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Oranjeleeuwinnen thoughts
This was such an interesting match and it provided us with so many story lines, it’s to pick which one to follow, so I’ll do my best to let it flow and write as things come to mind, if that’s ok with you, thank you very much.
As I had stated yesterday, my first and main concern is the health of DVD aka my favorite player ever. I haven’t heard any updates on her and I was absolutely heartbroken and worried when she limped off in tears. That f*cks me up, hard and I don’t like it.
Obviously as a Dutch fan I have lots of points that I would like to talk about. Among them is the fact that I don’t understand why on earth we don’t play actual, natural defenders as fullbacks. Like I get Esme and Pelova being able to play there but they are NOT defenders. So, yes they have done great things and I’m not criticizing that at all, my point is that we need better DEFENDING, so for those thinking I have an anti-pelova agenda: not better defenders, I’m saying better defending. So how do you achieve that? maybe, just maybe, by playing actual defenders that play there week in and week out.
In my opinion when Pelova and Esme release the ball quickly it’s when they are their best. And in defense they seem, to me, to take way too many touches and they play in a bit of a naive and “young” way that I don’t think its suitable for these types of matches but what the hell do I know?
I’m proud of them both, they work so hard and they aren’t at fault for the result at all, make no mistake, that’s not something I’m remotely thinking about. I just enjoy having Merel and Casparij much more. Sorry not sorry.
I think Pelova has a huge role to play if DVD is out on Tuesday. Not that I think she can play the same position or do the same thing but at Arsenal she has been playing better than ever and I expect her to do much better in the middle of the park, since she’s just more used to that and has the bite and tenacity needed. She doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone and she needs to feel free and not be “the next” anybody. She is more than capable of being herself and excelling.
I still have confidence we will go through… I mean, we better! I cannot imagine this squad NOT being in the Olympics and with destiny being in our own hands, that is obviously a great place to be. Of course the weird rules and permutations make for an interesting narrative regarding England vs Scotland but that’s a whole different thing.
Speaking of different, England were a different side the second Beth and Alessia went in. A totally different side that basically shifted something in the strategy and mentality of England, and quite possibly of The Netherlands too.
The way they play, their hustle, their pressing, their positivity on the ball it’s just remarkable and it was a beautifully painful thing to watch. I much rather have them play for my team than against it.
Overall, even though this was a loss, the first half was fantastic and it was great to see Sherida and Jackie play well, Dom boss it and Jill do what Jill does… of course Lieke was on fire and Lineth… TAKE A BOW.
I have not felt less confident at all and I’m expecting us to qualify Tuesday.
yes I said: “us”
I feel Viv has a part to play. A big one yet.
d ❤
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Now that’s a football match
Game just ended and I’m still high on adrenaline. Unfortunately I cannot write much about it at this very second but I will try to summarize my thoughts later today so please come back and check if you are bored.
What I will say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the match but I’m extremely worried about DVD and her injury. That did not look good and regardless of the score, my only concern is her well being.
I’ll be back later.
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Watch this
One more sleep until the lionesses host the oranjeleeuwinnen, but tomorrow is when I will do a “preview.” Until then, I’ll leave you with this press conference with Beth, in case you haven’t seen the whole thing.
d ❤
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Friday can’t come soon enough
I really am excited about the lionesses vs the oranjeleeuwinnen match on Friday for more reasons than I can count and to be completely honest I am so very impatient at the moment. I have many thoughts and predictions and ideas and it’s both great for Arsenal and conflicting at the same time.
My heart is and will always be with the dutch so I’m hoping and expecting them to come out on top but these teams are so evenly matched it’s hard to give an actual prediction, whatever that means.
If Pelova starts at right back she’ll have her hands full with Hemp and/or Kelly and I’m excited to see what she can do against those two players. Also, if Lauren James plays it would be really good to see Victoria in action against her too because she’ll know what to expect when we play Chelsea, if either player plays of course.
Now, if its Beth vs Pelova I’m afraid its RIP Vicky P, not because she can’t hang with Beth, but because I would imagine she would know Vicky inside and out, and same goes for Viv and LWM
BUT
It goes both ways doesn’t it?
One thing both LWM and Pelova have in common is they are both relentless and put in every single ounce of their heart into the matches, any match, so that factor is so important and it’s capable of very special things.
There is however, one player who has the most elevated football IQ in world football (obviously this is my opinion and its based on vibes and personal taste) and that player plays for the Netherlands. Expect DVD to start, to dictate the match, to shine and to score.
Speaking of footballing brains let’s not forget about a certain Keira Walsh, like how the hell can we forget? Whatever I said about DVD applies to her too so holy shit are we in for a treat.
Curious to see how many minutes, if any at all, Viv gets and this would be a massive occasion for her to do what she does best, and shine.
