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Ok Emily, Ok!
I would be lying to your face if I told you I’ve been watching Emily Fox’s performances in a focused, attentive way. It’s not her fault that there have been other players that I have focused on and I was so mad at us selling Noelle that anyone except Ellie Carpenter was going to be someone I was going to ignore for a bit. I’m petty and you are too, let’s dance.
I still haven’t sat down and watched the Liverpool match fully but the 13 min or so that I watched were very, very good as far as Emily is concerned. She’s a fantastic addition to this squad and her energy and versatility are assets to say the least.
My identity/national identity/send of belonging is a very personal, deep and complex thing and I won’t get into it too much, but all this to say that even as an American citizen, I have ZERO connection to any USWNT players. I don’t watch the NWSL, I don’t particularly care or have cared about American players at Arsenal. I cared wayyyyy more when Deyna, a Venezuelan, joined Man City and I wanted her to thrive.
They are the nemesis to the dutch, which own my heart fully, so I’m always hesitant whenever we are linked with a player from the USA. Explaining it would take me way too long but I think most of you guys would agree.
Emily, though, has made me care and focus on her and I sure will be keeping an eye for HER when she plays for the USWNT and it seems like she will be doing so for years to come.
Oh and holy shit did Horan spill some incredible tea, a tea which I have been wanting someone to spill forever. It was popcorn stuff.
Fox, a player of the month nominee has been impressive and everyone is talking about her and instead of blogging about the few things I’ve seen her do I need to watch more. It’s the least she deserves.
Amanda Ilestedt, arsenal, arsenal blog, arsenal women, arsenal women blog, AWFC, beth mead, Emily Fox, FIFA WWC, Katie mccabe, Kim little, Leah williamson, lia walti, Steph catley, Stina Blackstenius, that arsenal women podcast, UWCL, Victoria Pelova, Vivianne Miedema, woso, WSL, WSL Blog, WSL podcast -
CAme and went… or did it?
After months of anticipation, rumors, irresponsible twitter accounts posting totally wrong information…that’s it??? You mean to tell me that this underwhelming transfer window, not just for us for overall, has been officially closed just like that? Not gonna lie to you, I expected more action.
But… if there is one thing I know, is that NOBODY knows what goes on in the club behind the scenes and I would bet any money that numerous pieces of business were done and we have no insight whatsoever, no clues, no rumors, no leads, nothing, and I LOVE THAT.
I’m just like anyone else and want new players and enjoy the whole situation but if my first instinct is to complain about what my assumptions are, then I need to cool it and just wait for things to happen and moreover, I need to trust that people are doing what they are supposed to do.
I think it’s important to note that we don’t know who makes the final decisions, wether it’s Jonas or the board, etc. So with that said, it’s hard to know who to “complain” about if we aren’t getting the players we want, etc etc etc. Perhaps this lack of target for our complaints it’s a sign that there’s nothing constructive about tweeting “but what about X player.”
Also not ever in the history of any club, has someone decided to announce and player’s renewal because of fans tweeting at the club and demanding that. I definitely think that’s not needed at all and we need to let the club do whatever they do.
Qualifying or quantifying transfers is a slippery slope because there might be singings that have deeper meanings than just an on field solution. There might be moral boosting signings, cultural glue signings and much more.
Either way, no Mary Earps hahaha.
Alessia Russo, arsenal, arsenal blog, arsenal women, arsenal women blog, AWFC, beth mead, Emily Fox, FIFA WWC, Katie mccabe, Kim little, lia walti, Mary earps, Steph catley, that arsenal women podcast, transfer window, UWCL, Victoria Pelova, Vivianne Miedema, woso, WSL, WSL Blog, WSL podcast, WSL transfer -
Measuring recovery is tricky
Players have always had infinite amounts of pressure on them. They have always had unreal expectations thrown at them, and they have had to deal with people’s assumptions as far as how to perform and why. It has to be so mentally challenging and that is why few people end up being professional footballers in the WSL.
This pressure though is to a degree universal, in my opinion, and this is felt also by people in lower leagues or “weaker” leagues, because as women it’s always going to be difficult and they are never going to be good enough for some. How stupid that? Anyway… that’s not my point today.
I was just thinking how as fan we tend to glorify injured players’s returns. Starting from a positive situation, we all want them to thrive and expect them to be happy and perform well but the measuring stick is very different for each and us as fans need to manage our expectations.
What does Laura have to do now to get the plaudits? How much pressure are we putting on her? Beth is scoring, Viv is not scoring, Leah assisted… you see what I’m getting at? Anything less will be hard to post online about as it relates to ONE moment.
For arguments sake, it would be a much bigger deal for Laura to take over Emily Fox than any worldie that Beth or Viv can score. Emily is playing really well so THAT’S the objective right? To get back on the squad, then start regularly.
