A very subjective look into AWFC

by Demian Arriaga

PODCAST

  • In case you need to hear this

    I take breaks from Twitter from time to time. Things can get a bit overwhelming as I am very interested in US and Venezuela Politics and of course the numerous wars, pop culture, music in addition to my obsession with football and Arsenal Women.

    Like most of you, a lot of the news, transfers, rumors, etc all of these things are consumed via social media but ever speaking of twitter, ever since Musk took over it has turned into the worst place on the internet and the toxicity of it all is just way too much for me to take, so I have taken a long break from that and by the looks of it and judging on how much freedom I feel, I don’t know if I will come back.

    You might not want to hear this but one of the biggest issues for me is how toxic the Arsenal Women fans are becoming. The worst parts of the men’s fandom and the men’s culture of hate is becoming way too common. The way people talk about Viv and call her a traitor, among many other examples and many other things, it’s pretty disgusting and I don’t want to be a part of that.

    I stopped interacting with people that I think are toxic, I muted them, some of the worst of the worst have blocked me like this one guy who was also racist but that’s just another issue altogether but overall it feels great. GREAT.

    Of course I can understand people thinking I’m toxic and people blocking me, etc of course I get that, but a. I don’t care and b. I can’t see it anyone wether it’s hate or praise, I’m just over it and if “the community” means what this is becoming than I am gladly staying out of it, as I always have and my contact with the club and what it means to me is between the club and I, the players and I, the past and I, etc.

    So if you’re debating whether to leave social media or take a break, I’m here to tell you that you should absolutely do it. It’s worth it. Your peace of mind is worth it and I encourage you to explore it.

    More importantly, never ever forget 2 things. One of them is that arsenal women twitter is NOT the whole of arsenal women supporters. It’s just not and it’s not a true reflection of what the club is and what the fans are about. The second thing is that players read this stuff and if you don’t think this is a thing you’re lying to yourself and if you’re one of those toxic people that put stuff out hoping players will read it then it might be time to audit what you’re about.

    The same people that tweet so much negativity and judgmental things about Viv and other players are people that not only would love to meet the players and be their friends, but they would never ever say those things to their face and needless to say they are literally the person that the players would avoid in their private lives at all costs. Like nobody ever wants to be friends with someone that spends all their time hating players or judging them for a move to another club.

    Life is so precious and so short to waste it on hate and by the same token good grief can we just get a new manager already. haha.

    d ❤

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  • Little by little

    We’re inching closer and closer to the start of the new season and few things illustrate that better than pictures and video from the first training session. Every frame of which is welcome and allows us to see how happy they are to see each other, or at least that’s what I am assuming, though I would bet that every single one of them would like to postpone this by a couple of weeks.

    Of course I’m glad to see all the familiar faces and at the same time I certainly haven’t gotten over or will ever get over not seeing Viv there yet it is what it is and I need to get used to it. Either way, regardless of the players on display, the overall thought that training pics means an imminent match is nothing but good news.

    Regarding Emily Fox All I know is that I just turned the TV on, 71 min in and she’s there, playing and needless to say, that’s fantastic news for her, for Arsenal and for the USWNT. What a player… and for all my endless and justified criticism of the current manager and the board, this one purchase has been incredible and I must give credit where credit is due, as much as it pains me. But like we have said before: even a broken, terrible and disrespectful clock is right twice a day.

    I keep going back and forth as it relates to possibly seeing the girls in DC but I have some music stuff going on that is a bit unpredictable and I cannot commit to flying cross country. And, to be honest, I kinda need to see the squad for that before making a decision.

    Another thing to keep in mind is that if they come here late August, they have to host Rangers on September 4th which is crazy and there’s jet lag and may other things to consider but anyway, they are pros and I don’t expect this to be that big of a deal but I do question the club scheduling these types of games, so far from home base, specially when the first match is a CL match and we all know what a big deal it would be if we fail to qualify.

