The washing machine: lack of clarity hamstringing Arsenal Women’s attack
Sunday represented Arsenal’s first defeat of the season but it certainly didn’t feel that way. Once again, the Gunners toiled in front of goal in their 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. In isolation, losing a tight game by a single goal away at Chelsea can happen. But previous draws in winnable fixtures left no room for defeat and we are past the stage of being able to consider results in isolation.
The match at Stamford Bridge followed a broad pattern that we have seen in the Palace, United and Koge games. Arsenal started the game very well. They opted for three very secure central midfielders in Cooney-Cross, Stanway and Little and stationed Mariona on the left. The plan was to overload central areas and they did it really well for the opening 30 minutes.
They got well on top of Chelsea but could not translate that dominance into shots or goals. I asked Renee Slegers about this post-match, to which she responded, ‘when you have momentum and when you have pressure on, you probably need to score because you know that it will swing when it is two good teams. We didn’t capitalise on those moments. I think we had two on the on the post, Kim and Mariona, so then they get a goal I think it’s between 30 to 40 minutes and I think after that in the second half, it’s harder for us and it becomes more equal.’
By half-time they’d had eight shots but none on target. But, as we have seen in previous games, Arsenal became increasingly ragged as the game wore on, in an attacking sense. This was the fourth different midfield trio and fourth different front three now in each of Arsenal’s four WSL games. But confusion reigned in the second half when substitutions were made. The graphic below from Scott Willis shows significant flatlining in shots following double substitutions after the 61st and 81st minutes.
Renee Slegers has more attacking options at her disposal this season but it has become clear that too many cooks are spoiling the broth. Russo is constantly being yo-yoed back and forth between 10 and 9. Mariona has started as a central midfielder, a 10 and a left winger already this season. New signings Geraldine Reuteler and Selina Cerci were both thrown on in the 81st minute but it’s clear the manager considers them little more than a late Hail Mary. Yesterday was Reuteler’s debut.
Olivia Smith was an unused substitute. I think it is unlikely that all your key attackers and creators lose form simultaneously by coincidence. I do think low confidence and a lack of clarity is exacerbating Arsenal’s issues in the final third. I think it has become clear that solutions are inconsistent and chaotic. Usually, the opposite charge is levied at Slegers, that substitutions feel pre-planned regardless of circumstance.
I don’t think that has been the case this season at all. I do understand the frustration that Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius are usually the first players she sends for and they are the only real consistent substitution patterns when both players thrive on space and stretched game states. I asked Renee Slegers after the game whether the substitutions created a sense of confusion.
‘I don’t think so. I think we have a lot of clarity in the way we want to play and principles, so all players can execute that. They know it. But of course, there’s different qualities in different players, so you have to make small adjustments in what you want to achieve. And I think we’ve had a couple of games in a row now where we are in a situation where we need to force a goal and then going into different scenarios, which we go through with certain players to the players on the pitch.’
However, I think it is clear, watching, that Arsenal have reached a stage of panic now. The players start games well enough; but when the goal doesn’t arrive their confidence drops and the manager has a lot of options to change games but it almost feels like there are too many options and we arrive at a stage of throwing out solutions and hoping that one works.
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