-
Rubiales finally resigns
I apologize in advance because my head is currently mush and I’m dealing with a ton of music things at the moment and the following paragraphs might not make all the sense in the world but wanted to write something really quick about Rubiales.
First of all this person should have been FIRED on the spot, weeks ago. Let’s be very clear on that. The fact that so many days went by and he was still employed is insane to me but whatever, it is done. This might not be the exact validation that Jenni and co needed but it’s definitely a good thing for them, for women, for football as well.
The thing that stands out to me at the moment is the little attention this is getting. It is my opinion that this should be all over the press, in lots of countries, and featured much more than it is. I say that because this is where the consequences of the actions can be exploited to the advantage of the abused, so to speak. There should be as much humiliation and palpable consequences as possible.
I wonder if this resignation is conditioned by a threat to further sue him or him facing criminal charges, which I still hope should be an option and a reality. I can definitely see a scenario where he and his team and federation negotiated something behind closed doors that would allow him to do this and make compromises and concede certain things. I don’t know.
At this point I would love to see him in prison.
HAPPY MONDAY!!!
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
Win Some, Learn Some
Instead of writing all of my thoughts, I will just share a podcast doing just that. Love you all and that’s what we need at the moment.
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
Paris FC who?
I can see why you would read that title and assume I’m disrespecting the French club, but I can assure you I mean no disrespect at all. It’s not like I’m saying “Tottenham Who?” which we can all agree is a fair question. I truly mean the question…. who are Paris FC? And the answer is that I have no idea. I’m not an expert and I cannot do all the research as if I was a legit journalist, analyst or radio host.
And this is precisely one of my favorite things about still being newish to women’s football. It’s the constant discovery, the constant moments that prove my cringe worth ignorance. It’s very humbling and interesting and freeing all in one. I embrace and I encourage myself to reduce these too, because I actually do want to know more and more about women’s football as a whole, or at the very least, know the teams AWFC are playing against.
But honestly, this idea of doing research or studying up on clubs and players isn’t easy and its not common sense. I think it takes a very special person who are living a special set of things, that allows them of flourish. They know how to research, they know what to remember, they know what they need to know. I, on the other hard, have only enough memory and mental capacity to know very little at one given time because my head is filled with songs I need to learn to perform or to teach, so it’s hard for me to say the least.
One of the things you see on social media is a lot of people talking as if they know what’s going on, and I think I’m guilty of it too and that is why I try to post sort of weird content in a way. It’s my own way of keeping myself honest. I can’t preview a match in a professional way when I have no idea about the opposition and if I were to write about it I would be totally making stuff up. And you deserve better than that… I don’t care if one person reads this or 20 or 10k. It’s irrelevant to me… you deserve better, always. That’s why I don’t do YouTube shows anymore. And the last live post match chat I did I didn’t feel like I shared anything that important, but I will continue to do those whenever possible.
This definitely took a left turn BUT in the spirit of a preview of sorts, as much I would expect Jonas to keep the same team I’m hopeful that we will see Laia Codina start. I also felt that Katie had a very quiet game and these high stakes situations is when she usually shines, so I would expect a McCabe masterclass and don’t be surprised if Alessia grabs a couple of goals. Not saying that it’ll be an easy match, it can very well end 2-1 for us or 2-5 but my points remain the same.
I wonder what Manu might be going through mentally as it relates to the potential signing of Mary Earps, which btw I don’t think will go through, but this is basically the current theme at Arsenal FC as a whole.
Really hope the streaming situation is sorted and I can watch the match properly but if not, I really hope you don’t have to deal with that non sense.
Prediction? 3-0 again.
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
Leah is running
Safe to say we all find it absolutely soul crushing to see our girls get carried off with season and career threatening injuries. I have written so much about this that chances are you are currently opening a new tab and closing this page. But whenever one of those players makes a huge step in their recovery its assimilated in a few different ways that I always find interesting.
