Hello Arsenal Women aficionados!
The traditional Arsenal Women Journal might well be on holidays mode but that’s no reason to rest.
The Arsenal Women team has a big summer ahead after coming dramatically close to the Champions League final and falling behind Chelsea and Manchester United in the league: Rafaelle has left to join the Orlando Pride, leaving a big gap that must be filled, and the team is likely to start the new season without several key players, some still recovering from their injuries and others just back from the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Key Dates
June 30th: UWCL qualification draw – Round 1
July 20th: World Cup opening game
August 20th: World Cup final
September 6th: UWCL mini-tournament semifinals
September 9th: UWCL mini-tournament final or playoff for third place
September 15th: UWCL qualification draw – Round 2
September 29th or 30th: WSL opening game
October 10th or 11th: UWCL round 2 first leg
October 18th or 19th: UWCL round 2 second leg
October 20th: UWCL group stage draw
It is still unclear whether or not the club will allow some time off to the players who will play in the upcoming World Cup – and I guess they will, especially after the incredibly busy year some have just experienced – but we are very likely to go through the unnecessarily complex Champions League qualification rounds without Vivianne Miedema, Laura Wienroither, Leah Williamson, Steph Catley, Katie McCabe, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Sabrina D’Angelo, Noëlle Maritz, Lia Wälti, Caitlin Foord, Frida Maanum, Lina Hurtig, Victoria Pelova and Stina Blackstenius, while big doubts remain over the availability of Kim Little and Beth Mead.
Hopefully some of the long-term absentees will be able to contribute, at least partially, to our quest for a place in the Champions League group stage and the players whose national teams won’t go past the group stage at the World Cup will also be back right on time, but getting past the mini-tournament won’t be an easy task, in such conditions.
Jonas Eidevall and the club will be busy strengthening the team but most of the big players they look to be after will be playing at the World Cup and won’t be available straight away. Alessia Russo obviously is the most-discussed name at the moment and she is expected to join the Arsenal after June, 30th but she will be in the same exact position as Caitlin Foord, Stina Blackstenius, Lina Hurtig, Katie McCabe and Victoria Pelova, meaning that she won’t be able to bring her brilliant qualities into the team until the end of the tournament and our ability to create and convert scoring opportunities will still be limited.
The big question mark hangs over our attacking unit, which struggled to maintain the usually high standards when Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema went off injured, unsurprisingly. Jonas Eidevall found a solution towards the end of the season, when he played to 10s behind Stina Blackstenius, but will have to get creative again, this summer. The combination of injuries and the World Cup is leaving the head coach with a heavily depleted squad, especially in attack, where Gio and Michelle Agyemang are the only options available, as of today. The young pair, who are likely to go on loan to gain experience, might be asked to play their part in the mini-tournament that will start in September, three weeks after the World Cup final. I guess that much will depend on the calibre of our opponent, which we will know next week, so we will see.
The other question mark looming over this otherwise nice summer is the replacement of Rafaelle, whose departure took many by surprise. The Brazilian has become a mainstay since her arrival, in January 2022, and was one of the best centre-backs in the league for recoveries, interceptions, dribbles and attacking threat, so replacing her will be very hard. I don’t believe the club is looking for a carbon-copy of the former Palmeiras defender, but we will surely need someone naturally inclined to participate to the build-up phase and not scared of carrying the ball over the first line of pressure, when required. Losing Rafaelle means losing a tenacious defender, a leader and a player with an exquisite left-foot, whose qualities offered a wide range of options in the build-up. While usually everything flowed through Leah Williamson’s feet, the inclusion of Rafaelle enabled us to get out of pressure from both sides of the goalkeeper and go short (Rafaelle) or long (Williamson) depending on the opponents and the specific tactical scenarios.
Finally, it will be interesting to see how flexible Jonas Eidevall will be once he has the full squad available: the positive side of suffering so many long-term injuries, if I can say so, is that the Swede fielded a far less predictable team and adapted quickly to find a new balance, and a new intent, with his 3-4-2-1 formation, so it is going to be worth watching what will happen when Beth Mead, Kim Little, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson come back to the team – not to mention how Alessia Russo will fit into all of this.
With an attacking unit that can count on Vivianne Miedema, Stina Blackstenius, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Caitlin Foord, Katie McCabe, Victoria Pelova and Lina Hurtig scoring shouldn’t be much of an issue, not to mention the contribution from midfield of Frida Maanum and Kim Little, but finding the right balance and keep everyone happy could become one.
I am hopeful that Jonas Eidevall will take his team to its maximum potential and that we will be confirm the progress made last year, when the team looked more assured and more aware of its surroundings, both on and off the ball. With a clear mind and a complete squad, we could be one of the main forces, next season, in England and in Europe.
Most will depend on how we carry ourselves this summer, though, so let’s hope the club will be more assertive in the market and a bit luckier, overall.
The Summer Diaries will continue throughout the months of June, July and August, then the Arsenal Women Journal will return and there are a few more surprises to come…
Speak to you soon!
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.
No comments yet.