    No, there’s no part of me that thinks that we won’t qualify. It’s inconceivable and I would feel this way even if was 9pm kickoff and the girls landed at 7:45pm. Honestly, not being cocky, but that’s just how much blind faith on the players I have, and this trust is the least that they deserve.

    Before I go I want to thank all of you new readers for checking out this blog. I posted yesterday how I didn’t know how traffic would be without posting the blog link on twitter as all the metrics said it was the main driver of said traffic. To my surprise there were a bunch of you that found this blog somehow and I’m very appreciative of you.

    Gotta run but this Germany vs USA is probably going to extra time and it sucks because it’s more minutes for Emily.

    d ❤

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  • I think she’s ok…

    Today is kinda crazy for me so the little research I have been able to do allows me to think that Emily Fox is ok. I say this because apparently, when asked, Emma Hayes mentioned that the entire squad is training in full, and Emily is part of that squad, so if I put my Sherlock Holmes hat on, its safe to deduce that that means that she is also training and she would only train if she’s ok. So, fingers crossed until we get an official word, which might be out by now but I haven’t been able to, nor will I be able to check.

    Funny how an injury can make you rethink so much. Like I said yesterday, I thought it would be terrible news and it would have tons of repercussions. Much more than for other players that we can cover for. Not saying she’s more important but I don’t think we can afford to lose her.

    A bit of “personal” news in the sense that I will not be posting these blogs on twitter for the foreseeable future. Overall I want to quit the app and basically the only reason I’m not doing that as of today is because there are some people I exclusive connect with on the app and also because through the metrics from this blog, most people find it there but I’m gonna see how this week goes in terms of numbers and figure out what the best way forward is.

    One of my philosophies regarding content creation is to focus on quality over quantity. Typing this is kinda funny because from someone who posts every single day, the quality just cannot be as high as I would like, so take it all with a grain of salt.

    I do have to say that one other philosophy I have has to do with the idea of narrow casting vs broadcasting. Not everything we do has to be about reaching the most amount of people all the time, so if you’re a podcaster and/or YouTuber that is only obsessed with growth and numbers, there are ways to go about that but this is not the blog for that.

    This is too niche, too weird and also too emotional for it to appeal to tons of people and I’m totally cool with that.

    One thing I’m not cool with or won’t be cool with is if any other team except us signs Keira Walsh. I’m going to be livid and even though I don’t think there’s a way in hell where the current manager manages to get the best out of her, I would like to deal with that drama and complain because we have her in our squad, than seeing her play for any other team in England.

    Clare and Edu need to make that happen. ASAP please.

    No offense the the Swedish player we’re supposed to unveil today, but Keira >

    d ❤

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  • For Fox sake

    During the quarter finals of the Olympics, literally while I wrote yesterday’s blog, I mentioned how well Emily Fox was playing and coincidently, shortly after I published the post, she goes down with an apparent knee injury, which at first I thought it was an ankle injury. Judging by the way she reacted, her tears, and the heartbreaking reminder that she has dealt with two ACL injuries already, sadly make me think that she knows what she is feeling and fears the worst, as we all do.

    My main concern is always the player, their well being, theit mentality, their emotions and anything and everything that has to do with THEM, not so much how it affects us at Arsenal. But this is an Arsenal blog after all so how does it affect us? There’s only one answer. IT AFFECTS THE FUCK OUT OF US.

    Throw my Katie McCabe balling prediction out the window, if our current manager just slots her back at right back alongside Laura in a tandem. And this puts so much pressure on Laura who as you know is recovering from an ACL injury herself. It puts us in a very terrible position and at the same time, for the millionth time, I’m calling for a world class defender to join Arsenal because we currently do not have the depth.

    Of course it’s easy for me to say but this is exactly why you go for a Lucy Bronze, even if you think you don’t need her, and she’s available. This is clearly unfair of me for several reasons but these are the kinds of thoughts that go through my mind and as you know, I have made the pledge to you to always be open and honest. By the same token I always want to challenge how people think and offer a different perspective.