The first thing I feel is happiness! Yay! they’re that much closer to being fit and returning to the squad because we love and need them. We all know how time away from doing what you do best can be very difficult and especially when that activity has so much to do with the identity and sense of self of that person. There is also the huge amount of relief that overcomes me as it relates to their livelihood. And of course I understand times are changing but there are still players that aren’t making insane amounts of money so a bad injury can affect their present moment but also their short term future if they wanted to buy a home, to invest, to start a company or to pay for their UEFA badges. It all costs money and not playing (yes they get paid still) but it might affect a lucrative new contract or a potential transfer.
The other thing that I always feel is like I’m walking into a surprise party. Like every time there’s a post like the one with Leah today it’s almost when I least expect it so the news is always rather overwhelming in the best of ways. I almost have a hard time watching the whole video because I get emotional honestly, not even going to lie. I can just imagine 1/20th of their feelings and be totally disarmed by the enormity of it all.
Lastly I’m brought back down to reality by the fact that even though it might feel like “quick” or “speedy recovery” we all know that it has been the slowest hours from the slowest days, from the slowest months. What we see is the big events, so to speak, in the recovery arc but in reality its these tiny micro wars they have to wage every single day to get to where they are TODAY, whatever that may be.
But let’s allow ourselves to dream and hope and ponder. What would a squad with Leah, Amanda and Laia fully fit look like. Would they rotate? *Insert Boromir saying: One does simply not rotate Leah Williamson. But seriously, with those 3, would you play 3 at the back? Will she come back and play as a 6 or alongside Lia and have Viv and Kim rotate? Whichever permutation of these plays exists on the pitch we will be so spoiled. With Laia and Amanda we can experiment… we can probably have them also step in for Lia when she needs to not play every minute or every game.
Hope you have a great Friday and I’ll be posting a quick preview too before the match, of course.
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
On To Saturday
The match vs Linköping was solid. Beating a team away from home is always a tough thing and to do so in the first game of the season, even before the domestic campaign starts made me very, very happy. Before I get to all that, can I just say how great it was to see our OG girls such as McCabe, Manu, Lia, Kim and Caitlin starting? All for the same team too! That was what I have been looking forward to the most for a few months and I was just overwhelmed with a sense of calm. They’re back… which means a big part of me is back and I know a big part of yours is as well.
I was taken by total surprise by the Swedish side, specially because I knew absolutely nothing about them and had no idea what to expect. Pretty sure they have at least one player that featured heavily for Sweden during the World Cup but it’s not like I knew a ton of any of their players, which allowed me to focus exclusively on our squad, especially the new players, whom I thought did quite well.
I liked how direct Cloe was and how she embraced being on the ball, and that’s about the extent of my “expert” analysis. Thought I will say that it’s good to actually watch her and not like I did during the World Cup. Russo was great, even if she missed a sitter, I absolutely LOVE her and to me, she fits right in. I know it’s only one match and she didn’t really set the world alight but I have all the faith in the world that she will come good. There’s just no way she won’t, and I’m willing to give her a ton of time until she does. And talking about fitting right in, Amanda was absolutely incredible. She’s an absolute Rolls Royce of a defender and holy crap am I glad we got her. Her composure, her ability on the ball, her height. It was just awesome to see and I cannot wait to see what that partnership with Codina will be like. I just has to be badass doesn’t it?
Lastly, 2 of the 3 goals were headers and that is a very good sign. I was very worried as far as that department goes when Rafa left and of course without Leah, Viv orJen as she is getting less time.. regardless, Lina and Caitlin had superb goals and knowing that Amanda and Laia can head a ball real well, then this dimension is going to be another thing to add to our offensive palette.
Saturday is the next and final CL qualifier and hopefully I can actually watch the entire thing without interruptions every 12 seconds. I have a feeling the next few days are gonna feel as long the past 3 months felt.
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
11 mins away
From the season starting… maybe not the WSL but our girl’s campaign start. The lineup is not exactly how I thought it would be but I am very excited to see a few players and dynamics. All of this btw will be covered post match during a live YouTube stream a few minutes after the game.
