “Let’s get inside. Millie and Ona are already waiting, Lessi.“

“Okay…“, she said plainly.

“No need to be nervous. Trust me.“, you promised her and gently took her head. You led her inside the bar where Ona Battle and Millie Turner already sat at a table, waving at the two of you.

“Hi, girls.“, you smiled.

“Hey!“, Ona greeted you and Alessia with a hug. You could feel Alessia relax beside you.

“Hi, great to see you two again.“, she beamed at her former Manchester United teammates.

“Miss you at Manchester, girl.“, Millie laughed.

You pulled Alessia closer to you: “Sorry, she plays for Arsenal now!“

“What about me?“, Ona complained loudly.

“Oni, I miss you the most. Your hair is so good for braiding!“, Millie grinned, running a hair through the Spaniards ponytail.

“Oh my god! You’ve a favourite!“, Alessia yelled, sitting down at the table with them. Being with her friends seemed to help her nervousness. You watched with a smile on your lips.

Ona pulled her hair out of Millies grip: “We’re not here to braid hair!“

“No, first round of drinks is on me.“, Alessia said confidently.

The Spanish defender shook her head determinedly: “No, it’s on us!“

“What? Why?“, Alessia asked, looking at her former teammates in confusion.

“Because it’s your first time here.“

Alessia looked at you from across the table: “It has been many firsts at the moment but I love them all.“

Your heart filled with so much love at the sight of her beaming with happiness.

“That’s normal in your first queer relationship.”, the Manchester United admitted.

“True.”, Ona agreed with a warm smile on her lips.

“I really appreciate how supportive everyone is. Makes me feel less stupid.”, your girlfriend confessed.

After a short pause she lifted her drink:” Cheers everyone.”

“Cheers.”, you all clinked your glasses against each other. The fun part of the evening officially started. It turned out to be a very happy reunion, a lot of memories were made together.

Later in the tube, Alessia whispered into your ear:” I want to do it tonight.”

The sentence sends a shiver down your spine.

“Are you sure?”, you asked her, while you couldn’t hide how thrilled you were at the prospect of it.

“Yes.”, the blonde confirmed seriously. Her light blue eyes turned darker with desire as the tube was rushing through the London Underground system. Filling you with thrill and excitement about what was to come.

“Alright.”, you smiled at her.

“Please. I can’t wait.”, Alessia answered passionately, running her free hand who wasn’t on the handle impatiently through your open hair.

“Okay, babe. We’ll be doing it.”, you replied, before kissing her, much to your surprise the blonde answered this kiss even hungrier. Both of you forgot where you were in this moment, the only thing that mattered right now were you two.

“Shit, we need to get out.”, you realized, when the tube stopped at your station.

“Oh shit.”, your girlfriend cursed.

You let out a relieved laugh, once you left it, the sound of closing doors behind you: ” Thank god, we made it out of there right in time.”

“We’re home.”, you announced. Alessia and you were both a little nervous. Expectation hung in the air.

“Finally.”, the forward responded, letting her handbag fall to the ground, so she was able to cup your face with her hands before giving you fervent kisses enlighten a fire inside of you.

Turned out the wait has been worth it, the first sex with her was perfect.

A few months have passed since that day, you felt proudness when your girlfriend asked you to go as her date to an award ceremony. Both of you had fun planning your outfits together.

In the evening you walked hand in hand on the red carpet.

“Miss Russo, it’s cute that your teammate is accompanying you tonight, how are you feeling tonight?”, the journalist addressed the question to Alessia.

“Really good. I’m very excited that my girlfriend can be here with me.”, she beamed at him.

“Girlfriend?”, the man raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”, the blonde confidently raised her chin.

“What are you two wearing?”, the journalist swiftly changed the topic.

“It’s cute, right?”, Alessia swirled around to show off her dress.

“Tooney, hi.”, you waved at the familiar face. The walk on the red carpet was over for you both.

“Hi.”, she greeted you two.

“You’re looking great.”, your girlfriend complimented her best friend.

“Thanks so do you.”, Ella winked.

“I had the best personal stylist at my side.”, Alessia said while looking at you.

“Oh, please.”, you felt your cheeks turn hot.

“It’s true.”, she pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“I thought you were just trying to experiment, but you look so much happier now.”, Ella told your girlfriend happily.

“I am, Tooney.”, the Arsenal forward’s face lit up.

“That’s the most important part.”, Ella answered, before pulling you both into a hug.

Alessia couldn’t stop the feelings she had for you and the football player wouldn’t have it any other way.

Comments, likes and reblogs are always appreciated. <3

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lucawrites11 · 6 months ago

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my optimal lionesses line-up v ireland

i am going to this match and i am not afraid to insult sarina from my seat loudly if she doesn't play younger players for this one

A lot of players are on yellows and one more will put them out for the Sweden game so this is the main consideration in the creation of this line-up. It's two yellows for a suspension, Jess Carter, Ella Toone, Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze and Chloe Kelly are all on one. This is also one of the easier games in the group and an opportunity to play some younger players.