    The perfect scenario is that Fox is ok, that Laura keeps progressing and that we also buy another defender that can play anywhere at the back so that Katie McCabe can have the season we need her to have. But more than anything for Fox to be ok for HER, not for Arsenal or the USWNT, who btw without Fox I don’t think can progress (also, speaking for defenders, holy shit how good is Girma? Oh my days).

    The club and the current manager need to make moves and the sooner the better. The moral needs to be at an all time high for the upcoming season, which is impossible to ask because, again, its the current manager and he clearly does not posses the ability to do that, but the club can assist by building a deeper squad with established players and not just bet on the future.

    d ❤

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  • Katie will ball

    As far as I’m concerned, Katie McCabe is a baller 24/7/365. Last season wasn’t her best due to several reasons, with most of those being down to our current manager, using her as a right back and basically picking Foord over her any other human being on earth on the left wing, etc etc etc.

    Every year before the season starts I try to predict who will be our player of the season and it’s very hard to look past someone like Kim Little or a healthy Beth, but there’s something about the energy and vibes I’m feeling that I will predict that this will be Katie’s best season in a while. This is not just related to AWFC but also in terms of Ireland and I have to be totally honest and open with you and say that I can totally see her moving on to a club like Lyon or Barcelona. Not saying she will, but I can see that because she’s world class.

    And while I’m on the topic of her moving on, which sounds disgusting, I can see a universe where she is the next one that the current manager butts heads with and ices her out. The same way he has done with Jordan, Jenn, Mana, Viv, etc. I can totally see that happening. She is intelligent, outspoken , dynamic, tenacious and a born leader.

    In case you’re new here let me share with you what I always say… there are players that we call “throwback” in terms of style, philosophy, etc etc etc but to me Katie is a player from the future. Like she came back from how the sport has evolved many years from now to guide us through it all and we are so very lucky to have her at our club.

    Hoping you find the patience and kindness to forgive me if you read the same things often but it’s difficult to write every single day during the off season, which brings me to the idea of Katie NOT starting because the current manager sees the connection between Foord and Catley as non negotiable, which I’ve said many times that it’s not that good and that I much rather see Catley and Katie, of even move either one of them with Leah.

    The drum that I will bang forever is the fact that Katie needs to start and she should have a free role too. What she does with Ireland, with all the limitations of that squad, and I say that with respect, is outstanding and we just need to let her roam free and be her, in every which way she’d like to express on the pitch and I can’t wait to see her rock #11 and have her best season ever.

    Her duels with Lucy Bronze will be epic if and only if, the current manager plays her, of course, and we might get a glimpse of that when they play here in the USA at the end of this month but as we all know, pre-season matches can mean nothing but it’s also super fun to speculate and try to get an idea of what’s to come.

    I’m watching the USWNT play against Japan and aside from Fox being so good, I can’t help but feel a similar frustration in that we the Americans have so much possession but do absolutely nothing with it. It’s borderline comical to see the possession disparity with maybe 1 shot on target?? Reminds me of us under the current manager.

    The rest of the games are gonna be incredible in these Olympics and I’m mostly looking forward to seeing Rafa. Man, I miss her and we could use her next season and the following one, and the following one.

    d ❤

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  • Silence speaks very loudly

    There is a pattern that I have seen and I know a lot of you have seen, and frankly if you haven’t seen it you’re either blind or you choose to not see it. Said pattern has to do with the fact that no players ever thank our current manager during the season, after, and surely not when they leave the club. I may be wrong but I have no recollection of that happening.

    I get that one or two players don’t thank him but NOBODY thanks him. Maybe they thank him during a press release but you can see that he’s basically a man on an island, a very lonely island and I truly believe it’s only a matter of time until whoever needs to make the decision realizes that he adds nothing to the positive culture of our club.

    The mixed messages of betting on youth yet possibly loaning out 4 or 5 players while at the same time saying Pelova is the heir apparent to Kim Little (LOL), and at the same time potentially going for Keira Walsh, a player older than Viv, etc it’s just about pure insanity which is not JUST an Arsenal Women thing or something related to and only to our current manager. Things are crazy all the time for all clubs.

