Hello, Arsenal Women aficionados!
Football was back this week, after the last international break of the season, and the Gunners made sure they were ready for the big game. Hosting Olympique Lyonnes at the Emirates Stadium for the first leg of the UWCL semifinals, Arsenal Women were quick off the blocks and reacted superbly when going down inside 20 minutes, despite being the best team on the pitch.
Olympique Lyonnais made the most of a counter-attack situation and punished the hosts for being exposed at the back, with Brand slaloming her way in the penalty area and beating Daphne van Domselaar with a powerful strike that the Dutch goalkeeper could only touch but not keep out. Instead of crumbling, the players picked themselves up and kept playing their way, slowly but surely taking control of the ball and the pitch until the completed the comeback, deep into the second half.
Sure, OL incredibly bad defending on both occasions did help, but the hosts showed their typical grit and resilience and deserved to come away with a very important win.
There’s still everything to play for next week, in the reverse fixture, but travelling to France with a one-goal margin will be very important because it will force OL to be more adventurous and more attacking-minded, which could open up some space in between for Stina Blackstenius, Olivia Smith and others to exploit.
Last season we travelled to Lyon with a mountain to climb, having lost 2-1 at home, and delivered what was probably the best performance of the campaign, and while the context this time is very different, it will still take an outstanding performance to qualify for the final.
WELCOME BACK, LEAH
As expected, Leah Williamson was back in the starting XI for the game against OL.
As expected, she made a big difference both on and off the ball.
The England captain set the tone with a couple of line-splitting passes that helped breaking OL structure and advance the ball, then coordinated the defensive line with assertiveness and calmness. Her presence, alone, makes a difference on how the players move and respond, and I am sure that most of the credit for the reaction the players had after falling behind has to do with the way Leah Williamson (and Kim Little, obviously) lead the group and the dressing room.
Having her back in the starting lineup changes a lot in the way the team plays out, and how high their defensive line can be, but most importantly how the players feel secure, confident and focused when she is around. As planned, she was taken out after the hour mark to avoid any risks, and she will likely sit out of the WSL game against Leicester in order to be ready and fit for the return leg, in France.
More than skills or stamina, this team needs experience and guidance now that they’re entering the final weeks of a long, consuming campaign – and they need to have Leah Williamson at their side to power through the final hurdles.
Welcome back, Leah.
NO OPTIONS, NO PROBLEMS (SORT OF…)
With no Beth Mead and no Chloe Kelly available for the game, Renée Slegers couldn’t count on any “finisher” off the bench, except for Frida Maanum. In a quite bold move, she decided to field all her available forwards from the first minute, with Alessia Russo supporting Stina Blackstenius through the middle and Caitlin Foord and Olivia Smith on the flanks.
It was big risk, but in the end it paid off because Caitlin Foord was an absolute nuisance down the left flank and Olivia Smith ended up scoring the winning goal; in the middle, Stina Blackstenius kept OL defensive line busy with her constant running and aerial presence, while Alessia Russo – probably the “quietest” of the quartet – worked her socks off between the lines to stop OL from building from the back.
It would have been interesting to see which substitutions she would have made, had the game state been different: when moving Katie McCabe at centre-back when she replaced Leah Williamson with Taylor Hinds, the game was already at 1-1 and Arsenal seemed to have the upper hand, but the Irish could have been an option higher on the pitch, had a wide player ran out of steam.
Instead, she kept every forward on the pitch until the 84th minute, when she put in Victoria Pelova for Olivia Smith, moving Alessia Russo wide, and then she replaced the England international with Smilla Holmberg three minutes into the stoppage time.
Given that the Gunners were ahead by the time Victoria Pelova came in, Renée Slegers could opt for conservative/defensive substitutions, but it would have been interesting to see what she could/would have done in a different scenario.
Thankfully Chloe Kelly is expected to be back for the reverse fixture, because Arsenal need that sort of options if they were to go all the way in the competition. The game against Olympique Lyonnes showed that the players are ready to fight and sacrifice, make every run until the final whistle and bust their lungs for their teammates, but that’s not sustainable, even in the short term.
Unfortunately, the timeline for Beth Mead’s return is still blurry, so Renée Slegers will have to make with only five forwards for the games against Leicester and OL, which is not ideal.
Could someone from the U21 team that recently won their league title step up?
IN OTHER NEWS
There was no football over the last two weeks, but Arsenal Women didn’t stand still: the club announced the extension of Stina Blackstenius contract, which puts a lot of rumours to bed, and are expected to sign Switzerland international Geraldine Reuteler from Frankfurt, next summer.
The Swiss international, a dynamic box-to-box midfielder with great vision and composure in front of goal, was one of the highlights of Switzerland’s run in their domestic European Championships and will be one of the building blocks of the future Arsenal Women midfield, together with Georgia Stanway. With Victoria Pelova unsure whether to stay or go, and Kim Little not getting any younger (anyone with a magic potion?), the team is in desperate need of fresh legs and new faces, so it makes sense to do the business early and build with strong, skilled and experienced players.
Also, the club appointed former player Pauline Macdonald as Player Pathway Manager in a move aiming at helping as many players as possible to bridge the gap between academy football and the first team. The club recently lost promising players such as Teyah Goldie and Freya Godfrey, who left the club in search of regular football, and surely want to make sure that others – such as Michelle Agyemang, Vivienne Lia, or Laila Harbert – see a clear path in front of them.
Unfortunately, there were some sad news too, as Manuela Zinsberger confirmed she will be leaving the club when her current contract expires, next summer. The Austrian goalkeeper, probably the finest penalty stopper in Europe, is currently nursing a knee injury and will start fresh at a new club, leaving Arsenal Women after seven seasons, a UWCL win and two Conti Cup trophies to her name.
NEXT UP
The Arsenal Women player will be on the pitch again on Wednesday, when they host Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. Rock-bottom Leicester have only won twice this season and are letting in 2.16 goals per game, in average, so they shouldn’t be too much of an issue for the Gunners, who are chasing the runners-up spot in the league.
The biggest hurdle, on Wednesday, will be Arsenal Women’s ability to remain focused on the task, despite playing the return leg of the UWCL semifinals three days later, and Renée Slegers’ ability to rotate her players, given the injuries.
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.
2 buts donnés par l’Ol Lyonnes.
Allez l’Ol Lyonnes pour le match retour.
Ça va le faire.