One point to validate the ticket for the quarter finals, two games to go. We’re almost there!
The 3-0 win against HB Køge, paired with Barcelona thrashing TSG Hoffenheim, means that we only need one point from the next two fixtures to qualify to the knock-out phase of the Champions League.
Goals from Caitlin Foord, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Vivianne Miedema broke the valiant resistance from the visitors, who didn’t create much but were sturdy enough to keep the scoreline close until the last ten minutes.
Jonas Eidevall once again decided to rotate quite heavily, leaving Vivianne Miedema, Manu Zinsberger, Noëlle Maritz and Frida Maanum on the bench, this while having to do it without Leah Williamson, Tobin Heath and Mana Iwabuchi, all injured.
It wasn’t a spectacular win or an especially convincing one, it was more a matter of getting the job done while saving some energy for the fixtures ahead, starting from the away game at Manchester United in the weekend. We will be in for a treat as soon as the next international break is over: on December, 5th we will play Chelsea in the FA Cup Final, on the 9th we will host Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium and on the 12th we will play Leicester at home, before hosting TSG Hoffenheim in what will be our Champions League group’s decisive game.
We will need all the energy we have and all the players we can field.
Back to the game, though, which saw Lia Wälti taking full control of the operations in midfield and show exactly why she is one of the very best: her awareness, positioning, reading of the game are superb and her ball-retention, distribution and influence are even better. The Swiss is the heartbeat of a team that oozes quality in every department, although recently had issues finding the flow and the sharpness of the opening games of the season.
We could have created more, in all honesty, but it is also true that we didn’t concede much: HB Køge ended the game with as many shots as Vivianne Miedema, who only played half an hour after coming on to replace Caitilin Foord, but still had a golden chance to level things up, only to be denied by a brilliant save from Lydia Williams.
I don’t want to sound arrogant or anything like that but it was a routine win, with all due respect for HB Køge, one of those that would usually end with a much bigger scoreline. If I have to find one minus, that would be the lack of goals and overall goalscoring chances.
Thinking of scoring goals and creating chances, the introduction of Vivianne Miedema changed the game well beyond her natural qualities, because she gave the impression of someone who was taking responsibilities and was willing to carry the team in the same way she did against Spurs in the league, which is a very encouraging sign and something that wasn’t always as apparent in the previous seasons. Perhaps it was just a matter of body language but in the past she seemed distant, a bit off at times, almost uninterested while she was aggressive and vocal both in the North London Derby and against the Danish team.
Up next is Manchester United away, on Sunday, to hold on the top spot under the increasing pressure from Chelsea, before focusing on the FA Cup Final against the Blues.
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.
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