Photo Courtesy of Arsenal.com
Hello, Arsenal Women aficionados!
The Gunners didn’t win a must-win game, and that’s pretty much it.
After throwing away a two-goals lead in Munich, Arsenal Women couldn’t break down Tottenham at Brisbane Road and find now themselves eight points off the top spot – which means that their title challenge is over.
As sad as it might sound, the only aim for the rest of the season is to ensure a top four finish and challenge Manchester United for the podium. Realistically, that is the highest they can hope for, given that both Manchester City and Chelsea are travelling too fast for anyone else behind them.
The results feels very deflating, especially given the quality and depth of the squad, and the options available to Renée Slegers: despite having Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Beth Mead, Olivia Smith, Caitlin Foord, Chloe Kelly, Frida Maanum and Mariona Caldentey, the team could not find an opening against an opponent that conceded four against London City Lionesses one week ago. This is not to say that they should have outscored them in the same way Manchester City did, because Tottenham has been defensively solid through the campaign, but I feel it is fair to say that they should have a won, given the overall dominance and the number of chances created.
The team is now on a three-game winless streak in all competitions, after going four games without a win between mid-September and early October, which is indicative of a team that is unable to cope with the demands of a packed scheduled.
There is a limit to the number of times one can blame the pitch for being too dry/too wet, the opponents for being too stubborn, or blame a bad result on bad luck – it is time to take a good look in the mirror and question everyone and everything.
Real Madrid will visit Meadow Park on Wednesday night, and Arsenal Women will play another must-win game, this time to salvage their European campaign: a loss will write off any chance to finish in the top four and qualify for the knockout stage, and put the Gunners at risk of missing out on a playoff berth, even though the fixture list is helping as Benfica and Paris FC play each other, and PSG hosts Bayern.
Photo Courtesy of Arsenal.com
MANY OPTIONS, FEW IDEAS
As mentioned earlier in this blog post, Renée Slegers has so many options available to her that it is hard to explain why the team is struggling so much at creating clear-cut chances.
After blowing away West Ham and London City Lionesses in the opening two games of the season, Arsenal Women failed to register a xG score higher that 2 in nine out of ten games– the only exception being the home game against Aston Villa that we drew 1-1.
In comparison, Manchester City was restricted to an xG score lower than 2 on two occasions, while Chelsea only three times.
Funnily enough, Liverpool managed to frustrate both teams and even managed to get a point off Chelsea, last weekend.
How they can be rock-bottom in the league while boasting the fourth-best xGA index (10.9) remains a mystery.
Back to the Arsenal, though. If we compare the xG and xGA in games played against Manchester City and Chelsea, the numbers are merciless: the Gunners conceded 2.4 and 2.2 xGA, respectively, and recorded 1.7 and 1.3 xG, respectively.
As much as I can understand that creating chances against top clubs is difficult, I cannot find a valid explanation for struggling so much against teams that usually concede a lot against stronger opponents: Brighton, for example, conceded 2.3 xGA to Manchester United and 2.8 xGA against Manchester City, yet restricted Arsenal to 1.2 xG – which is dangerously similar to what they allowed to Leicester City (1.1); Tottenham conceded 4.2 xGA against Manchester City and 2.4 xGA against Chelsea, but “only” 1.8 xGA in the North London Derby.
The potential is there, and while you cannot field a starting XI that includes all the attacking players we have, I believe the moment has come to find new solutions to an old (and damaging) problem.
Arsenal have so much talent upfront that they shouldn’t have any problems scoring goals, to begin with, but they should have even less issues creating those chances, at least.
Photo Courtesy of Arsenal.com
ALESSIA 3.0
This is Alessia Russo’s third season in North London, and each came with a different role for the England international: in her debut season, she was a false-nine in Jonas Eidvall’s 4-3-3 formation, tasked with linking-up play and creating spaces for wingers and attacking midfielders; in her second season, especially once Renée Slegers took over, she became the team’s main attacking threat and more of a striker, which led to her best goalscoring season but also saw her “creative” numbers (such as key passes per game, assists…) going down.
This season, Alessia Russo is playing more like a second striker alongside Stina Blackstenius, and I am not sure that is the most efficient way to use her talents.
Her level is still excellent, but she is no longer the goal threat she was last year: while her goal tally is very good, with six goals scored in twelve appearances, she looks now too far removed from the penalty box and cannot have the same impact she had last season.
If we compare the numbers available on SofaScore, Alessia Russo is shooting less (2.8 shots per game v 3.5 in 2024/25) and creating more (1.8 key passes v 0.8 last season) but she is spending the majority of her time in the middle third, or out wide, rather than inside the area, according to her heatmaps.
Ideally speaking, one would want to use Alessia Russo’s creativity and vision to ensure that the team creates chances in numbers, but not if that comes to the price of missing someone who can convert those chances regularly enough.
Unfortunately, Arsenal don’t have two Alessia Russo in their squad, so they need to decide which one is more beneficial to the team. Unless Stina Blackstenius suddenly becomes reliable at finishing chances, they need Alessia Russo the goalscorer more than they need Alessia Russo the instigator, because they desperately need moments of brilliance inside the penalty area, and ruthlessness.
This could change once Michelle Agyemang recovers from her knee injury and allows everyone to see Alessia Russo 4.0, the ultimate forward.
Photo Courtesy of Arsenal.com
STABILITY OVER FLAIR
Kyra Cooney-Cross was probably one of the few high notes on an elsewhere disappointing afternoon in North London. The Australian started the game alongside Mariona Caldentey in midfield, in place of Victoria Pelova, and offered more structure and balance to the team.
Her presence allowed Mariona Caldentey to be a bit more adventurous, and while KCC is not the most disciplined and defensively aware midfielder we have, she did a great job both on and off the ball, especially when Tottenham started to throw long balls in our defensive third: her good positioning made sure that second balls and loose balls would be dealt with, and she always offered a solution to recycle the ball efficiently.
This game could be an important turning point for the former Hammarby midfielder, who struggled to get minutes and establish herself in the team. A good performance like this one could put her back into Renée Slegers’ plans, at least until Kim Little returns, and give the team a solid option as the more conservative player in a double pivot in midfield.
For sure, she doesn’t posses Victoria Pelolva’s flair and creativity, but she provides better balance and possesses a long ball that can shift the momentum in the blink of an eye – not to mention her ability on set pieces.
NEXT UP
European football returns to Meadow Park on Wednesday, with Real Madrid visiting London after the UWCL quarterfinal from last season – although that game was played at the Emirates Stadium. Back then, Arsenal Women were in the worst back-to-the-wall situation, having lost the first leg two-nil, and managed to win three-nil in London to progress to the completion’s semi-finals.
This season, the situation is not as bad, but the team needs a win as desperately as they needed it last season: anything but a win would compromise any chance to progress, and a loss would put the Gunners in serious trouble.
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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