Overall I’m just relieved that after something like 9 months we get to watch the girls play again. So that first and foremost. For a lot of us Arsenal Women is a safe space and a community that we love being a part of and I understand how it can be a massive part of someone’s identity so them being back means there’s a big part of someone that is back too, in case they felt a little lost. That’s ok and you’re not alone. Places like these are meant for you to be a part of and belong.
I’m also extremely excited to see Amanda play and how she, hopefully, takes control on the CB pairing and helps LWM with positioning and moreover, allows Lotte to go forward if she wants and we have a solid cover at the back. I also wanna see Amanda link up with Lia and Kim from a deep position and see that whole interaction as well.
Lacasse is a player I know nothing about honestly so I’m happy I get to see her because I barely watched Canada during the World Cup and when they played against Ireland there was only one team I was interested in. Sorry to my beloved Canadians, but it wasn’t your team.
Russo in an Arsenal shirt is something that is both energizing and also calming, not sure how I can explain it but it just feels like she belongs and she hasn’t even kicked a ball, let alone the hat trick that I’m expecting.
Lastly what I look forward to the most is seeing that core… the OGs… Manu, McCabe, Kim, Lia, Maritz and Frida.
Enjoy the match and see you right after! Check my twitter.com/demianarriaga for the link
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
Meado in the squado
The day I’ve been waiting for, the way you’ve been waiting for, the day we’ve been waiting for, the day SHE’S been waiting for. Our Beth is in the squad, she’s traveling and hopefully she will feature if she’s ready. Right off the gate I would say just wait a bit longer but that’s just me being over protective but she wouldn’t be in the squad if she wasn’t fit. It’s been a long time coming to say the least.
I haven’t felt anything near an ACL tear and the recovery time needed, let alone the mental adversity she has had to overcome but the emotions she has to be feeling have to be so overwhelming and difficult to explain. I’m so very proud of her. The time I was unable to play drums was a very short one and that freaked me out more than anything I have gone through and again, this wasn’t anywhere near what she had, so to beat a dead horse: it’s incredible and I’m proud of her.
In other news Vilda has been fired as the Spanish national coach. A massive win and an appointment that should’ve ceased to be many months ago if not years and years.
A new episode of That Arsenal Women Podcast is out NOW and you can listen here:
And a reminder that I will be doing a live after the whistle YouTube stream tomorrow shortly after the match, duh. d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
We can be Scary AF
This is it… the week is finally here. AWFC PLAY THIS WEEK!! Not sure how else to express it haha. I’m so damn excited. I’m also very excited about the men’s win over man Utd yesterday because it is always big for the club, the morale and the momentum as a whole and if you kept up at all you would have noticed that a few of our girls were at the stadium. They are always there supporting, posting about it, bigging up the boys. I mean even Beth, a Man Utd fan, was posting about our squad winning… if that’s not love I don’t know what it. And you know what I’m gonna say… I wish those same dudes would support out girls even more. Post more, attend matches, show up for them in person time and time again would speak volumes. Not just at the Emirates but at Borehamwood too… but you’ve heard me talk about this so much you are probably over it so I’m not gonna keep banging on this drum.
So let’s think about this win as a win for the club, across the arsenal universe. How could we keep momentum? How do we continue riding this wave? How do we keep bringing misery to Utd when they are down? I know how: YOU BUY MARY EARPS.
I gotta be honest… she’s not my favorite player, I don’t love her vibes or attitude, etc etc etc but she’s among the best in the world. I’ve posted so much about Manu and I love her but getting Earps would be so massive, not only after getting Russo, but damn, while they are dazed and confused is when we can keep getting pay back from selling Van Persie. Anything that makes a rival club weaker is something that I will keep my eye out for.
Usually I’d say let’s focus on us, ignore what other teams are doing or going through but getting Mary Earps is about the biggest form or looking out for ourselves as I can imagine. It would send massive shock waves through the entire football world the same way that Arsenal did when we got Declan Rice, spending all those millions and we all saw today why we spent that money.
