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BIJNA! Final Oranje Leeuwinnen Special
Here’s my latest podcast exclusively about the Oranje Leeuwinnen
d ❤
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Last Oranje leeuwinnen post for a while 😭
The Oranje leeuwinnen’s World Cup dream is sadly no more and I’m very sad about it. It’s always difficult to see your team lose a match, let alone a quarter final tie and last night was very difficult to watch and process for me. Gonna try to explain it all and as a matter of fact I will probably do a podcast on all this later tonight. I have thoughts on substitutions, players, formations and all of that but I will cover it all on the podcast because I think its important to have context and for you to know exactly how I say what I mean and why. I also have some thoughts on the evolution of the team, if there has been one, and where do we go from here.
For now, here are some thoughts.
When I tell you that it was difficult to watch I mean that quite literally. The game started at 6pm Pacific time and I had a show last night here in LA. Our set time was 8pm so I knew that if the match lasted the normal 90 min plus stoppage I would still be able to watch the whole thing… unless it went to extra time, and of course… it did. I had my phone on the floor with the game on but I was literally working and couldn’t see anything. Believe it or not, I’m a professional haha. I just couldn’t watch the game while I was playing drums, connecting with the artist and engaging with the audience. But in between songs I was able to sneak a peek and sadly, the result was what it was.
Without getting into details or trying to analyze players what I will say is that it must be so damn difficult for Viv and DVD to have watched this. Not the game itself or the performances and choices… what I mean is just how it must have totally sucked to not be able to help and see/know that they could’ve made a difference. I understand the stats and that Spain outplayed us and “deserved” to win but the facts are that they beat us by a single goal, in extra time, so they weren’t that much better. Like who “deserves” it more? the team that attacks or the team that is missing DVD and still pushes the other to the limit? Its all relative and although I totally understand how we lost, it still sucks.
Its not possible to rationalize some things for me as I’m extremely biased and subjective. Overall I feel a lot of pride on the team and their effort and I’m excited to see what happens in the olympics and the euros, of course. I believe we have a lot of work to do and some players will need to move or and dropped for there to be any forward motion and progress.
The reality is that there hasn’t been a true progression to this team and Mark Parsons has a lot to do with that. Jonkers has tried and also Wiegman leaving was always going to be a factor that clearly brought along more negative things than positive ones. This usually happens when the best coach in the world leaves anywhere she works at. I’m really bummed and sad and don’t wanna think about this anymore. 😭😭😭
What bums me out the most is that the world doesn’t get to see DVD again because she was one of the best players of the tournament.
d ❤
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Netherlands vs Spain preview
9 hours to go til the most intense quarterfinals I’ve seen in years, but who’s counting?? Me. I’m counting. And I have to tell you, I’m very excited and confident. I know it’s Spain we’re talking about but as the saying goes: “to be the best you have to beat the best.” So, today I’m gonna chat about a couple of things that I feel are key for the oranje leeuwinnen.
DVD
The first thing that you would expect me to talk about is not the elephant in the room, but the goat not on the pitch. DVD not playing is heartbreaking for me and the entire nation. With that said, this happens… we’re also missing Viv and we move. This is what tournaments are all about. People need to step up, be motivated by her absence, make her proud and put in a display worthy of infinite praise.
WHO COMES IN?
I think we all know what is going to happen: Damaris will start. Basically everyone keeps their positions, which is not a bad thing, minus a change or two.
MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER
Every player in the first 11 has had either an assist or a goal, except one: JACKIE GROENEN. I think that if there has ever been a match where she needs to and will shine is against the Spanish. She’s a Rolls Royce and she is due for an outstanding match. I believe this is it. BUT for me, the most important player for this match is Dom Janssen. Not only for her positioning and defensive skills but her leadership, her set pieces and her long balls which I think are key to this particular match… and she’s one of the best in the game at them.
