A very subjective look into AWFC

by Demian Arriaga

PODCAST

  • Just when you thought…

    That I wasn’t gonna talk about Viv and the oranje leeuwinnen, here I am. And there’s a very specific reason why you haven’t read anything about that from me and that reason is simply because I thought I had and I checked to see and realized that in fact, I hadn’t mentioned anything about the last qualifying matchday and more.

    As you know, I write on this blog every single day and there are times when my head is an absolute clown show and I simply forget what I’m doing mostly because of all the music that I need to learn, the songs I need to refresh/practice, or like today when I’m a hotel room and can’t practice, a lot of my memory and mental real estate is occupied with visualization exercises, and lots of rest. All this to say, again, that I’m sorry if you had been expecting something about The Netherlands and I haven’t written about it at all.

    BTW if you are new here please know that whenever the dutch play, usually, this blog morphs to/from an Arsenal Women to an Oranje Leeuwinnen blog.

    Now, even though the results haven’t been stellar I personally think the team looks much more balanced, for the most part. The midfield looks much more fluid the past few matches but I still have an issue with DvD being played so deep. She’s a 10 and she has her best matches when she plays there, and at the same time I get that we need her engine deeper on the pitch but anyway, that’s worthy of 17 blog posts.

    I love Sherida’s leadership and drive but I honestly would like to see someone else play alongside Dom and it’s about time we start bringing people through little by little because Dom is also not gonna play forever, even though I think she can and she’s good enough to play obviously the Euros but the next World Cup as well.

    Wieke Kaptein has been really good, really, really good and I know lots of you don’t wanna hear this, but we just look way better with her than we ever have with Pelova and I’m really excited for Vic and her recovery because she can have this situation as further motivation and I have no doubt in my mind that when she comes back, she’ll be a better, stronger and smarter player, so I’m really curious to see what the future holds because that competition is needed.

    But let’s take a second to talk about Viv and her goal. Beyond it securing qualification and beyond what it means for the whole squad and it’s objective of going to Switzerland, that goal meant a lot to the team because they knew it meant a lot to Viv and it’s this beautiful symbiotic thing.

    She needed that, the oranje needed that, The Netherlands needed that, Women’s football needed that and selfishly, I NEEDED THAT.

    Among the reasons I needed that is because I need the current manager and the club to be proven wrong. To be shown that gifting Viv to Man City was the biggest mistake we’ve ever made and I need everyone involved in that decision to regret it, to the fullest and largest extent possible.

    Before I go, here’s a cool interview with Jill Roord

    d ❤

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  • Well done Villa

    Early today I read the news, as I’m sure you did, that Aston Villa women will be playing 11 matches at Villa Park and that is massive news not just for the players and the club, but for the WSL as a whole and since it’s beneficial for the league it is absolutely beneficial for Arsenal as well, because like I said in a post recently, we need every single team to thrive for us to fully thrive and by the same token, if any team is struggling then we are all struggling.

    We can only hope that this is truly where the game is going and that other teams, the ones that can, will follow suit. And I personally want to emphasize “the ones that can” because I know it is not as simple as just telling clubs to have the women play in the main stadium.

    I have never hidden the fact that I’m not an expert and by and large I try to not talk about things I don’t know about. Sometimes we see people on YouTube and podcasts talk about things in a way or framed as if they are experts and I never wanna be that guy, so precisely because I don’t know much about finances and logistics, I think it would be naive by saying that “all teams should play” at the main stadia because simply put its just not possible and it might not be the best thing. I don’t really know.

    Let me paint a picture as a musician since I’m literally going on tour an hour after I finish writing this. I’m headed on a ten day run playing drums with Orianthi, an incredible Australian singer and monster guitar player, and you might’ve seen her playing guitar with Michael Jackson.

    The venues we play are basically rock clubs which are very, very well attended. She has a loyal fan base that even travel overseas to see her and regardless of the love and support, if she were to book a 5k venue in middle America, I don’t think she would sell them out. So, cost wise and/or optics wise playing in a larger venue, with less people, which might be more expensive for the artist from a production standpoint, might not be the best thing.