It says we’re not messing around… we’re serious, we’re deadly serious, and we are so good and prestigious we will go after all the best players in the world because we are historic, we are unprecedented, we are the bloody Arsenal and we’ve been in the shadows for way too long. Getting over Chelsea and getting back to being the best of the best in England is well within our control. We need to take advantage of every single thing we can and continue building a scary afc squad.
Wednesday is the start of that and I know you’re ready.
Podcast coming Monday.
Enjoy your week!
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
3 more sleeps
Four more for me technically but the season is almost here. It has felt like the longest summer ever honestly, not just because of the World Cup but for some personal reasons too. It’s. Been. Interesting. and I welcome the next few days and weeks will be even more interesting, and that is due to a few factors which I would bet my life you are also thinking about. Or maybe not.
How will Jonas actually line them up? I wonder which one of us will get the starting lineup correct… but if the rumor that I heard from a VERY RELIABLE SOURCE within the club is right, then only insiders know. I’m lying. I have no idea and I just made that up and this is exactly how rumors start, how silly is that? But really, the only thing I keep reading from random “ITK” twitter accounts is that we’re actually signing Mary Earps. They know absolutely no more than you do, honestly so don’t believe them if you don’t want to. I find it funny and interesting and I’d love to think that we would be willing to basically dismantle Man Utd and I’m here for that. These are the kinds of things that go through my head most of the day.
There was also some uproar about us not registering enough midfielders for the Champions League situation… well yeah. That’s part of the issue with injuries and also transfers, but I think we will be ok for the next 2 CL matches at the very least but yes I still think we need cover for Lia. I’ve been already so happy with the defensive transfers, that I would like the same for our midfield. I would like to see a no nonsense defensive midfielder that is close to the level and quality of Lia and we need her to rest as much as possible too, poor woman plays too much.
The other thing I wonder is how different the team will look from the match on Wednesday and the season opener vs Liverpool. My guess is that it won’t be that much different, because we don’t need the rotation and I still thing Jonas will try a new formation but what the hell do I know? I’m just basing that on England and The Netherlands playing a 3-5-2 and being fairly successful.
I’m falling asleep so a lot of what I said maybe didn’t make sense but know that I thought it did when I wrote it. haha.
But I’ll finish with the fact that I haven’t heard any news on Rubiales at all. Which bothers me a lot if I’m being totally honest but I hope Monday brings something else. til then:
Enjoy your Sunday!
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY -
I’m angry today
One of most frustrating things about today’s world is the lighting speed of the news cycle. It doesn’t matter if it’s the war in Ukraine, a school shooting in the USA, a natural disaster in Asia… nowadays they all feel like news about a lottery winner. A random person won, done, bye. I understand the normal decline in interest, and I certainly don’t expect anyone to keep up with every piece of news in every area of life, fully committed every single day.
Among the things that have me angry today is that I’m willing to bet large amounts of money that I don’t have, that a lot of current male players have been strategically waiting for the Hermoso/Rubiales situation to die down so they don’t have to take a stand. This grinds my fucking gears. And what bothers me the most in when I think of the female footballers that post about the situation and how they must feel when their male counterparts don’t say a thing.
And you might say: well X player said this, or an ex player did that… well, it’s not enough is it? Where is Messi? Where is Mbappe? Where is Ronaldo? I get the argument that it’s not their fight or responsibility but think about this: if the news cycle is quick and they can ignore it until it works for them… why can’t they post something knowing the news cycle is quick and most people will forget they did it? So which one is it?
Every single female footballer I follow reposted the Jenni post. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. In turn, no male footballers that I know and have asked about shared it.
It might sound like its deflating and defeating for women but make no mistake: they have never relied on or depended on men because of behaviors like the one I’m complaining about. They know men won’t save them, because they are part of the problem.
When you’re in open water and are being attacked by a shark, the last thing you would say is: “oh, I hope another shark comes here because he’ll fight that other shark”
Terrible example but I think you get my point.
Have a great Saturday.
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
YOUTUBE
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY
A very subjective look into AWFC 