THE LINEUP
I honestly believe that we need an out and out #9 for this match, but that’s not really gonna happen I don’t think. My guess is that Jill will play a little farther up the pitch almost as a false 9 and have that midfield of Damaris/Jackie pretty active. I also think we could have a back 4 and move Sherida in the midfield with Damaris and Jackie.
I think Pelova also has to play a stellar match but I personally think we need Casparij’s speed more than Pelota’s je nais se quois. She is also due for a standout performance so since she will definitely start, I hope she kicks some ass from the early go.
I am hesitant to make a prediction but I actually believe that we will win. Possibly in extra time but I will not be surprised if we win, honestly. Also, if we don’t win I would still be super proud of these girls and its very hard to beat some of the best players in the world without 2 of the best on the planet.
Enjoy every minute!
d ❤
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Better late than never
Hey friends!
Today got away from me and didn’t have time to post a full blog BUT I did appear on the amazing HIGHBURY SQUAD!
d ❤
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There, I said it…
Don’t you just love it when you can’t find your laptop charger and your entire existence pauses for who knows how long? This is exactly why I’m about 5 hours late today so, I know you’ve been holding your breath… you can breathe now. I’m here and not only am I here but I currently don’t know exactly what to write about. It’s not like there aren’t topics such as Lauren James’s stamp… Australia playing stellar football, no DVD vs Spain, etc etc etc but come to think of it, one thing I’d like to talk about is how important it HAS to be, for any team, to learn to adapt without their “star” player.
In the past we have seen how many teams have coped with “that special player” missing, such as Alexia Putellas for example… Barcelona played so well and won the lot. Spain has also played incredible well, again, without Putellas. This is not by any means a way to imply that Alexia isn’t needed or anything like that, I just so happen to think about those to examples back to back, involving her. You could make an argument, I guess…. but I don’t truly buy into that.
What I’m about to say is definitely insane and I will deserve any sort of criticism and I’m prepared for it…. In my eyes I enjoy England playing more without Keira Walsh. And I know this is stupid… it really is. I know how absurd it sounds that any team would be better off without the best player in her position in world football. I understand that and frankly I’m pretty disgusted at myself. I’m also not ready/equipped/smart enough to bring facts… like I said, it’s just an opinion. Having her injured meant bringing back Rachel Daly and by result not starting Carter which is a great move all around. Formation change… and as much as I don’t love her, one bit, Lauren James was fantastic… until she did what she did and she’s gonna learn and come back stronger which is SCARY. Damn she’s goooood.
My assumption with this particular point about star players missing is the fact that DVD will not be available against Spain. I don’t know why Jonkers didn’t tell her to get booked vs Vietnam but here we are. Someone needs to step up and they need to play the best game of their entire lives in a couple of days. There isn’t really an option. It’s not negotiable. Anything less than that and the oranje leeuwinnen are stroofwaffelled aka f*cked.
More on this tomorrow… I need to delay the reality of this topic as much as possible as my heart can’t take it.
d ❤
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Swedehead
I’m listening to Suedehead by Morrissey and this I thought the pun would be very clever… probably not. Anyway… Today I’m flying back to LA and sadly don’t have as much time as I would like to chat about the actual matches as far as the NED/SWE wins and also a bit about the uswnt but its also not Arsenal related so I gotta figure out how to bride that gap.
Today though, I do have time to mention how happy I am for our swedes, but specially for Hurtig. Holy sh*t, the bad luck she’s had… the injuries… the not so stellar performances… and all of these are just with Arsenal. Now with Sweden, things aren’t that much better. She has barely played any important part in the actual matches but when called upon, she delivered… even if it was by a hair. She scored the winning penalty to reach the Quarterfinals against the #1 ranked team, who had won 2 World Cups in a row, who everyone here thought was going to walk this competition.
I have to admit that Hurtig is a player that I don’t rate to highly because I don’t think she’s played enough minutes for me to have an opinion other than my current short sighted view and absurd need to be impressed as if my opinion matters at all. She’s a pro, she’s a winner and she is ours. Even if she missed that penalty I would have supported her even more because I don’t think she would’ve deserved that.
