Hello, Arsenal Women aficionados!
Back from Lisbon with a much-needed win, the Arsenal Women team will go into the international break in a much more relaxed mood and can look at the future with less anxiety and a bit more of confidence.
Performance-wise, it wasn’t exactly a convincing outing for Renée Slegers’ players, but Arsenal needed this win, and they got it, although the scoreline looks very generous to them. For the first time of the season, the Gunners recorded back-to-back clean-sheets, and while the offensive production remains somewhat uninspiring, Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly looked lively and determined to make a difference.
Injuries to Emily Fox and Steph Catley are a concern, though, with both defenders to be assessed in the coming days.
BEFFI OUTSMARTS EVERYONE IN LISBON
Commentators were a bit too quick to call it an own goal, when Arsenal opened the scoring, but replays showed how clever Beth Mead was while down in the box. To some extent, it reminded me of Chilean striker Marcelo Salas’ goal for Lazio late in the 90s [here at 0:29], because both forwards found themselves on the floor, with little margin for striking the ball, and both managed to pull it off.
Salas’ effort is more spectacular, of course, but both show a true striker instinct, which is what Beth Mead always had and kept when moved out on the wing.
The goal in Lisbon broke the deadlock and came at a moment when Benfica looked more likely to score than Arsenal; its timing and fashion confirm that Beth Mead is one of few big-game or big-moment players currently in the squad. Who can tell how the game would have panned out, if she wasn’t so alert and smart?
Sure, she is still somewhat forcing some decisions and not necessarily picking up the most effective option, but her grit and determination to make things happen – not matter how – remains invaluable for a team that is often criticised for overthinking and lacking an edge in the final third.
INJURY CONCERNS
When the starting XI was announced, there were a few surprises: Katie Reid, who just received her first call-up for England, was replaced by Lotte Wubben-Moy, and 17yo goalkeeper Amy Liddard was named on the bench as both Manuela Zinsberger and Anneke Borbe were unavailable.
With Leah Williamson already out until December and Katie Reid struggling with a muscular problem, our options at the back looked already limited, so when both Emily Fox and Steph Catley went down injured towards the end of the game, the temptation to hit the panic button grew considerably.
Although Katie Reid’s groin injury doesn’t seem to be too serious, losing both Steph Catley and Emily Fox could have serious consequences for the team, especially at the right-back position – for which we don’t have a back-up for the US international.
Hopefully both injuries are simple knocks, or muscular fatigue, but it is not the case, then we will have only two centre-backs available (Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina) and no right-backs.
Luckily, the timing is quite favourable as we won’t be playing again until November 2nd, away to Leicester City, and injuries mean that concerned players will avoid long travels and additional minutes on the pitch. Sure, players are never happy to skip international duties or simply being injured, but it could be a real silver lining for the club.
EUROPEAN ODDS
The win in Lisbon puts Arsenal in 9th place in the UWCL league-phase standings, two points clear of the last available slot to qualify for the playoffs.
The good news is that in the coming weeks we will be facing two opponents who are ahead of us in the table: Real Madrid and OH Leuven.
The Spanish team is currently in second with six points and will host Paris FC before heading to London to face us, in a month from Sunday.
It could be the first high-stakes game of the campaign for us, and potentially a season-defining moment for Renée Slegers and the players, but the real test will be the away game to Bayern Munich, in two weeks. The Bavarians needed a goal from Schüller deep in stoppage time to overcome Juventus and grab the first points of their campaign, so they face a season-defining moment themselves when they welcome us to the Allianz Arena on November 12th.
In contrast, OH Leuven are seventh with four points but will face both Barcelona and PSG away from home (with Roma at home in between), before hosting Arsenal in the final game of the group phase, and by the time we travel to Belgium they could be in a much worse position in the table. After earning a point away at Paris FC, they scored two late goals to overcome Twente at home and grab the three points, but they are yet to play better equipped, more experienced teams.
NEXT UP
It’s time to take a break, so we will be in touch again once the Arsenal Women team takes the pitch at the King Power Stadium, in two weeks.
We will talk again after the game, as usual.
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.
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