Alessia Russo may be injured after leaving last week's camp early with a hamstring injury in training but I think that was minor and mostly precautionary however if she's not ready to play a full 90, I would like to see Aggie Beever-Jones start in her place. They've tried starting Lauren Hemp in the nine before and it regularly fails to produce goals. However, if Aggie Beever-Jones starts, I would like to see Fran Kirby over Grace Clinton to bring more experience to that front line and introduce someone that Aggie is more familiar with playing with rather than two young players connecting through that central channel to create a line-up like this:

Okay, so justifying my other choices. Firstly, England needs to start introducing a more consistent staring line-up for chemistry and game plans. This is not possible in the defence but consistency can be carried over in the attack and midfield with the exception of Grace Clinton. Hence, my choices of Russo, Hemp and Mead up front. I think they need all the chances to build up their chemistry possible so England can start scoring the goals they need to score. This especially comes with how they understand each other's movement. Clinton can slip into this as the best like-for-like replacement for Toone who can get up front to compensate for Russo's runs that create a midfield overload much needed for chances through the centre especially with both Wubben-Moy and Williamson unavailable to make these runs from the defence.

However, England will likely benefit from Ireland's lack of a midfielder with the talents to mark Keira Walsh out of the game which is why I have deemed it okay not to play Williamson and miss out on her midfield overloads that free up Walsh and allow her to make her crucial chance creating passes through the midfield. England will also benefit from Clinton's speed, allowing more of these passes to capitalise on as she can outrun her markers. Stanway and Walsh are further irreplaceable in the midfield, although I would accept Park in Stanway's role however with two inexperienced defenders, England would benefit from experiences in the midfield.

With all the yellow cards and injuries, England is limited in the defence. As a result, Greenwood despite being a stronger player at centre-back is the best option at left-back and fortunately links up well with Lauren Hemp so this isn't the worst scenario for England. However, it does leave England without a left-footed centre-back. Both Morgan and Le Tissier can play at right-back. However, with McCabe preferring the wings to score goals (though let's face it we have no fucking idea where she's going to play and quite frankly she shouldn't be given a positional label any more, she should just be called an outfield player because she plays fucking everywhere), it is better to play the more experiences player at right-back to possibly counter this and that would be Maya Le Tissier. However, Esme Morgan and Maya Le Tissier's positions in the starting line-up are interchangeable for me.

I want to see Keating make her competitive debut sooner rather than later, as a result, I think this would be the perfect time to give her a chance. She had minutes in the game against the Netherlands and with no friendlies coming up soon, I think this may be the only opportunity. If both Hampton and Earps are injured, she is the keeper we would turn to and she needs some competitive experience to remove the pressure and give England and herself the best chances in the future. She is a stronger keeper than most in the WSL and with Greenwood and Morgan in front of her she will be in the unique position of playing with a familiar defence to guide her.

If Niamh Charles makes the match day squad and Maya Le Tissier returns to the reserves, I would like to see Millie Turner play the centre back role alongside Millie Bright. In that scenario, Esme Morgan would take up the right back role to look something like this. (Left if Russo isn't fully fit and right if she is.)

Substitutes

With Mary Earps and Niamh Charles still recovering from injury, the match day squad (limited to 23 players) would be:

(players in italics are on a yellow and at risk of a suspension)

Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Lucy Thomas/Anna Moorhouse Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, Jess Carter, Esme Morgan, Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner Keira Walsh, Fran Kirby, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Grace Clinton, Jess Park Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Naz

I think it would be sensible to give Charles and Earps a little more time, especially Charles, ahead of this game and not name her to the squad especially with the limits already placed on the defensive by the yellow cards and it being key that Le Tissier, as a right back replacement for Lucy Bronze, is named in the match day squad.

I do not trust this squad not to get yellow cards against Ireland despite managing it last time out, especially Lucy Bronze. Quite frankly, some of the players not on yellows are quite literally bloody miracles (*cough* Georgia Stanway *cough* *cough*)

Personally, I am a little disappointed in the match day squad as it would be a good space for Bo Kearns to make a debut off the bench and I think she would do very well against Liverpool and she's in the unique position of being one of the few future English midfielders who can play in a defensive midfield position. The lack of depth in the defensive midfield role hurt England in their matches while Keira Walsh was injured with Katie Zelem one of the few other English options available in this role and nowhere near the standard of Keira Walsh however I think Bo Kearns, despite being more of a central midfielder, does have the ability to learn this role and slip into it much like Patri Guijarro is able to do at Barcelona. I would like to see her make the squad over a player on a yellow card as a tactical decision. Ella Toone is probably the best option as a like-for-like change in the midfield squad list.

Considering this, this is the substitutes that I would like to see made throughout the game.

And if Russo is not ready for a full 90, these are the substitutes that I want to see made:

These crucial substitutes would allow England to keep the experience and also allow young players to get game time ahead of the 2025 Euros something that is crucial for developing a game plan similar to the one that won England the 2024 Euros. With qualifiers for both the World Cup and Euros getting increasingly difficult, there will be no more opportunities like Luxembourg and North Macedonia to give young players a chance and they are going to have to get their chances in these matches. Jess Naz, Aggie Beever-Jones, Missy Bo Kearns, Maya Le Tissier, Grace Clinton, Jess Park and Esme Morgan will all be crucial to England's future success and they need to get the chance at some point and these substitutions will be the way to give it to them. For me, the most crucial players to play with be Beever-Jones, Keating and Naz.

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