Sunday’s defeat against Manchester City left Arsenal in 10th place in the Women’s Super League, 10 points off the top and with only one win from their opening five games. It is Arsenal’s worst start to a league campaign since 2014, and the Gunners have not won a WSL title since 2019.
Hopes were high for Arsenal’s season over the summer, when the club announced the signings of big-name talents such as Ona Batlle, Georgia Stanway and Selina Cerci. That optimism has since diminished. Losses to title challengers Manchester City and Chelsea, and frustrating draws with a stuttering Manchester United and newly promoted Crystal Palace, have effectively ended Arsenal’s title hopes.
So what is stopping the Gunners from reaching the heights so many expected of them this season?
Difficulty converting chances has been a key feature of Arsenal’s disappointing performances so far. In the opening home game of the season, they had 30 shots to visitors Crystal Palace’s two, yet could only draw at the Emirates. Alessia Russo’s opener against City at the weekend was her first goal of the campaign, but Arsenal twice let the lead slip away. Russo is not alone in struggling in the final third: before the City game, Arsenal had scored only two goals from 78 shots.
The Gunners needed a 93rd-minute penalty to edge past low-ranked Danish side HB Køge in the Champions League, and they threw away a 2-0 lead against Paris FC in the same competition.
Manager Renée Slegers’ tactical decisions have been questioned, as Arsenal’s positive starts to games soon descend into confusion. She was once criticised for being too predictable with her in-game changes, and her hesitation to use the new, highly rated players at her disposal has now led to doubts over whether she has the experience to manage such a large squad effectively.
New signing Geraldine Reuteler, a player Arsenal are believed to have pursued for over a year, has made only one appearance this season, coming off the bench in the 81st minute of the game against United. Selina Cerci, signed from German side Hoffenheim this summer, has made four substitute appearances, totalling just 59 minutes of playing time.
Arsenal placed a big emphasis on squad growth over the transfer window to help them challenge for both domestic and European honours. However, the expanded squad seems to be hampering, rather than helping, Slegers’ search for answers to her team’s problems.
Senior management have called for an internal review of yet another poor start, to be conducted during the international break. Among fans, however, there are fears that the results may raise more questions than answers for this struggling Arsenal side.
Photo by Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash
