A very subjective look into AWFC

by Demian Arriaga

PODCAST

  • Fixture pileup is already insane!

    In case you haven’t seen it laid out in this way, please take a look at the amount of matches played in September alone: 6 total matches in one month and 4 of those in 11 days. From those 4 in 11 are 2 Cl qualifiers bookending the season opener vs City. WTF…

    Just for perspective, this is what is you will most likely see:

    09/04 – Home vs Rangers (CL Qualifier)

    09/07 Home vs Rosenborg (CL Qualifier)

    09/18 Away vs Hacken (CL Qualifier)

    09/22 Home vs Man City (WSL)

    09/25 Home vs Hacken (CL Qualifier)

    09/29 Away vs City (WSL)

    But when I see the very few days in between it just raises a lot of concerns for me and this hasn’t changed and won’t change, not just because the fixtures themselves but because of the lack of signings by the club and to me it’s becoming pretty negligent. It honestly makes very little sense that we haven’t brought more players in but maybe its only because of the lack of purchases and I’m totally forgetting the academy players coming up.

    And yeah, now that I read that again it might be a situation where it’s actually “better” than it really is and we have a decent enough squad in terms of numbers but I don’t know about you guys but it definitely feels top heavy and not enough cover in the middle of the pitch.

    Also, there’s something to keep in mind. Just because we have someone to cover for X player is not enough. For instance, say Emily Fox gets injured, then we have Laura to cover, but what happens when Laura gets also injured or when she gets suspended let’s say? We’re FUCKED is basically what I’m getting at.

    We have NO cover for Lia. Nobody comes close to doing what she does so it is baffling that we haven’t gone for someone like her, which I know is not possible, but Keira Walsh is there… just sayin. Oh and by “there” I mean like she’s alive haha, there’s apparently no way she’s coming.

    Insert heart break emoji.

    d ❤

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  • BK Hacken it is

    Oh my god this is so embarrassing. I clearly had no idea that we are in fact NOT yet qualified for the Champions League as we have another round of qualifiers and this time the opponents will be Hacken, but you knew that and clearly I just found out early this morning.

    This is one of the things that I miss out when taking time off twitter and what I mean by that is the constant bombardment of news, all day long, so normally I would have known this but I was under the complete ignorant belief that the girls had made it and I even posted something about it on instagram and probably wrote on here with so much confidence.

    Hacken should be a much tougher opponent than what the girls have faced so far. If they play like they played against Rangers we’ll be good, but I don’t see how we can play back to back performances like the one against Rosenborg and come out with a win. I truly don’t see that happening but maybe Hacken aren’t as good as Rosenborg? I have no idea.

    I went from being super relieved and upbeat and optimistic to saying “oh shit….” And it’s not that I don’t think we can beat them… of course we can, and we probably will. But the shock realization is kinda jolting, not to be redundant, and I am suddenly overcome with doubt, if I’m being perfectly honest. What it boils down to is my lack of faith, support and empathy for the current manager but you know how I feel.

    With that said, my faith in the players is unwavering and I cannot be convinced by anyone that we can’t beat any team on paper, specially with Lia getting more minutes and also Laia growing in confidence and feeling like she “finally arrived” and I’m paraphrasing but she now feels more comfortable with how her life is at Arsenal. This is a no brainer of a partnership along Leah… truly a no brainer. Euro cup winning Captain and World Cup winner, a twice CL winner and to this last point, this is someone that knows what it takes to win so the more we play her and Caldentey the better.

    Speaking of Caldentey, an incredible player, I cannot fathom how incredible her and Viv together should have been. No, I’m not over Viv and I will never be over her leaving, FOR FREE TO A DIRECT RIVAL!!!!!!! Hahaha that is just never not insane and every time I think about it I write it.

    Caldentey is incredible and so is Kafaji and of course theres a narrative about her facing her previous club, duh. But I’m excited about them getting more and more minutes together.

    Lastly, we will not do a thing without Beth Mead. She needs to be playing if she is fit. I don’t care is Foord scores 89 goals in 3 matches. Beth is the right choice, always.

    d ❤

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  • It was bound to happen

    A few days ago we learned that Chelsea are essentially no longer allowing fans to take pictures with fans nor wait for them after the match, this is due to security reasons as the game has grown exponentially and the players are basically being put at risk. Of course this implies abusive fans, entitled people, and worse… stalkers and basically obsessive fanatics that should never ever be allowed near them.

    We all knew this was going to happen and it should’ve happened before. Let’s be honest… people think that they are owed time, energy and effort just because they support a team or a player. Sorry, but that’s not the case. The players have never ever owed you anything other than playing their best and representing the club to the best of their abilities but that doesn’t mean that you are owed a picture or their boots because you want your toddler to have this moment, which they most likely will never remember.

    I also understand that it will be an adjustment for fans. Obviously most fans are not mean or entitled, I’d like to think, but if I were to play devil’s advocate, I totally get why this new situation is not ideal for them. Part of the whole aura of women’s football is how reachable they are, figuratively and literally. Although Arsenal haven’t formally announced a similar measure, from what I know, it’s only a matter of time.

    Another thing that was bound to happen was the qualification to the group stages of the CL. They did it. It was extremely nervy and nowhere near as convincing as it should’ve been. It was quite alarming actually.

    I only watched the first half and to only be up a single goal, against a team that had basically no fire to be worried about, and said goal came from their keeper’s HOWLER, and it was just not good enough but who cares? the point is that they achieved the goal. If we make the quarter finals nobody will care how “tough” this match was.

    But as it relates to City… I don’t think we can survive in the WSL with 30 attempts on goal and a single goal. Like what? The current manager needs to get his act together and honestly when is he ever going to learn about playing vs low blocks? It was just like any match last season frankly.

    Also, and I’ll write more about this because I can’t get it out of my head. The current manager wants you to believe that Russo, no offense, is the best finisher he’s ever worked with. Well, that is a big fucking problem. Either he is LYING to you and he knows Viv is the best finisher he’s ever worked with, or he is absolutely BLIND and can’t see the best finisher ever basically when she was right in front of him. It’s laughable honestly. But what’s new?

    d ❤

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  • Changing things up

    As the game is literally starting in 1 minute I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I do want to let you now about some changes in my Arsenal blog output. Simply stated, I cannot commit to writing every single day because I’m a bit exhausted and I feel I’m way too involved. Thankfully, I’m pretty busy with my career and the next couple of months will be kinda nuts for me so there’s no way I can be of any use to you if I’m not fully present.

    I didn’t just start this blog to chat about Arsenal Women. I did it do chat about Arsenal Women every single day. Having managed to do so for over 520 days is something I’m really proud of but its honestly becoming a chore and I will never ever allow anything related to something that I love so much become “work.”

    So basically just expect to hear less from me. I’m not going away forever and I might still write every day or most days or maybe not.

    We should’ve played Codina and KCC much more than we played LWM and Pelova btw.

    Have a great weekend!

    d ❤

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  • What if???

    I was thinking about what the consequences of not winning tomorrow would be. Now, this seems like a terribly dark and negative outlook but it’s actually not. I am posing the question because it could be a positive thing as it relates to a very simple fact: it is what it is, and we gotta deal with it.

    So what do I mean by that? Well it’s very much a reality thing. In life good things and bad things happen and we just gotta keep going. We gotta learn, we gotta expand, we gotta grow, we gotta adapt and we have to adopt a new behavior or set of habits so that things either change, or we learn from them etc.

    My mom always says that “sometimes you win, other times you learn” and I absolutely agree with this. So, as it applies to Arsenal Women tomorrow, of course I’d love for them to win and I’m hoping that happens, and actually I’m positive they will win, BUT what will we do as a club if the current manager lets us down again? Whatever happens, because of him or missed chances or whatever, we just simply have to keep going and adapt, grow, learn, etc because that is what winners do and we have a squad full of them and they will never, ever willfully let us down.

    Two seasons in a row without CL is unthinkable, truly unthinkable but also not the worst thing ever nor would it be unacceptable to a degree, but to not get this squad, with world class players, World Cup winners, Euro Winners, Champion’s League winners, etc etc etc, would be into the next stage would have to be the final nail in the coffin for the current manager. That, is just the least he should be able to achieve.

    If you have read up until this point and get a vibe of me writing a lot but not saying anything, you’re not far off. I know this all sounds repetitive and redundant and repetitive (lol). But sometimes I read things on blogs that make me feel that some people live life in a way that I cannot comprehend, which is filled with entitlement and judgment and that’s not something I strive for yet I’m constantly saying how the current manager has to go and that I would line them up differently, etc.

    And to that point, just to make it all very, very clear: not for ONE second do I actually think that I know more about football that he does. I have never thought that about any manager ever, and he is not an exception. I just have strong thoughts and opinions just like you or anyone that is a fan of the sport.

    Tomorrow will be interesting for me because I can only watch the first half and I’m gonna be checking my FotMob at like crazy but I know I shouldn’t are actually won’t be able to because I’ll be driving, but if all goes well, the girls will be up 3-0 by halftime and I can at least assume it’ll be all smooth sailing and we’ll all be able to breathe a sigh of relief before the anxiety of Man City at home aka Viv’s return.

    d ❤

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  • Diamond Lia

    Today’s post is gonna be super short or at least this first draft because I have to leave in literally minutes and I have no idea if I will have time to write later today, but there was something that happened at the match yesterday that I feel is worth talking about even if its for a couple of paragraphs.

    You know I’m a fan of Lia Walti because I know you’re also a fan of hers and being a fan of hers is one of the easiest and most logical things to be basically ever. We have missed her so very much and I don’t think anyone comes close to her. So even when the midfield was dominating Rangers, when she came on, for those last 20 min or so, she was incredible.

    She looked and felt immense and maybe this is just me missing her a lot but we just look more organized, more poised and also much more elegant. She is fluid and tough and elegant and reliable. She’s a diamond. Beyond hoping she stays healthy and comes back to full fitness, my wish for her is that we reward her worth for the club with the right players, system and tactics around her. She’s world class and she’s too good, like most of our squad, to finish 4th, 3rd or basically anything less than a trophy.

    In addition, her playing alongside Kim is obviously super key and very, very crucial but we saw once again what an asset Katie is specially farther up the pitch AND more central, so again, I’m gonna keep banging on the midfield trio of Lia, Kim and Katie. I’ll die on that hill.

    Gotta run… more on this tomorrow AND some news about the Highbury Squad.

    d ❤

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  • Rosenborg Next

    It was so, so good watching the girls play a competitive match. Thankfully, like I expected and wished for it was a convincing win. Keeping in mind that the opposition were who they were, this felt like still a friendly or an exhibition match but regardless of that, the result was great.

    Among the things that I love about football is how it proves to us all, at different times, that we are completely wrong and today was literally a perfect example because as you know, not only am I not a fan of the current manager, but I am definitely not a fan of what I perceive to be an obsession with Foord, who in my opinion had a terrible season and should be benched asap.

    She scores 4 goals, all really well taken. Absolutely balled today. Against Rangers but still, some of those goals were incredible so, good for her and I’m very very very happy for any of our squad players when we win and when any of them score. Having a 4 goal match is incredible however you slice it if you ask me.

    I know this is gonna sound absurd but Foord was not my player of the match. Caldentey was unreal. What a proper footballer she is. You know that, I know that, but this is the first time of many that we see her start and ball from the first minute. Total pleasure watching her play and I’m so glad she is a player we brought it.

    My suggestion would be to not get overly confident. Sorry but this is “just” Rangers and the upcoming season opener is gonna be such a massive contest and a much, much more competitive match. Even Rosenborg is gonna be a tougher opposition, in theory, but who the hell knows? This is good. Every time they win is good. Whenever they smile and celebrate is good. I’m not downplaying anything. All the opposite. I’m so proud of them. Saturday is gonna be super interesting and I cannot wait to see what the girls do and how but as with this match I gotta say I’m extremely confident. After all, we have Kim Little in our squad and that will always provide me with a LOT of confidence against any and all.

    Another thing I’ll say about today is the overall solid look of the defense. The shape, the passing, the whole thing. I thought Leah was excellent and even though they weren’t truly challenged, there’s something to be said about doing things right across the pitch to mitigate than challenge but I thought all 4 players were outstanding.

    A win, numerous goals scored, no injuries… what more can we want?!

    d ❤

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  • That’s it.

    I’m done. I’m quite literally at a breaking point when I cannot handle a single day without Arsenal Women playing an actual competitive match. My anxiety has been going through the roof and watching the girls play is when I feel a sense of peace and relaxation even if the score is nuts or the match is frustrating.

    My guess is most of you have done planks when working out. I hate them. I hate them very, very much. Planks, however, are one of the most important exercises as it relates to force of will, to mind over matter, to determination, to patience and it relates to breaking a plain that is on another freaking dimension.

    If you’ve done a plank you’ll know that at one point you just cannot hold it any longer. It’s brutal, you’re all red, you’re shaking and then you just basically collapse and hit the ground and wish you were falling into a shallow grave and not a yoga mat.

    That’s exactly how I feel. I’m done. I cannot take another day, which is in this case equivalent to a second more. This is it. I’m spent. My energy is zapped, my curiosity is at the highest and I’m just ready for the season to start.

    Loved, absolutely LOVED hearing Leah speak about coming back to the CL and I hadn’t realized that her last match was the one vs Bayern Munich. Holy shit. That feels like so long ago, obviously because it is but goodness me, imagine how long it feels for HER.

    Again, this is why I believe truly that football and female footballers especially can teach us so much about life and empathy and vulnerability. Makes me wanna NOT quit this blog and stay optimistic and working towards the bigger picture.