The reality is that Beth, Viv and Leah didn’t have anyone else better than them that might truly actually worry fans about their comeback. There simply weren’t. They are among the best on planet earth and I have no clue who we could’ve signed that are better than them. I wouldn’t have any other 3 players.
But Laura isn’t considered world class yet but they way she has endeared herself with us fans speaks louder than just ability, and let’s face it: she was doing GREAT. Her passion, grit and power were outstanding and we definitely miss her.
Can’t wait for her to come back and I hope we all support just as much, if not more, than what we have done for the other girls.
Amanda Ilestedt, arsenal, arsenal blog, arsenal women, arsenal women blog, AWFC, beth mead, Emily Fox, FIFA WWC, Katie mccabe, Kim little, Laura wienroither, Leah Williamon, lia walti, manu zinsberger, Steph catley, Stina Blackstenius, that arsenal women podcast, UWCL, Victoria Pelova, Vivianne Miedema, woso -
So. Many. Keepers
NEW POD!
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY
You can listen to my music HERE -
Tough run coming up
A few days ago I had written about a run of games in a short period of time. The girls played very, very well on all those matches and they won all three. Two of those matches were in the WSL and the other one was for the Conti Cup, but I’m sure you knew that, I just had to make sure on my end!
February and March gives us several very tough matches as well. Next up will be West Ham on Sunday, who are in a relegation battle and have good players.
After that is City at home for the FA cup. Obviously we need good showings in the cup competitions as a trophy in this season is the very least the club needs and to be honest Jonas needs a trophy to justify his contract renewal as far as I’m concerned, because without one, having won one last season, it will show regression and not progress.
Then it’s another Manchester club also at home on the 17th of February which is my mother’s Bday so I’m expecting a win, of course. Tough match without a doubt and depending on what Chelsea have been up to, we might have a chance to be level on points.
I believe there’s an international break and then its a NLD at home was well the first week of March. As the recent past shows, these matches are not even close to being a given anymore and it’s becoming a very tough fixture.
So, the pattern that I see, which is one of the most obvious and true tenants in the sport, is that our home form has to be excellent. We need to make the tandem of Borehamwood and The Emirates and dual stronghold and carry the best of us to and from both places without a hiccup. Easier said than done but it just has to happen, we don’t have an option.
Chelsea are on fire and I don’t see them dropping points anytime soon, which means that we also cannot drop any points and if these tough matches are at home, then we have that incredible advantage. Also, the home matches are in a row, which is incredible for rest, fitness and mentality.
Bring it.
Alessia Russo, Amanda Ilestedt, arsenal, arsenal blog, Arsenal Football Club, arsenal women, arsenal women blog, AWFC, beth mead, FIFA WWC, Katie mccabe, Kim little, lia walti, Steph catley, Stina Blackstenius, that arsenal women podcast, UWCL, Victoria Pelova, Vivianne Miedema, woso, WSL, WSL Blog, WSL podcast -
I missed it. Damn it
Today is one of those days where I just couldn’t adjust my schedule around the match. Normally the matches are very, very early for me here in LA but of course today, of all days, the match is right in the middle of my pickleball matches hahaha.
But today is not about me, today is about only one person and said person is Vivianne Miedema. Scoring for the first time since December of 2022 must have felt like an eternity for her and I’m just beyond the moon excited for her.
Other players have come back after their injury and seemingly picked up close to where they had left off. With Viv there has been so much pressure for her to just come back score hat tricks every match but I think people forget that she hasn’t been doing that for a while, as she has adapted her game and has allowed us to see her vision and ability from more of a midfield position.
I saw the goal and I only heard a few seconds of an interview where she says that she doesn’t think about her knees anymore. I love that so much for her.
Sometimes goalscorers feel that’s who they are. Its part of their identity such like for some musicians being a musician is WHO they are. Viv isn’t like that is she? But scoring has to help and again, like you, I’m sure happy for her.
Gonna watch the game tonight and I’ll be recording a pod all about that and a few other things I have in mind, all of which will be posted tomorrow at some point.
Enjoy your Sunday, Sooners!
Amanda Ilestedt, arsenal, arsenal blog, arsenal women, arsenal women blog, Arsenal Women FC, arsenal women football club, AWFC, beth mead, blogs about arsenal women, Emily Fox, FIFA WWC, Jen Beattie, Katie mccabe, Kim little, lia walti, that arsenal women podcast, UWCL, Victoria Pelova, Vivianne Miedema, woso, WSL, WSL Blog, WSL podcast -
Gutted for Roord
By now you know that I’m a massive Oranjeleeuwinnen fan and by the numerous posts dedicated to Jill Roord, you’d be completely correct to assume that I’m absolutely distraught and gutted for her, and I’m also angry and just emotional overall.