    Another potential parallel is the concept of “1000 loyal fans” which can, in some cases, allow a musician to have a good life if not a great life depending on where you live and of course many other things. But basically that concept implies that it’s better to have 1000 fans that buy everything you put out and come to shows and invest in your art via merch sales, etc than 20k that aren’t engaged at all. So if you put out $100 worth of music/shirts/merch and every single person of that 1k purchase it, that’s $100k.

    What’s better? A sellout small venue or a big venue that is empty but has the same amount of people or maybe a bit more? I don’t really know but the fact that we’re having this conversation is a very good sign.

    If you are in the USA please check out my social media for the shows I mentioned, in case you can attend a show and watch how incredible Orianthi is.

    d ❤

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  • What’s taking so long?

    Our Arsenal girls are a little over a month away from making the trip overseas and landing in the insane clown show that is the United States. I know it is because I’m here and honestly the last place I’d like anyone I care about to be in, would be Washington DC. But that’s neither here nor there. Oh, and by “here” I mean the USA, not DC.

    I’m gonna complain, my friends, so I apologize if this isn’t the most positive of posts.

    What I’m complaining about is what seemingly happens every year, with Arsenal as a club overall and that is we wait soooooooo long to sign players. This is something that I can’t stand and grinds my gears because managers like our current one will always use their lack of cohesion as an excuse for his shortcomings. I wouldn’t put it past him or other managers to do this on purpose honestly.

    I understand transfers take time and logistics, but we’re AWFC FFS, and we should be able to make moves, make them fast and make things happen soon. Why can’t we be like Chelsea with Lucy Bronze????

    I’m joking, we signed Caldentey weeks ago and I was just trying to be funny, but Caldentey is not enough and just in case you haven’t seen our squad, I encourage you to have a glimpse at it because we need many players.

    It injects energy into the club and the fanbase much more than documentaries and new clothing lines, which btw the away kit is hideous and somehow worse than the Stella line, that I grew to love actually. But you would think you’d sign tons of players after you let Viv go on a FREE to one of our rivals. See? told you I’m never getting over it.

    Up top we list Foord and Hurtig, and I’m sorry to Caitlin but she had a horrible season from my point of view and if next season will be the same it’s basically the equivalent of Hurtig, who hasn’t played in ages.

    I wanna see Khul back honestly, whom I rate way higher than most and I think she’s a way better player than Pelova, but of course the current manager has not idea of how to get the best of her.

    But this is getting annoying. We need players and I know the Olympics start very, very soon, but holy hell, my anxiety is through the roof.

    d ❤

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  • So many documentaries

    Arsenal Women’s media team are churning out so many documentaries I cannot keep up and I definitely don’t have time to watch one of them, let alone all 6 or whatever they have done. It’s a lot and I’m partially glad they are doing that, mostly because it is a way for fans to get an insight into players, their lives and the club as a whole and because it’s filmed, produced and edited by the club, its all going to be very cookie cutter in a way and I’m ok with that.

    But… I have to ask: Where was the DvD documentary? Where is the Viv documentary? The Jen Beattie one? Of course I know this is a silly question and there’s no real answer other than the objective one that there are NO documentaries about them. I wish there were, I wish there was also a much better farewell to each and every one but as the saying goes: football clubs have no morals. And I also know there were many players before them that deserve a documentary etc etc etc.

    I also think there’s something very positive about the documentaries in that it will give the players who the docs are about, something to keep forever and that in and of itself is really special and I’m happy that they can keep that and have that. It has to be a great feeling surely.

    If I were to pick which documentary I’d like to see next the only one that really comes to mind is about Katie McCabe. I’d love to see more about her, her mindset and all that. Oh and I haven’t mentioned anything about the rumors of her going to Lyon because if she leaves I would lose my shit officially and wouldn’t even know how to process. Unless we get Bacha plus 7 players in return and even then i’d be pissed.

