Arsenal striker Alessia Russo said she believes the standard of the Women's Super League (WSL) is improving year-on-year following her team's draw against Everton, and added that the Gunners are feeling confident ahead of facing Bayern Munich and Chelsea this week.
The north London side struggled to create chances against Everton on Sunday as the match ended goalless at the Emirates, leaving cause for concern ahead of the two tough fixtures.
Reflecting on the weekend's result, Russo said the WSL is getting "better and better," adding pressure to every fixture.
"There's so many top teams in England now, and you can see that with everyone wanting to come over and play in the league, so I think you've got to be switched on to every WSL game because people can take off anyone," Russo told ESPN.
"The league every year gets better and better, so it becomes harder, but so do we; we keep getting better. We keep focusing and just making sure that our standards are really high.
"The league is so tough, teams are so tough, even teams that aren't considered to be a top-four team are competing really well."
While the result was disappointing, the 25-year-old said the team can bounce back against Bayern in the Champions League on Wednesday and Chelsea on Saturday.
"The thing that's great about football is that there's always another game and always something to focus on.," Russo said. "We would've liked more from the game on Sunday, but we get a chance to put it right on Wednesday against Bayern and then against Chelsea on Saturday.
"We know that we have really high standards as a team and as a group and we're excited to go back out and have another game.
"I think when you're in football, I always say it moves so quickly and you've got to keep your focus really locked in on one game at a time because else you get way too carried away with so many things coming up but right now it's all eyes on Bayern."
Arsenal secured passage to the Champions League group stage after two rounds of qualifiers just before the new WSL season started.
Jonas Eidevall's side face their biggest test in the league following their Champions League clash against Bayern -- who they beat in the quarterfinal in the 2021-22 -- against reigning title holders Chelsea at home.
While Chelsea are under new management this season with former Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor, Russo said she is focused on what her side can do to replicate their emphatic 4-1 win last season at the Emirates, where she netted a brace.
"Chelsea are always a club that compete to the highest level in every competition and they're a top side, so many talented players and staff around them too," she said. "But I think us, it's just about focusing on what we do and what we can do, making sure we leave no stone unturned, making sure we're focused and we're relentless in our process."
Arsenal face four challenging games in 12 days, including the two Champions League group stage fixtures against Bayern and Vålerenga sandwiched in between league games against Chelsea and West Ham United.
While the schedule is strenuous, Russo said it is what the players want and that they'll be able to maintain their standards throughout the tough run of games.
"In between the games, [we're] making sure that we're doing all we can to look after our bodies because it can be tough and you've got to compete at the highest level in every single game," she said. "So making sure that we're doing everything we can as players to look after our bodies and we've got great access to staff who will help us do that as well.
"There's nothing better than playing games as well, so with them coming think and fast; its what you want as a player."