I really don’t know what else Lotte has to do to get an England start, specially with Millie Bright out injured so we’ll see what Sarina chooses to do.
Another duel I’m excited about is Russo vs Janssen. Dom is coming back from a few weeks out and only played about 34 minutes for Wolfsburg but regardless if she is back to her normal speed or not, her positioning is as reliable as it gets so again, I’m curious to know what this duel will bring.
Today is one of those days where I say a lot of things and also say absolutely nothing.
Enjoy your day!
d ❤
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My point exactly…
Yesterday I wrote about how I wasn’t sure how much longer I would be active on this blog. I had also mentioned the fact that I change my mind often and that I also felt a need to prioritize some things over this blog.
A few moments ago I checked to see where some of you are from and I was blown away by the countries I saw on that list. To know that there are people from all over the world is pretty incredible and it’s something that I value and I’m so thankful for. So, before I start this blog post I have to say thank you. Wherever you are from, know that you are welcomed here and that I respect and value your time.
In music there’s a saying that, to paraphrase, says that you never know who is in the audience. You never, ever know who is watching and you have to give your best at every moment. I have a Keanu Reeves story about that but I won’t write it here because I think I have done so and I need to check before I waste your time.
Anyways, let’s chat about Arsenal Women, exactly the reason why you are here.
The more I think about the match against Chelsea is absolutely massive and in a season where you have to be virtually perfect, this is the kind of match we need to win, without a doubt. We need to go into in knowing that 50k people are going to witness a match that will be a launchpad for the rest of the season and to signal to the world that not only are we the best team in England, but that we should definitely be in the CL and it’s a damn shame we aren’t.
Shebahn mentioned on her latest VLOG that one of the reasons we’re doing well this season is due, precisely, to the lack of CL football and I agree with her. This is the precise reason why we don’t have an excuse to not be on top form, and we absolutely need to take advantage of our lighter schedule, or in other words exploit Chelsea’s busy one.
When we got knocked out of the CL I wrote how it might actually be beneficial for us but things are only beneficial if we actually do something about it right? Like, Chelsea can have the worst schedule, awful injury problems etc etc etc and if we don’t beat them then it’s all for naught.
They currently don’t have Millie Bright or Guro Reiten as far as I know, and they might have other injuries, but with Lauren James and Sam Kerr being so good this season, we need to realize that they’ll be fine without them if they can keep scoring as many goals as they please, since it’s what seems to be the norm for them.
If not at the Emirates, to go level on points, when??
d ❤
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Slowing down
One thing you know about me by now is that I change my mind all the time. There are days when I wake up and feel I want to have the longest living Arsenal Women blog and then there are days when I feel I am spending way too much time on this and on my podcast when there are a lot of things that I need to get done regarding my music, practicing and some projects I have going on.
To a degree, the international break will aid with that slowing down of sorts because I won’t feel pressured to write something relevant or interesting, and by the way I’m not implying that anything I write is either relevant or interesting but because there might be a game to talk about, it is in theory relevant to the club, players and fanbase.
What is NOT slowing down is the actual season post international break. All the opposite. Aside facing Chelsea on dec 10th, we then have 2 north London derbies back to back and those are the fixtures in December. But, what I’m failing to mention, in case you didn’t know, is that these matches are on the 10th, the 13th and the 16th.
Umm.. that’s pretty intense.
Any 3 matches in such a short period of time are always going to be a challenge. Even though I’m not going to put up the NLD up there in terms of how it compares to the men’s NLD, I will say that I’m expecting us to win both of those matches too. Trust me, I’m not taking anything away from the importance of the NLD, I’m just not prepared to say that: “you never know, it’s a NLD!!!” like no, I’m not there, I’m sorry. Maybe I’m being harsh.
Onto the Lionesses vs Oranjeleeuwinnen… can’t bloody wait for this. I have some thoughts that I will share in due time!
d ❤
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That was special
I won’t even try to put into words what a special moment it was for Beth and her family. I’m just beyond proud of her and happy to have seen the goals on TV because if I had been there in person I would’ve bawled like a child.
The match was a really, really good one. Clean sheet, McCabe did great on the right, Kyra was solid and reliable, etc. And omg am I excited to see how well this team plays when our best players are back. I cannot wait to see Leah and Amanda at the back with Kim, Lia and Kyra PLUS Viv on the pitch too. I just can’t bloody wait.
We are just 3 points off Chelsea and we don’t seem like we’re off 3rd gear to be honest with you and I’m hoping that we peak at the right time and if we do, it won’t matter what Chelsea does or doesn’t do, and that’s the pocket where I want to be in.
Today I feel like we will be champions. Sounds insane with so many months to go and I also didn’t feel this way at all vs Southampton… nowhere near. So as usual, take everything I say with a grain of salt.