    What about you? what player/moment/situation would you like to see a documentary about?

    And I actually think an All or Nothing featuring at women’s team would be incredible and it’s only a matter of time until it’s done and I think it will be game changer not only because of the broad audience itself already built with the show but it would be so easily accessible to so many other people and there’s no way it’ll be a positive.

    d ❤

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  • Where is LWM?

    Do you ever wonder where the hell LWM is? And by that I actually mean where are news about her injury or if there is an update regarding that, when are we going to be told? I guess a good start would be to check her social media account but I don’t really check on player’s accounts randomly, since I have somewhat of a policy to just see what they’re up to if they show up on my timeline.

    What is very weird in my opinion is that news about such an important player for the club and the fans, is being somewhat kept in the dark for way too long of a period and I feel as though the injury has to be either very serious or there is something more on the personal side of things, which can be actually really positive. Maybe there are really, really great things going for her in different areas in her life that might need more attention or something.

    Like if one day she comes out and says she did a master’s degree AND a doctorate in any field I would believe it. If she came out and said she wanted to retire and run for PM I would believe that and I would encourage her because I think she is a good egg, a brilliant person and has a heart of gold. She is going to thrive after football and I think it’s only a matter of time until we see her do really big things, wether it’s running the damn FA, working for UNICEF or who knows what.

    There’s something very authentic and real about her in every interview and even in the way she plays. I think she is a player that gives her 100% every single moment of every single match and as an Arsenal Women fan, that’s one of the most important things… we want players that just give it their all and she does that time and time again.

    If we don’t hear news then it’s natural than we should look into other CBs because again, we don’t know if she’s going to be ok or she’s ok or she might be expecting for all we know. I have no idea and selfishly I want to know because the more we wait, the less players will be available…

    The Viv GIFT to Man City, which I will never forgive the current manager or the club for, could’ve worked players coming our way, like Alex Greenwood or maybe Alana Kennedy or something… not just Viv on way… anyway.

    Back to my mini vacation which ends in mere hours.

    Have a great Tuesday and I’ll be writing again tomorrow, like every single day.

    d ❤

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  • Legacy Intact

    What our Leah Williamson and Beth Mead achieved, along with the rest of the lionesses, will remain something special forever. Make no mistake: It would also remain special FOREVER even if the English men’s squad won 4 world cups and 3 euros on the bounce, because the women’s glory is not conditioned by what the men do, at least not for us fans and also in objective reality, but other people’s reality is different aka they dismiss women.

    Knowing that our girls can boast saying they are Euro winners, against all odds (the biggest of which is being a woman in the type of society), is astonishing and I’m so, so, so bloody happy that they can remain saying that and feeling that while the men, who have had EVERYTHING you can think off, have come up short again, and again, and again. All you English women’s football fans should consider yourselves lucky and the same way I feel validated and arrogant about The Netherlands winning in 2017.

    This is why I am never worried or bothered by other women’s football fan’s arrogance, simply because they are celebrating women they support and their achievements and that, in principle, is something that I love and I encourage and I champion.

    In completely different news I just want to take a second to remind you to take some breaks from social media and life in general if you can. The current political climate in the USA has my anxiety going through the roof and most likely I will be leaving Twitter if not for good, for a very long time, or maybe not since the WSL season is around the corner but please take breaks!

    Also my friends have started this https://x.com/VivsDepartment which is a very cool source of all things Vivianne Miedema, so please go give them a follow if you can, it’ll be worth your time for sure.

    Anyway, speaking of taking a break I’m currently on a mini mini mini vacation so I need to go to the pool because that’s what I came to do haha.

    d ❤

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  • Lionesses > Three Lions

    It’s worth reminding anyone that reads this that what I’m about to say is coming from a non-english person, furthermore, I don’t even consider myself American. I’m a Venezuelan-American and the thoughts and opinions you are going to read are just that, opinions, and I don’t intend to nor do I think that I can offend anyone with the overall sentiment I current hold which is that I’m kinda rooting against England today.