As far as our other swedes: Amanda had a great match I thought and Stina is working so damn hard and presses non stop. I can’t wait to rewatch this match too, along with the dutch one as well. And having this trifecta of players, winning, battling and working together can only solidify Arsenal as a whole and if you add that with Steph and Caitlin plus Noelle and Lia, I think we are about to see our team kick into another gear.
Only one team can win but our girls are winners, even when they lose. They will overcome it all, they will want to win more than ever and if it’s at club level then us arsenal fans win. And yes, other teams have something similar going on… I know there are tons of Chelsea players killing it, Barca too but I would need to really look at the squads to ,now if my point applies to other teams as crucially as it does to us.
d ❤
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NED vs South Africa Preview
My predictions are usually terribly off, thankfully this is a short preview and not a prediction… because I did that already and I’m terrified that I’ll be wrong… like please don’t let me be wrong. I feel very confident and I also don’t know if that’s just what I need to tell myself to survive or what. And here’s the part that is the hardest for me: I AM PLAYING A SHOW AND CAN’T WATCH. This is gonna to be a tough next few hours, all within the realm of champagne problems land of course.
I don’t expect there to be any changes to be totally honest with you. I think that Lineth training again means that she will be more of an impact sub and perhaps start the following match, although I don’t think she and Lieke should be 9s. Neither one of them, from what I have seen anyway. Although I do think our game was significantly elevated when Casparij came on. To me, she is a much better option on that right side and the link up with DVD, Jill and co was more precise and gave me much more confidence than other players.
South Africa aren’t push overs. The beat Italy, tied against Argentina and lost to Sweden thanks only to a 90 min goal by our new goal poaching center back Amanda. This isn’t a fluke. They, like all teams, are here because they deserve it and the are no different. I have quite enjoyed their rhythm of play and they tenacious. However, as much as I love and with them well, I totally and truly hope they don’t have a good match.
As objective/subjective as this sounds, on her bday…(today here in the USA), I think DVD has been my player of the tournament. I expect her to boss the match today and it wouldn’t surprise me if she gets 2 goals. This is a great match also to explore set pieces and try to see what Dom can do from a free kick or two… hoping that Sherida chills and let’s her take at least one.
I gotta run but hope you all enjoy the match, because the next one is not going to afford us any sort of cool nerves haha.
d ❤
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Totally SUbjective Group Stage Predictions
I am supposed to be packing for a trip and I should be at the airport in a bit so I’m going to rush this. My apologies. Needless to say this is all subjective and not actually what I think will happen because the tournament, more like what I would like to see happen. There are no rules so why the hell not do this?
I’d love to say that I think Switzerland will beat Spain… so I’m gonna say that it’ll be 1-1 and then Lia Walti scores a the winning penalty. The Swiss defense has been unreal and even though Spain have an insane squad, given all the upsets part of me feels that Lia, Noelle and co will be up for it.
Japan vs Norway is kinda hard to call but I’m gonna go with Norway…. and I know you are thinking I’m super arsenal heavy on these but I’m thinking of height. Part of me feels the Norwegians might be a lot for them in set pieces but I have no idea.
August 5th will be DVD’s birthday so, not trying to dismiss the South Africans, but because I’m biased I believe the Dutch will win and she will get 2 goals.
Sweden will beat the USA 3-1
England and Nigeria will go to extra time where Alex Greenwood will score from a set piece.
Australia humbles Denmark 2-0, not in the result but in the performance.
I would bet that Colombia vs Jamaica offers the best match so far and will end in penalties… Jamaica goes through.
France batter Morocco 3-0.