    No predictions other than what is needed and that is a convincing victory. There’s just no excuse, no matter the opposition. It could be Barcelona and I would say the same thing. We are the Arsenal and the women architects that built this club did it precisely via and because of the Champions League.

    Maybe some players won’t play for the current manager, but they will for sure play for pride, for themselves, their teammates and the previous players at one of the most important clubs in women’s football history.

    d ❤

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  • Two for me, one for you

    When I tell you that I didn’t have even 5 minutes today to write a blog I literally mean that. Literally literally, not literally figuratively. I was absolutely swamped for very good reasons and it’s not until now aka 10:59pm that I have some time to write something about something related to Arsenal Women.

    If all goes well, I will be restarting That Arsenal Women Podcast and you will most likely see me pretty much inactive here. Not positive yet but if what needs to happen happens, then yes, you’ll see me here less and less, but I don’t see the pod going away. It’s funny because I’ve said the total opposite before, meaning that I’ll quit the pod and stay posting every day but lately I’ve felt like the end of a cycle is here.

    What is also here is the girls’s first competitive match of the season. In what are two sleeps for me, one for you if you’re in Europe, etc… bottom line is that they play Wednesday and it’s still Monday for me.

    Because I know nothing about Rangers, literally nothing as far as the women’s team is concerned, I don’t really know what to think. Normally, I would check out some of our opponents’ squad, their results, etc but FotMob doesn’t even show a single piece of information about Rangers so I’m back to square one.

    I’m extremely excited because the match is at 11:30am my time which is such a gift because waking up at 4:30am during the week isn’t as forgiving. I’m also excited because the season starts my friends. Read that again… THE SEASON STARTS.

    We’ve been waiting for this for what feels like forever and I have to tell you, since I’ve been a proper fan this has been the absolute longest and most stressful off season and I’m sorry if you’re over this topic but everything revolves around Viv. I’m personally not over it and I will never be over it.The same way I’m not over DvD or Jill Roord or Beattie or Jordan Nobbs.

    My point is that because I have so many strong feelings about the whole situation and about the current manager, none of them being positive in the big scheme of things, this period has felt extremely slow, boring, uncertain and frustrating.

    There’s a lot of changes going on and not all of them are positive from what I can see, from what I hear and from what I read. Regarding the last thing I have to tell you that one of the main reasons I quit twitter for a while is because of how terribly toxic the fan base has become, so entitled, so belittling, so contradicting and I’m sorry if this sounds arrogant but I’m so over it and I love myself way too much to spend my time and energy there.

    I don’t miss the hypocrisy, I don’t miss the people who haven’t kicked a football since they were 11 years of age saying the most uninformed things about players that they don’t know, on and off the pitch. It’s just wild that some people truly believe they know what’s going on when they really don’t.

    Anyway, I went dark real quick so I’m just gonna go to bed.

    xo

    d ❤

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  • More of the same please

    What a wild day. I’m finally getting a moment to write this blog today and it’s 4pm my time here in California. I have had a truly long day and I was in a car for about 5 hours and I had no chance to write or post or even check anything remotely close to Arsenal Women. But even though it seems I’m delaying writing something, I have decided to open my laptop and try my best to put something “on paper” here for you.

    I was torn regarding the quality of the opposition aka Southampton. On one hand I felt it was irresponsible to play against an opponent considerably lower in experience, level, etc because it doesn’t offer anywhere near as a real situation as they’ll face with Rangers. Or so you’d think… I don’t actually know… I truly have no clue whatsoever how good/bad Rangers are and they might be just as good as Southampton.

    On the other hand maybe a “soft” opposition is exactly what the girls needed in the sense that going into a clutch match, a CL qualifier no less, after a convincing win, a nice scoreline and maybe new tactics employed, can be a very beneficial thing. Again, I don’t know and I’m not positive as to what I would rather do.

    If the two scenarios would be an easy opponent or a more complex one, neither one guarantees the most important thing in my opinion and that is the health of the players and by that I mean if they get injured or not. It’s worth reminding folks that fixture congestion is a problem not only because of the amount of matches in a short span of time, but also in a macro sense. The shear number of matches is also a problem, not only when they occur.

    The 3-0 was great and I think we all needed that and that’s not saying much because we all want them to win all the time, against any and all opposition. I’m no different, I also want that to happen and now we just have to wait and see what the current manager has in mind as it relates to the CL match.

    The one thing/choice that concerns me is Foord. I just don’t know how he can keep picking her over and over and I believe she’s started the last 2 matches and if this means that she will play vs Rangers I so much rather her be on the bench and have Katie or Mariona there instead.

    I’m basically passing out and have to take a nap right now but I’ll try to get back to writing these earlier in the day.

    d ❤

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