    I have nothing against the players, I have nothing against the country, and I don’t have anything against Gareth Southgate or the FA for that matter. I actually LOVE England. Love the culture, the humor, the country, the music, I love talkSPORT, I love the premier league, I love fish and chips, I love London with a passion. I love everything about it.

    What I struggle with and certainly don’t love is some of the fans that are simply not open minded, to put it mildly, and will use the potential 3 lions Euro win, as a way to undermine the lionesses and their historic trophy. It’s just something that I’m sickled by and it’s so annoying that they will now have ammunition to continue to undermine their countrywomen’s achievements in the sport they claim to love so much.

    The Lionesses have it hard enough as it is. They are constantly ignored and a simple clarification on a post or news article could go a long way as to educate people and/or remind them, is often overlooked, purposely or not. So, if the men win the Euros it will virtually guarantee that the loudest and most anti-women fans will actually benefit in their own sick and twisted way.

    I will say again that it’s not “England fans”… I’m talking about a specific group of them and the last thing I want is for those anti-women men, who will without a doubt also be racist, is to be happy and have something that they can be arrogant about and feel invincible in a sporting sense. I can’t possibly justify glory for them and if I, as a neutral, can just stand back and hope that some of them don’t get that satisfaction then I will do that and I know it’s petty.

    Arsenal wise of course I would be happy for Saka, Ramsdale and Rice, but only if they called our lionesses for advice and motivation. If not, it would give ME ammunition and the satisfaction to say: “see? you lost because you didn’t call them.”

    Both might be weird but I will proudly say I don’t hate women.

    Now, in England’s defense, if I can even call it that, the Spanish Federation is one that supported Rubiales for a long time and lots of it’s members literally applauded him and gave him a standing ovation when he yelled that he wasn’t going to step down. Talk about women-hating men!

    Easy to say everything is horrible and nobody deserves to win based on that but that’s not how life works or how my mind works either. I just want women to be given the credit they deserve and if the men in a position to help build them up and showcase them don’t do it, then a lot of their achievements are almost placeholders until the men to something similar.

    Football is a “funny” game.

    d ❤

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  • Women’s Football keeps teaching us

    You’re most likely reading this because you have been moved, shaped and/or changed by women playing the world’s most beautiful sport. Through that journey, however long or short it may be you will have seen how we learn so much about life, about women, about ourselves, through things that these women do, say and feel.

    As someone who is somewhat new to this, I have felt very strongly and passionately how my life be enhanced in more ways than I can describe since I started following the oranjeleeuwinnen and Arsenal Women. In 5 short years I have basically become a better person and I owe it all to their work on and off the pitch.

    During the qualifiers Viv played 90 minutes for the first time and yes, you don’t need to remind me that she is not an AWFC player anymore, but this blog will continue to speak about her, will continue to hold space for her, will continue to honor her in every way and through any chance I get. So, playing 90 minutes, the way she described in her instagram post was something very special and it made me think deeper about her journey, her injury and how it relates to our current players with ACL injuries/recovery.

    Saying the things that she said in the most public of ways was always going to be hard, but add to that WHAT she said that makes this such a powerful, vulnerable and admirable thing. It’s truly incredible to see one of the best players in the history of the game, a player that breaks records etc etc etc talk so openly about how special it is to play 90 minutes. And as she implies, 90 mins are taken for granted left and right, the same way that we as non footballers might take for granted so many things.

    Once again, a female footballer makes me stop, reflect, audit and practice self awareness and I never truly did that during my years as a male football fan and if i did, I have no memory other than thinking to myself : “what would Bergkamp do?” in a difficult situation. ‘

    The same way Viv opened up and talks about her struggles we have to know that all players go through so many different things but not all are open or eloquent enough to express certain things. Moreover, the fact that people close to Viv know that she is in their lives, has to feel like some sort of superpower.

