Hello, Arsenal Women aficionados!
Sometimes you need a strike of luck to go all the way through, and our beloved team had plenty of that against Chelsea.
Don’t get me wrong, they played very well and scored three beautiful goals, but Chelsea can consider themselves unlucky to leave North London with a two-goals deficit after the first leg. They struck the post twice with the scoreline still intact, and had a goal disallowed for the lightest of contact in Arsenal’s penalty, only to find themselves trailing three goals to one going into the return leg, at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo propelled the Gunners toward the UWCL semi-finals, although the reverse fixture is likely to be a very tense affair, especially if both teams adopt the same approach and show the same desire to play attacking football. Hopefully, Renée Slegers and her players won’t be sitting deep and try to protect their lead, because Tuesday night showed everyone that Chelsea still have goals and quality within their football, despite the recent disappointing results and the chaos in and around the team.
Tuesday night was a brilliant experience for the eighteen-thousands fans inside the Emirates Stadium, both for the result and of the quality of the goals scored – by both teams.
Granted, it is much easier to praise Lauren James’ amazing effort knowing that the Gunners won the game with a two-goals margin, it remains one of the goals of the season and wonderful piece of technique from an outstanding player.
ONE WONDERFUL GOAL AFTER ANOTHER
Lauren James’ goal was a piece of art, but Arsenal’s weren’t too shabby either: Chloe Kelly flashed a powerful shot from 20 yards out that left Hannah Hampton no chance, while Alessia Russo quick control-shot combo was another great moment to witness, especially given the speed of travel of the England international and the coordination required by such a piece of skill.
The former Manchester United grabbed her eight goal of her UWCL campaign, setting a new record for an English player, and was once again instrumental with her runs, hold-up play and linking up between midfield and attack; Chloe Kelly put on her best cape to produce another stunner on the biggest stage, in what has since become “her thing”: bring the magic when the stakes are at their highest.
Then there was Stina Blackstenius clinical header from a Katie Mc Cabe set piece: clean, efficient, unstoppable. The Swede is notoriously wasteful in front of goal, but last night she reminded everyone about her finishing skills and top-of-the-shelf aerial ability and why she’s so valuable to this team and the way the team plays.
WE WANT YOU TO STAY, KATIE
With Steph Catley still unavailable following the Asian Cup and both Leah Williamson and Katie Reid injured, Renée Slegers chose Laia Codina to play alongside Lotte Wubben-Moy at the heart of the defensive line. When the former Barcelona player picked up a yellow card and looked dangerously closed to being sent off, the Dutch coach had only one player to turn to: Katie McCabe.
The left back/right back/left midfielder/right midfielder/central midfielder/right winger/left winger slotted in at centre-back and delivered a composed, controlled performance – totally unfazed by her new role, new position and new expectations.
One wouldn’t expect anything different from Katie McCabe, but her ability to slot in at any given position shouldn’t be taken for granted and deserves a big deal of appreciation.
After providing the assist for Stina Blackstenius opening goal, she spent the final 45 minutes alongside Lotte Wubben-Moy, Emily Foy and Taylor Hinds (who had a wonderful game herself, by the way) and helped settle the nerves and keep Chelsea at bay.
Renée Slegers rightly praised Katie McCabe after the game, and the most interesting bit is related to the player’s intelligence: for someone often described as fierce, combative, technically gifted, Katie McCabe proved once again that she can read the game like few other players can and interpret any role at the highest level.
In Katie McCabe the Gunners have the best full-back, the best winger, the best midfielder and the best leader they can hope for – all in one player.
Unfortunately, it is widely reported that the Ireland international could be on her way-out next summer, probably to join a team in the NWSL, which would be a massive loss for the club.
We want you to stay, Katie!
FOUR DAYS, TWO (BIG) GAMES
What should Renée Slegers do? The Gunners will play Tottenham on Saturday and Chelsea on Wednesday, and while both games are very important, it is hard to ignore the magnitude of the latter, since there is a place in the UWCL semi-finals on the cards.
A North London Derby is a North London Derby, though, and winning it would see off the neighbours’ attempt to take the fourth place and most importantly take the Gunners much closer to the top, especially if Manchester City were to drop point against their own neighbours, on Saturday.
Still with two games on hand, the Arsenal are in a very good place to climb as up as second in the league table, and while it is extremely unlikely that Manchester City will drop points in the last four games of the campaign, it would be unforgivable not to try to go all the way in the league, too.
Sure, it will be hard to strike the right balance between resting key players and fielding a strong XI against Tottenham, but the likes of Smilla Holmberg, Olivia Smith, Victoria Pelova, Taylor Hinds and the Australians seem ready to contribute and ensure that the season remains well on track. Then, Renée Slegers will have to manage the minutes and the moments of each player, hopefully with the result already secured.
My guess is that the early kick-off in Manchester will play a big role in how the Arsenal will take on Tottenham, though, as I suspect that a win from the Citizens would somehow deflate a bit the morale within the Gunners, and perhaps change a bit how Renée Slegers sets up the team – or perhaps plans the substitutions. A win from Mark Skinner’s side would feed the impossible dream and nourish the team’s ambition to take a title that looked to be gone at different times of the ongoing campaign.
Renée Slegers have some difficult choices to make, ahead.
NEXT UP
As said, the next game in the calendar is the North London Derby, which will be played on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. Currently fourth in the WSL standings, the Gunners have a chance to all but ensure that Spurs won’t be threat anymore and stay in the race for a top 3 finish.
Heads will certainly be already at the UWCL return leg against Chelsea, consciously or not, so this game could be a sort of banana skin for the Gunners.
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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