One more thing I’ll mention, going back to KCC is that I’m very happy to have her at our club and to know that we can have someone step in for Lia when we need her and still know that we are not going to suffer a lot. As I’ve always said, Lia is the barometer of this team. How she plays, we play. What her form is, our form is. I will take this to my grave.
What a great day. Chuffed for Bethany.
d ❤
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INcredible Attendance
It’s 10:25am here in sunny Los Angeles and I just went outside to take the trash out. I wore shorts and a T-shirt and it was “cold.” As I made my way back to my house I was thinking about how insane it is that it’s still this warm in California, about global warming, and more. That “more” is YOU. The traveling fans.
The attendance numbers we’re seeing from AWFC fans both home and away is absolutely staggering. This is a very big deal and I’m so grateful to all of you that travel and support the girls. I know there’s not a “trophy” for this and that rival fans always have a comment about this, but this is a massive deal.
It goes without saying that fans don’t just magically appear at stadiums all around the country. The vast investment of time and money goes well beyond the price of the ticket. There’s train fares, gas, parking, uber rides, food at the stadium, hotels, programs, etc etc etc. Beyond this there is the logistical puzzles that need to be solved. All of this is hard enough to do once a year for me, so when I hear about the AWSC organizing meetups, or when I see fans on twitter at every damn match it’s truly incredible.
I definitely don’t have it in me to do that. I say this because as a musician you usually work on the weekends and you are always on call in case a gig pops up, so making plans in advance is not something synonymous with that lifestyle.
I have no doubt that the club’s vision is to have ALL AWFC matches be played at The Emirates. When that happens it’ll be such incredible news and joining teams like Leicester who play in the main stadium, will be something great for the squad and fans as a whole. But I don’t know how that would work in terms of the ticket prices.
I know absolutely nothing about numbers, economy, or anything like that. What I assume, from a point of ignorance, is that given the global economy, the rising costs everywhere, that the girls’s tickets at the emirates will be considerably higher than what they are at Meadow park. That could be a problem for people who attend the men’s game often too.
Maybe it’s one of those “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it” situations and I’m sure glad I’m not involved in solving this. However, as special of a ground that Meadow park is, having them move to the Emirates full time is the best for the fans. More fans.
But what about the players? Do they as a whole want to play there? Will the commute down to north London be something they like? I have no idea but would love to know what they think.
Playing at bigger venues isn’t always the best for musicians. You sometimes rather have the packed house at a smaller place.
d ❤
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Weird match, right?
I don’t know about you but yesterday’s match had me feeling like I had no idea what was going on. I was confused as to why we were having a hard time against a team from a lower tier, while we had a very strong lineup up. However, the reality is that just because I don’t quite understand something it doesn’t mean that it’s weird or not good. So, as usual, I’m going to focus on the positives.
I won’t go in chronological order as the first thing that comes to mind has to be the fact that Viv got so many minutes. If there’s ONE thing to rescue about this match, beyond the actual win we got which is very important, is that. And I don’t know how else to explain it other than having viv on the pitch just feels right.
Lacasse continues to be a threat, reliable on the ball and her work rate is fantastic. I can’t mention work rate and not mention Alessia. She’s so committed and runs all over the pitch, but a hefty heat map doesn’t mean you’re effective or good, but the touches she gets, the pressing and how smart she is are such assets.
Overall, as much as it wasn’t the prettiest match ever, I still hold onto the fact not just that we won or how we didn’t perform, but the overall symbolism of yet another win and what that can do for their continuously growing confidence. And regarding confidence, Amanda getting an incredible goal can only help with that!
Also, one quick reminder that we have only lost ONE match this season, preceded by getting knocked out of the CL via PKs and followed by a tie vs man utd. Since then the girls have won 7 matches in a row. That isn’t a small thing and I totally get the anxiety from fans as we haven’t played our best and all of that.
I share some of that as I don’t think that we have found our best 11, or actually, I’m afraid that Jonas picks his best 11 and it doesn’t match up with the players who I’d like to see start.
Also, what does Naomi Williams have to do to get minutes? I would love to see what she has to offer.
d ❤
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Guest Hosted The Highbury Squad!
Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of hosting my very first solo show on The Highbury Squad and I had an absolute blast. I was joined by someone that is not only just about the nicest guy I know, but also a truly knowledgeable person when it comes to all things Arsenal Women, England Lionesses and women’s football in general… the one and only Albert from AlbertJTV… and you can follow him on social media: @aumoh57
I’d like to give a massive shoutout to Sophie Nicoloau for trusting me with the show and for being such an inspiration in more ways that I can count.
Here’s the link to the full 60 min show!
If you’d be so kind, please subscribe, like and comment as it would help the channel continue to grow and grow.
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A very subjective look into AWFC 