We have the female equivalent of Bergkamp in our ranks as North London stays Red

North London so red

There are moments that propel you to local folklore and turn you into a hero. Not that Jordan Nobbs needed any of that, having been a cornerstone for the Arsenal team for a decade already, but when she lobbed the ball over Rebecca Spencer from 25 yards out, the legendary status became even more legendary – if possible, at all.

Although the Arsenal Women team scored an astonishing 22 goals in the last four games against Tottenham Women team, conceding ZERO, a North London Derby is always a tricky game and it wasn’t until Jordan’s moment of brilliance that we could break the deadlock and make our superiority weigh in, against a well-organised, resilient Spurs team.

Legendary Lob – Nobbs

There are moments, in some games, when you need someone to take the initiative, show belief and pick the right choice at the right time. When Jordan Nobbs collected the loose ball within Spurs defensive third, raised her head and spotted the goalkeeper well ahead of his line, the choice was obvious – yet extremely difficult: the right choice often isn’t the easiest one and this was no exception, yet Nobbs knew it was the correct one. The composure, technique and coolness shown to pull it off were a testimony of her superior qualities, both technical and mental.

Nobbs with hattrick hero Evans

From that moment onwards, the game wasn’t the same and it went beyond the tactical adjustments that Spurs had to make or the immediate second goal, scored by Lisa Evans: Jordan Nobbs outrageous lob finished Spurs off well before we ran riot, exploiting the spaces in-behind their defensive line, it was a statement of unmatchable quality for the valiant neighbours.

Jordan Nobbs piece of skill was a masterstroke, one of those moments we will remember over the years, and the crazy thing, when you think about it, is that this Arsenal team has several players who could win you games in a split-second: we have Kim Little, we have Caitlin Foord, we have Beth Meadow and we have Vivianne Miedema, the most complete forward out there.

For some reasons, she’s still being measured on goals scored but she’s such a brilliant player that stats almost don’t do her justice: she’s a goal-scoring machine but on top of that she’s a marvellous instigator, an intelligent provider and the ultimate team player. Her pass to Lisa Evans, the other night, was simply superb and it’s like daily routine for her, something fairly unparalleled at this level.

Viv – Arsenal Wpmen’s Bergkamp

We’ve all seen the video where her face and Dennis Bergkamp’s briefly overlap each other: well, it’s not far from the reality but with more goals – dozens of additional goals. Having Vivianne Miedema in the team is like having Bergkamp AND Wright, or an unselfish Robin van Persie.

Having Miedema, Little, Nobbs, Roord, van de Donk and Foord is playing with an extra trump card up the sleeve.

Andrea Rosati

Italian living in Switzerland, Gooner since mid-nineties, when the Gunners defeated my hometown team, in Copenhagen. I started my own blog and podcast (www.clockenditalia.com) after after some experiences with Italian websites and football magazines. Covering Arsenal Women with the occasional rant about the boys.