    Gio leaving is pretty sad, actually. I feel she deserved much more and the fact that she was outspoken and butted heads with the current manager is something that we will speculate a lot about but all you have to do is read her post. She addresses the Club, the fans and her teammates. She never ever hints at the manager. This speaks very, very loudly.

    If I were to play devil’s advocate, maybe Gio was never good enough for us but it’s very hard to prove if you’re good enough when you don’t deliver, but it’s hard to ask people to deliver when you play 5 minutes every match if that. I don’t the stats with me but that’s what it felt like. But just as a broken clock is right twice a day, maybe our current manager doesn’t see things in her that he values and is looking for sporting or otherwise.

    Either way, this departure opens up spots in our squad and we need to add players as soon as humanly possible. We need them training, used to the language, used to the current manager and so on and so forth but we definitely need a replacement. We need world class players because we are a world class club and we cannot gamble on youth at the moment.

    I’m at a point where I don’t know if the future is bright for Arsenal. I really don’t know and I don’t know on what to base it. Scratch that… it all relates to what the manager situation is and what it will be like. And if we keep selling players and loaning them out and we don’t bring it superstars I don’t think we will win the WSL.

    And to finish I have to tell you I’m so damn excited for Daphne. Aside from Endler she’s my favorite keeper in the world and I love that she’s playing for us now, I truly do and I loved seen Clare with her and Edu.

    d ❤

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  • Champion women and women champions

    The Olympics mean a lot to a lot of people and specially to the athletes. The amount of work, dedication, pain, etc is impossible to comprehend and by and large I want ever single athlete to do well and it’s not like with club sports where I am always rooting against Spurs or Chelsea for instance. I never root against any one country or any one athlete.

    But as an Arsenal Women fan I am in this weird position where I would like our players to win and enjoy happiness but a part of me doesn’t really want them to play any more games than what they have already done or worse yet, keep playing more matches. It’s just way too much.

    And of course I come back to my senses and realize and remember that this is not about me or about Arsenal really. It’s about championing women to excel and to be the very best that they can be in any and all facets of life, including Olympic Football.

    Would it be ideal for Arsenal to have our squad play less? Maybe? We cannot reduce football to just the amount of minutes played. And you’ve heard me say this before and I’ll say it again… at the end of the day football is art to me and art is subjective and there are things within it and surrounding it that define logic and stats.

    All I know is that we have to realize how privileged we are with so many matches being played and how technology has evolved to a point where we can watch so many of those matches being played. It’s almost like we are in a transitional period where in a few years things will calm down and nowadays is this craziest of times. Maybe not, I have no idea but anytime I can see Steph Catley play, sign me up.

    If this post seems all over the place it’s because it is and I’m dealing with a million of things at the moment but needed to write something that crossed my mind. This happens often and it’s not always an effective way to communicate haha.

    So much stuff happening in my home of Venezuela I really have a hard time concentrating or being creative.

    d ❤

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  • Again, there’s only ONE DvD

    This is not a negative post, I promise.

    I’m elated, excited and extremely happy about Daphne signing for us. I truly am. I’m obsessed with the oranje leeuwinnen and I’ve loved her ever since she stepped in for SVV. She is young, agile and already has a lot of experience having played in the Euros and WC. Also, having played at Villa for half of the season pretty much also allowed her to get some experience, or trial by fire more like it because that first half was absolutely insane for Villa and the amount of losses and goals scored against.

    I’ve posted about this before but I need to reinforce it for my own sake and specially because DvD, the one and only, is my favorite player of all time. Daphne should have her own nickname, her own identity and not just use DvD. Sorry but that’s just how I feel and we have a duty to keep some legacy alive FFS.

    Anyway, back to Daphne… Unless it was a massive, establish, household name on goal, I think she is just about the best choice we could have picked and it’s very interesting to see that the club would spend so much money on a player that is recovering from an extremely serious injury… so of course I’m gonna hint at Viv, but just a hint.