    In turn, we have to be that superpower for others. We have to be a Viv for them, and most importantly, you have to be a Viv for YOU.

    d ❤

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  • Comments turned off

    There is a very frustrating situation that has to happen. It’s frustrating, it’s sad, it’s angering, it’s predictable and sadly it’s also necessary. I’m talking about how some broadcasting companies, radio stations, TV channels, instagram accounts and such, have to turn off comments on posts that 99/100 involve women’s football or a woman’s opinion.

    The latest one I have noticed is Shebahn on talkSPORT speaking about England and Scotland. You would think that people would be inclined to engage in a normal conversation but expecting normal conversations with certain types of fans is pretty insane to being with. But talkSPORT must know they have to turn the comments off so that the misogyny, the hate, the toxic masculinity isn’t there on display because otherwise, if they thought the discussion would be football based, they would leave them on.

    This happens with all ranges of topics within women’s sport and of course I’m more exposed to the football side of it and I just can’t stand it every time I see it, but again I feel that it’s probably for the best. Not that the problem will go away if it’s ignored, but the less opportunities there are for those sad people to express their self hating, rotten views, the better.

    Not everyone needs their voices heard and I am more than OK with comments being turned off on most, if not every post. Even for me as someone who interacts from time to time… my opinion doesn’t really need to be heard, and if I do want that, then I write a blog or something, I don’t need to comment on every post or tweet all the time about every single thing because then it becomes a weird thing when people expect things.

    For example, there were so many accounts I used to take seriously that comment about virtually every single thing related to arsenal women, every piece of news, every play, every match, every rumors, basically everything. Naturally I expect them to do so when the current manager shoves Vivianne Miedema, etc etc etc, but nope, they didn’t and they haven’t and they won’t. So to me, beyond thinking that it’s a cowardly move because my opinion doesn’t matter, I was expecting things and they weren’t delivered.

    I’d like to think that most of women’s football discussions and comments are positive but the reality is not that. I wouldn’t say it’s the fans or the situation they are discussing but just the nature of who we can become when given the shield of a screen and all that.

    I don’t know, it’s just weird.

    All this to say that as much as I dislike the idea of turning the comments off, I’m actually all about it. Going back to Shebahn’s video… as someone who admires and respects her, I can’t imagine how terrible it would feel to check back on a video you were featured in and see all the comments and all the stuff that you know happens.

    Anyway, I took a day to come visit my family and my nephew was wearing his Van de Donk shirt, via which I tried to indoctrinate him towards Arsenal and The Netherlands. It hasn’t worked but I still feel it as a good sign for today’s Euro’s qualifier.

    d ❤

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  • Four letter word

    Why must twitter accounts, journalists and pundits be so resistant to adding one word I their analysis? Why is it so hard for them to type 4 letters to substantially make their claims, not only much more accurate but also realistic and includes. Honestly, why is it so freaking hard? I’m exhausted just by talking about this, imagine how women must feel.

    The word is “men’s”

    It’s not that hard or time consuming.

    So many of these people that could be adding those 4 letters make the choice to not do that and that is maybe worse than just lacking the knowledge but if you lack the basic knowledge then I find it hard to explain how they have a job where they are in a position to express those inaccurate things.

    I’m not in the business of making excuses or giving the benefit of the doubt and I can understand speaking publicly and that not being in the forefront of your mind, I totally understand that, but you can always tweet that you made a mistake or forgot to credit women or that they didn’t specify “men’s”

    But if you run a twitter account/blog that has an audience, regardless of how big, I feel you have a responsibility to give factual information. Factual information is not opinion based, so saying that Southgate is the first England manager to take them to 2 major tournaments is WRONG. He isn’t. No matter how you look at it, semantics, figure of speech, implied meaning because of the picture attached, etc etc etc, it’s pretty simple: HE IS NOT.

    And the person that posts these things is bothered by the reaction and they’re gonna add “men’s” to their posts just to appease people like me, then so be it because at the very least it would be factually correct.

    Anyway, it’s exhausting and also invigorating because it motivates me to keep being a champion and focus on the things I can control.

    d ❤

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