Hello, Arsenal Women aficionados!
That’s it, folks. The away draw at Brighton handed Manchester City their first title in a decade, as the Gunners are left to rue the missed chances and the bad luck.
Despite the changes made by Renée Slegers, the team looked low on energy and not as sharp as we could have hoped. Things were way different over the weekend, when the Arsenal Women dispatched Aston Villa with a 3-0 at Villa Park, but it was too little, too late anyway.
Photo courtesy of Arsenal.com
The midweek away game saw Brighton took the lead in the closing minutes of the first half, when a reckless foul by Victoria Pelova resulted in a free kick; Brighton hoofed the ball in the box and, from the subsequent melee, Tsunoda found the back of the next thanks to an unlucky deflection from Kim Little. Daphne van Domselaar was quick to adjust her position but could not prevent the ball from going in, and from that moment onwards things became difficult for the visitors.
The reaction in the second half was encouraging but, despite the chances created by Alessia Russo, Caitlin Foord and Mariona Caldentey, the had to wait until the hour mark to score the equalizer. Shortly before that, the Gunners should have had a penalty when Frida Maanum was blatantly brought down in the box, but the referee inexplicably let the play go on. The Norwegian got her revenge and scored Arsenal’s only goal of the evening following a powerful run to latch onto Alessia Russo’s beautiful through-ball, but the Arsenal Women could not force a winner and eventually handed up the title to Manchester City.
Photo courtesy of Arsenal.com
Perhaps Alessia Russo, who scored a brace against Aston Villa on Saturday, could have saved one of them for the midweek game, but in all seriousness everyone knew that it would require something spectacular to snatch the title from under City nose, and also that the Arsenal Women team played a lot of high-intensity games, lately, and might run of out steam.
The three-nil away win at Aston Villa remains a very important result in the fight for UWCL spots, and those three points took the Gunners one point behind Chelsea in second, with one game in hand and a far superior goal difference. Wins against Everton and Liverpool between will take Arsenal Women to second, independent of Chelsea results, but four points could still be enough to grab the runners-up place.
THE RUSSANUUM COMBO
Often in direct competition of a place in the starting XI, Alessia Russo and Frida Maanum combined very well against Brighton and showed they can belong on the same pitch, exchanging positions and responsibilities between creating and finishing chances. The Norwegian might not be the most polished footballer, but her ability to crash the box, carry the ball and find the back of the net is second to none, at the Arsenal Women and in the WSL altogether. With Alessia Russo coming short to link-up play between midfield and attack, Frida Maanum found a lot of space in behind and twice found herself in the perfect position to strike: in one occasion she was clearly fouled in the box, with the referee the only person on the pitch to miss that episode, and in the other scored the only goal of the evening for the Gunners, as well-taken as it was insignificant.
Photo courtesy of Arsenal.com
The pair repeated the trick in Birmingham, on Saturday, when they dismantled Aston Villa with an array of quick passes, smart movement and great finishes. After Alessia Russo opened the score, Frida Maanum scored the second goal of the afternoon with a well-taken finish to make the most of Alessia Russo’s wonderful pass with the outside of the boot. In the second half, Frida Maanum returned the favor and released Alessia Russo in the box, and the England forward made no mistake once she rounded former-Gunner D’Angelo.
While it’s often been an either-or when talking about Alessia Russo and Frida Maanum, the game against Brighton helped many people to remember that those two players can play together and can create a lot of issues for the opponents, especially if the England forward is found between the lines. It is still unclear whether Frida Maanum will still be around next season, but she reminded everyone of her unique skillset and her ability to change the course of a game with her powerful runs and finishes.
Photo courtesy of Arsenal.com
Perhaps the next couple of games will provide more clarity over the long-term plan for Frida Maanum, and more broadly with the overall attacking setup for the new season, but the games against Brighton and Aston Villa showed that the Russo/Maanum combo has a lot to offer.
MORE DEPARTURES ANNOUNCED
As the season slowly comes to an end, with no silverware to show for, the club seems already focused on next season and specifically on building a competitive team for Renée Slegers. After announcing new contracts for Kim Little, Steph Catley, Leah Williamson and Stina Blackstenius, the Arsenal officially confirmed that both Laia Codina and Victoria Pelova will leave the club at the expiration of their contracts.
Both players were mostly on the fringes this season, although for different reasons, and their departures don’t necessarily come as a surprise: the former Barcelona defender will most likely return to Spain in search for regular football, while the Netherlands international won’t be short of suitors across Europe.
Photo courtesy of Arsenal.com
The likely arrivals of Stanway from Bayern Munich and Reuteler from Freiburg would have further reduced Victoria Pelova’s game time, so it makes sense to part ways and allow the former Ajax midfielder to reignite her career elsewhere. As for Laia Codina, I guess that her place in the squad will be taken up by Katie Reid, who was often picked ahead of the Spain international at the beginning of the season, when both players were fit. The young England centre-back will be still out for several months but Lotte Wubben-Moy, Leah Williamson and Steph Catley can hold the for while she recovers, not to mention that Taylor Hinds can fill in, if needed.
NEXT UP
Arsenal Women will host Everton on Wednesday night, at the Emirates Stadium, for the last home game of the season. It will be a perfect moment to wave goodbye to Manuela Zinsberger and the players who will leave the club in the summer, and also to thank the team for another very good season. Arsenal Women might be finishing the season empty-handed, but they were minutes away from another UWCL final and threatened to push Manchester City until the very last minute for the WSL trophy.
After that, the Gunners will travel to Liverpool for the final game of the campaign and hopefully seal the runners-up place in the standings, before the players are allowed to enjoy some well-deserved holidays.
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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