    Among her attributes I have always enjoyed listening to her speak, her thoughts and just how open and natural she is. You can see that on the video where she speaks to the young academy keepers and she talks as if she’s been part of the club for years already and things like that you can’t teach and you don’t fake.

    She already feels like she belongs and I can assure you Manu also loves this arrival and will kick it up a notch, or several notches and it can and will only benefit our squad because this is precisely what Arsenal should be doing, in every single position.

    There’s something extra special when a dutch player joins Arsenal and it’s so ironic for me that I was chatting about numbers and specially #14 and dutch players and Daphne signs. As you can imagine the news made me happy in many ways and I can definitely see our future with her as our #1 even as our #14.

    More transfer please.

    d ❤

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  • 4 & 14

    I just read an article about the girls’s squad numbers for the upcoming season, and these types of things always interest me and I find fascinating. I have always had a fascination about numbers in sport and I would love to know what people are thinking, why they like certain numbers, the random reasons those resonate with them and so on. BTW you can read the article HERE.

    There are a couple of numbers that stand out as far as players not choosing them or them being vacant for whichever reason. Now, it’s easy for me to think about male players that have used those numbers as I still don’t have the mental database or ability to remember past women who have used those. But when it comes to 4 and 14, it’s natural to think about Vieira and Henry respectively.

    I know Jill used 14 most likely because of Cruyff and I’m pretty sure Leah used it before switching to 6?

    Anyway, I’m insane and I’d like to think that some numbers at some clubs have the power to attract players and the fact that those two are available would be fit for world class players that want those squad numbers or that they understand the meaning of those as it relates to our club as a whole.

    Have you had to choose a number for anything in recent times? You might have favorite numbers and know why but there might be some you like and have absolutely no idea why that is and I’m curious to know.

    For some reason I can’t stand anything fro 26-49. I just don’t like anything about them in football, where as in baseball or other sports I don’t really care. And I mean, of course I know why and it’s because those are just not usual numbers and cause noise in my head but I can’t control that.

    All this to say that I would love a defender and a midfielder and I’m getting desperate and I need those transfers to happen.

    d ❤

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  • Not quite a day off

    Today is supposed to be a day off for me but my mind just can’t switch off nor can my eyes turn away from seeing what is happening politically in Venezuela and/or Olympically in France. For the sake of positivity I’m only gonna speak about football though. Not only because I don’t wanna bum anyone out but because I also need a break.

    And actually, this is so important for me to remind myself, and that is how much women’s football and Arsenal Women in particular, has allowed me to find my footing, pun intended, when other things in my life have been a little iffy. Ironically its the lack of control relating for AWFC that allows me to just let go and to surrender to whatever happens because I can deal with most of what is thrown my way.

    I was gonna talk about how the fixture congestions were on full display when seeing that exhausting and exhausted Australia match vs Zambia. That was a tough one to watch and it’s not reflective of the high standard we have seen these women set, and it’s definitely not a matter of them regressing talent wise, of course not. These were mentally exhaustion type of mistakes but this is the beauty of this sport, because it never ceases to amaze and surprise you.

    On the other end of the spectrum the USWNT looked pretty damn good and I know I sound biased but Emily Fox looks like she’s about to have a monster season again for us. She was all over that pitch and made incredible recoveries and runs and speaking of that…. we need to sign Rose Lavelle. WHAT A PLAYER.

    If we sign her or Horan…. wow. What an improvement that would be to our squad and bench. Kim Little, Lia Walti, Horan, Lavelle, etc etc etc. That would be a headache, among many, that I wish upon the current manager.

    I’m not a USWNT fan at all actually, but those are players that I rate very highly, otherwise I wouldn’t even want to see them at Arsenal, but I do. Also, I still don’t think they could beat Spain. I have no idea.

    And one last point regarding transfers… there’s something to be said about waiting til after the olympics to recruit talent but also to see who doesn’t get injured which could be a strategy? Either way I’m desperate for new signings and Caldentey for Viv is not enough.

    d ❤

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