Credit: Arsenal.com
Hello, Arsenal Women aficionados!
It’s been a while since we last spoke, and Arsenal built on their all-important win against Real Madrid with two very narrow but equally important results against Liverpool in the WSL, and against Twente in the UWCL.
Both performances were somehow unconvincing, and the scoreline was much closer than it should have been, but the players brought home the wins and managed to keep their hopes intact – as slim as they could be.
Goals from Olivia Smith, Stina Blackstenius and Beth Mead provided some relief for a club that was suffering from a streak of bad results and were surrounded by rumours of unrest among the players, and a changing room not as harmonious as it looked from the outside.
Those wins, coupled with unexpected results on other pitches, helped Arsenal getting much closer to Manchester United (+1 point ahead) and Chelsea (+2) in the league and within reach of an unexpected top-four finish in the UWCL – although other teams like Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester United and OL Lyonnes have one game in hand.
WELCOME TO THE MAIN STAGE, ANNEKE!
Summer signing Anneke Borbe started the season as the club’s third-choice goalkeeper, yet merely three months later she has started back-to-back games as Arsenal’s starting shot-stopper, with Academy player Liddiard on the bench.
Credit: Arsenal.com
We all know how fast things can change in football, but this is an extreme example – and possibly a great ad for the club’s recruiting process.
After conceding one goal against Liverpool, the German goalkeeper kept her first clean-sheet against Twente and looked relatively assured for someone new to her surroundings, who didn’t play all season.
With little details available about the extent of Daphne van Domselaar injury, we might get to become more and more familiar with the former Wolfsburg goalkeeper, while the player is handed a rare chance to impress, which could accelerate her raise within the ranks.
The German seems already destined to take the Manuela Zinsberger’s place in the squad, with Naomi Williams expected to come back from her season-long loan and become the third choice but could present Daphne van Domselaar with a serious fight for the starting spot. So far, there is little indication that the Dutch international might lose her place, but much will depend on how serious her injury is, and how quickly she can come back to claim her place.
With three goalkeepers who are basically the same age, hierarchy will be decided mostly by performances, and more changes might occur depending on each and everyone’s opportunities to impress, and who is going to make better use of them.
OLIVIA STUNS THE EMIRATES, STINA LEAVES IT LATE: NERVES EVERYWHERE!
The home game to Liverpool felt like Groundhog Day for all Arsenal fans, with the players wasting chance after chance and the opponent’s goalkeeper producing the performance of a lifetime. Yet, the game started well when former Liverpool forward Olivia Smith produced a sensational solo goal, but then Liverpool equalized and the wasted chance/great save/bad luck festival began.
When Stina Blackstenius dribbled past the Liverpool’s goalkeeper and still didn’t score, many inside the Emirates Stadium and in front of their screens somewhat accepted that it would be “one of those games”, but then the Swede found the winning goal.
Credit: Arsenal.com
Stina Blackstenius being Stina Blackstenius, she converted the most difficult chance she had all afternoon, sending the ball to the top corner after controlling it with her cheek (!), and the Emirates Stadium could enjoy a well-deserved win.
This team is far from being the potent, efficient and solid unit it used to be, last season, but instead keeps drifting towards the “old Arsenal” model, with plenty of chances going to waste and avoidable goals being conceded far too frequently – and easily.
The performance against Twente, at Meadow Park, was slightly better as the visitors were restricted to one real chance to score, but the offensive output was still insufficient. Sure, Twente had two goal-line clearances, and their goalkeeper made two excellent saves, but Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey should have put their chances away and that resulted in a nervy environment, because one goal is never enough to get comfortable in the final few minutes of a game.
Close encounters like those against Liverpool and Twente usually cost a lot in terms of mental energies, and while you might find a late winner or keep your lead until the final whistle, those energies won’t be available anymore, later in the season. Winning comfortably is one of the secrets for deep runs in the cups and a lasting challenge in the league, because it preserves the players’ mental stamina – which is equally important to physical stamina
IS SOMETHING HAPPENING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS?
A report from The Athletic from late November went as far as suggesting that the atmosphere in the dressing room, and around the club in general, was not as nice as it could appear, from the outside.
In the long-read, signed by Megan Feringa, Charlotte Harpur and James McNicholas, the writers painted a picture of disgruntled, disrespectful dressing room, lead by a small group of players who is told to have a big influence on key decisions, bigger then they should have, and a picture of a squad in self-management mode.
Renée Slegers is described as an excellent coach, but her player-management skills are questioned rather heavily throughout the piece, with “anonymous sources” raising doubts about her ability to lead the team and show the authority her role requires.
Credit: Arsenal.com
In the article, very little is said about Clare Wheatley, in my opinion, who is the highest-placed decision maker in the club and should bear the responsibility of ensuring a safe, efficient, driven environment around the women’s teams – including the academy.
While the writers concede that “assessments of her efficacy in the role are mixed”, to me there is not enough questioning of the person who has been creating the current setup and was heavily involved in the transfers and hiring/dismissal of previous and current staff.
When they write that “it appears that the long-term direction of squad planning and management is unclear”, I wished they would add a list of questions they would like Clare Wheatley to answer – but unfortunately, they didn’t.
The saying “the fish rots from its head” comes to mind when thinking about those rumours, or the ups-and-downs in results and performances, or any form of discontent, really, because nothing can do more damage that a lack of direction, when you live in a highly competitive environment.
As things stand, I am not sure Renée Slegers would make the best choice by signing a new contract (assuming she’ll be offered one…), and I am even less sure that the club would be able to attract the top coaches and managers, which would be a massive step backwards.
Winning the UWCL should have been the building stone to shape the new Arsenal Women, instead it served as a nice distraction while nothing really changed within that area of the club. The club currently have a very good squad at their peak, it would be a shame to waste the opportunity because they don’t have the right people at the right places.
Credit: Arsenal.com
NEXT UP
Games are coming thick and fast for the Gunners, who will travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday, then to Belgium to face OH Leuven in their last game of the UWCL group phase, on Wednesday night. If results go their way, Leah Williamson & Co. could still finish in the top four and qualify for the knockout stage, so my guess is that Renée Slegers will make this match her priority, and perhaps rotate a bit more against Everton, in the weekend.
We will talk again on Monday, after the away game to Everton, to comment on the team’s performance at Goodison Park.
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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