Simply put: Jill is one of my favorite players ever and one of the reasons why I love Arsenal Women and the dutch squad. If you ever look at my twitter banner, you’ll see a pic of my 3 favorite players, and she’s one of them.
This isn’t a post about ACL injuries, it’s just me venting because I’m so fucking sad for her and yeah she’s gonna come back stronger and all of that, I’m convinced, but we all know what is ahead of her.
What I’m currently peeved by was looking back at how many people were taking shots at her when she moved to City. The hate, the insults, the criticism… even by one of the most beloved podcasters/reporters said shit about Jill. Seems unrelated but that’s just what is making my blood boil, because its normal to assume that all those haters will be happy about her getting injured.
They think they can post well wishes and I will forget about the things they said about her. And I get it sounds petty and immature but that’s just where my head is at.
I promise you Jill will come back stronger and I hope City to everything they can to support her as I know the entire NL squad, staff and country will.
That’s it for me today. Sorry.
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NOt sure what to title this
One of the best parts about being a musician is that I get to work with lots of different people. Some are well known, some aren’t, some play music for the masses, and others play the most niche stuff you can imagine. I personally love it all.
When it comes to sharing what you’re working on with friends, family or brands that you endorse, there’s something special about playing with big names or legendary people. No disrespect to people that do things that aren’t well known, but its the optics of it all that just make that situation special.
I am not a person that thinks of musical projects as a stepping stone. In other words, a lot of people in the business only look out for themselves and what’s next, and how the current gig is just that: the current gig. Whereas I try to remain present, committed and intentional. Gigs end, artists take different directions, sometimes they just don’t want to percussion for example. Things happen. So with that said, when a project ends its natural that you look for something “better” or “bigger” etc.
But since I’ve become an AWFC one of the main things that I look into as far as whom I’d like to work with are artists who the players like. It’s a way to feel like I can repay somehow the inspiration they have given me. I know it might not make sense but in a way it makes me feel like I can make them feel closer to the artist that they love.
Back in December I was part of a house band for an Xmas TV special and with all about country music. Not my cup of tea by any means but the first thing that came to mind was the fact that I knew for some reason country music is popular in England and was curious if any of the artists I would play with, were people that some of the girls are fans of.
So I did what you’d expect and went to the artists’s instagram and checked out who was following them. To my surprise the only one I remember was Leah liking Breland. I had never ever heard of him and I was just happy to play with him just because I player I admire likes him. Sounds silly but that’s me.
Not much of a football post but that should come tomorrow when I’ll chat a bit about the Liverpool match.
Enjoy your Friday night, friends!
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Absolute Poetry
Every single thing about yesterday’s match was fantastic. There are so many things that I was happy with before a ball was even kicked that I had a great feeling about it all and was also very surprised by others, all for great reasons.
We all had begged for squad rotation and we got that. It was lovely to see Jen, KCC, Cloe, Laia and of course Stina. All things considered we have such a great squad and we have to use these players more and more. Lovely to see Steph come back as well and anytime she plays there’s a sense of relief that is very welcome.
Lots of things seem to click and I attribute it exclusively to energy. The girls looked sharp and very much up for it and there’s no way an exhausted group of players can do that, its just not sustainable, so again, more of this please.
Now, it’s very clear that the two main topics of conversations will be Leah’s return and Kim Little’s 300th match (and also return from injury). However, I think there’s a lot of talk about both of them and I have sure contributed to that with that long special episode of That Arsenal Women Podcast.
I will mention two things though. One of them is that what I personally was super focused on and moved by was the fact that we had Viv, Beth and Leah playing together. Something that we could’ve taken for granted in the past… but life just makes sense when they are on the pitch. The collective football IQ goes through the roof.
The second thing, which I’ve spoken about before, is that people need to pump the breaks and appreciate Kim Little more. Sounds insane but the obsession with new players and what I’ve read online has been shocking. The fact of the matter is that Kim is one of the greatest players to ever play the sport. Every single player, coach, staff member from all teams speak the world of her and yet some out there think that we have players that can replace her. We don’t. She is irreplaceable.
I know lots of people are desperate for the future and worried about life without Kim and Lia, but I would encourage everyone to realize what we have in them two and also, with respect to other, know what we don’t have. We don’t have anybody remotely close to being as good as Lia, let alone Kim Little.
Things are not going back to normal, I’m convinced they will be better. And just for fun, here’s how I would field them.
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Special Podcast Episode
I have been so moved by both the article on The Telegraph and Leah’s BBC piano documentary, that I had to make a special episode featuring her, my thoughts on the article, my admiration for her and much more.
You’ll notice a different tone/attitude/production on this episode and I’d love your input and insight.
Thanks
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY
You can listen to my music HERE
A very subjective look into AWFC 