As you can tell I’m rushing these so I will review and rewrite when I get to my destination later tonight.
xo
d ❤
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Ireland, USWNT, etc…
As some of you know, a few months ago I flew out from LA to St Louis to watch Katie McCabe, Louise Quinn, Ruesha and co play the USWNT. I have written about the whole experience here on my blog too but it wasn’t until a couple of days ago that a few things hit me and made me realize, looking back now, about the things that were going to unfold in this World Cup. I will also preface this all by saying that what I’m about to write is genuinely what I recall and if you read back and I’m claiming to say things I didn’t, well my apologies and take it in good faith. Also, be warned that these points might not be in a logical order.
During the match I noticed a couple of things right away: the Irish are good and the Americans are just not what they used to be. Overall, Katie, Denise and Ruesha ran the show, Louise was solid and the USA were pedestrian honestly… so much so that the only goal they scored was basically from a keeper’s mistake and not through outplaying the Irish, not at all. I was left unimpressed and it was a very underwhelming performance. And this is why I have been saying for a while that I don’t think that the USA is that good. To clarify: it’s not that I don’t think they are good at all… it’s definitely a thing related to coaching, formation and tactics. I have all the confidence in the world that this team could kill it if they had a better coach and systems in place. I don’t quite understand, like most, what is actually happening, how and why; but, that’s not my problem and I quite enjoy the “fade out” of the USA and the “fade in” of other nations. It’s about damn time. Nothing against the USA, I just think that living here and seeing the deserved obsession with this squad, borderlines on arrogance and I’m over it as a whole, over the feeling I mean.
But back to the Irish… I truly hope they keep building on this historic run and the squad keeps getting better and better. I am very hopeful that the Euros will be an even better platform this time around and that they will get at least 4 points and progress to the next rounds. I honestly don’t see why not. Maybe if some players move on but I with the current crop of players I see a lovely future. I had also been very impressed that day with Denise O’Sullivan and I’m even more impressed with her now. I had also said I’d love to see her at Arsenal and I’m beyond convinced that she would be a very, very good addition to our squad. I’m sure she would want regular minutes and not sure that could happen with us but who knows?
I understand that my opinions might seem biased because clearly the Irish didn’t progress and you would be correct. I will always think a team that has people I like and care about will be better than most other teams, and I’m totally at peace with that.. mostly… haha.
Group stages are done and the matches coming up are going to be off the charts great.
Let’s goooooo
d ❤
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Kuhl is the real deal
It might shock you to hear that I am not a football expert, nor do I have any actual qualifications in regards to scouting and I’d go as far as saying that my opinions on a player, tactics or teams are not really valid in a way. That hasn’t and won’t stop me from having an actual opinion and enjoying AWFC from my very own perspective, which sadly I’m stuck with ahah.
Like with an indie band/artist that lands in our ears, I think one of the coolest things as a fan is to identify a young player that we think will be an absolute baller. Back in the day you just trusted your eyes and made some somewhat informed assumptions. Nowadays with so much info, videos, stats, comp videos and more, it seems like every player is framed to be incredible. All it takes is a fan with editing skills to make an average player look like a 10/10.
So, who out of all the young players at Arsenal, out of all the ones that people seem to love and obsess over, the one that I actually think is legit going to be a stellar, incredible, insane player is Kuhl. From what I’ve seen, she is to me so elegant, light on her feet and also has a lot of power. She just feels to me like the actual player to watch in the upcoming seasons and I predict that by 2025 we are all going to be seeing her start and shine consistently.
I think this World Cup experience is going to benefit her beyond words and by default its going to benefit Arsenal. She, unlike other players, is actually getting minutes and her team has made the knock out stages. In terms of playing for Denmark, its also priceless that she gets to play with the players that she plays with, like Harder, etc.
Compared to other players, which I won’t name, I honestly think she’s miles ahead of anyone as far as potential is concerned. Lots of the players that got minutes due to injuries hopefully we’ll see less of this upcoming season, sorry if I sound like a douchebag but its what I feel. However, I think Kuhl is the one that has to be featured more regularly.
I’m all in.
d ❤
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A very subjective look into AWFC 