Arsenal’s WSL title chances took a hammer blow with a 2-1 defeat away at Manchester City on Sunday. Tim Stillman heard from manager Joe Montemurro and captain Jordan Nobbs post match.
[Joe] On what went wrong today…
Maybe we lacked a bit of patience in the final third, we got there and we had opportunities but the important thing is finishing those moves off and we didn’t do that today. We knew it was an emotional event with Nick’s [Cushing] last game here, but we had enough of the ball but in the final third we could have done a little bit better.
[Joe] On the situation with Kim Little and Lia Walti…
We’re just managing their load, they’ve not recovered well over the last couple of weeks and we think it would have been a bit of a risk today to play them in such a physical game, so we just decided to give them the rest they need without putting them at risk.
[Joe] On whether Kim and Lia will be available next week with Jill Roord suspended…
We hope so, we should be able to rest them up and get them ready, but we’ll have to monitor it this week and see how they go.
[Joe] On the manner of the goals conceded…
Very disappointed, it was textbook stuff really and we let ourselves down. We need to make sure this stuff doesn’t happen and it doesn’t usually happen, today it did and now we have to forget about what’s happened and build and move on.
Back in it?@DanielleDonk pulls one back for @ArsenalWFC ⚽️#MCIARS #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/ZBme1nOjVG
— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) February 2, 2020
[Joe] On how City got themselves two goals ahead…
These games always have shifts of momentum, but I was sat on the bench not really worried about conceding at the times they scored, they got a free-kick and we just didn’t deal with it. We had opportunities in the second half in front of goal, if our final third smarts were better we’d have got something out of it. But I can’t fault these players, we’ve had three tough games in a week.
[Jordan] On Arsenal’s title chances now…
This makes it difficult, of course, it’s taken it out of our hands a little now. We definitely aren’t defeated yet, in this league there are ups and downs and we need to make sure we carry on winning games. Today I think we still showed we’re a great team but we need to take our chances and be tidier in the final third, but we’re gonna hold our heads high when we leave here and make sure we keep doing what we do best.
[Jordan] On the game becoming very feisty in the second half…
It was always going to be feisty, we’re two top teams that want to win that trophy, so things are going to happen. We just have to stay focused and make sure we stay focused in the game and play football in the way that we do and stay in control.
[Jordan] On the midfield battle…
In the game it felt like we had a lot of control, we created chances and we had a lot more play than them, but what matters is scoring goals and City did that today.
?!?!?!?!? pic.twitter.com/33UmQDt0eX
— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) February 2, 2020
Dont let the league slip away ladies please
Difficult retaining the league title now even if we win all remaining games. Chelski look to be odds on favourites and in terms of CL qualifying it maybe that only winning it will get us in. The absence of Lia & Kim was key today. Even their presence on the bench may have been enough to inspire a bit more confidence on the pitch & doubt in the opponents, two senior CB’s and three teenagers couldn’t have been too concerning to City. Still plenty to play for even if the quadruple is beyond us.
This stuff about injuries is annoying as hell. Kim and Lia were injured, you don’t rest your best players in the most important game of the season considering our next game as important as this, is Cup final in months time and after that CL in two months time. This lying to supporters thing is not cool. ManC would not have changed a thing about their game plan today (they never do). This has to change in women’s game also, supporters deserve honest information because if club wants them to care, it has to stop lying week in week out… Read more »
Absolutely right! Mead is not really effective. She can’t pass. Even when there are good options in front of her, she can’t see it. And she is not Arjen Robben in terms of scoring.
Evans can play as attack-minded right back, so she can be useful.
But i prefer to see new singing Foorde in attack or just playing without wing-forwards at all.
I don’t agree that we can play without wide players. We tried that against Chelsea and that wasn’t pretty. We need them to open up the space. I like Beth a lot, she works hard and her creativity is useful to us, but she is clearly off form and actually has been most of the season. I was really dissapointed, because she let Stanway get best of her. I really hope Foord can offer us goals from wide.
Yes, there’s no way Montemurro simply rested Little–that would be insane.
She didn’t play last week. Arsenal’s biggest problem is that the team can’t
stay healthy–and every injured player seems to take forever to get fit again.
Beattie and Veje have each been out for about 2 months! Last year 2 or 3 of
the new signees hardly played all year Small squad is a problem when your
team is injury prone…..Beyond that, the team just hasn’t been clicking this
year.
Clubs are always cagey about injury information because they don’t want their opponents to see their hand. Frustrating for fans, for sure, but also understandable. City did change their game plan from Wednesday, when they moved from a 451 to a 442 with White and Bremer upfront- but I do agree they’d have done that regardless of whether Kim and Lia were involved. Arsenal certainly haven’t been clinical enough this season and even in games they’ve won relatively comfortably (Spurs, Liverpool, Birmingha,) there has been room for more in the final third and we just don’t convert dominance enough. But… Read more »
Most frustrating thing about this defeat is that I agree we were a better team and we are much better team than City. Even this midfield dominated City’s. But same time the problems why we lost weren’t one off. Chelsea had 4 shot on target, scored 4 goals, we had 4, scored 1. City had 2 shots on target, scored 2 goals, we had 7 scored 1. And rightback position has been problem against big teams this season. Hemp had Leonie turning inside out in both games and besides setpieces, this was realisticly the only way they could have hurt… Read more »
Yeah I think Leonie has struggled, I still prefer Lisa there cos she can still do what she does from an attacking POV, allowing us to play a RW who can contribute more goals. DvD offers goal threat when she plays in the front 3, Beth and Lisa don’t really score much though.
Irony is when we signed Meado she averaged more than a goal per game but then she was in the middle and not by the corner flag where she plays now.
You cannot underestimate her contribution to pulling defences out of position however.
For me it’s a balance thing. We need one of Lisa or Beth to be good at scoring goals. Viv, Jordan, Kim, DvD all have outstanding movement to move defences out and create space. And we create space. But we need someone other than Viv in the frontline to use that space for putting the ball in the net. I agree with Tim 100% that DvD in frotline balances that better. Beth average position isn’t by the cornerflag. Viv moves to midfield a lot, so she has the room to drift inside. Touchmap shows that she is often high up… Read more »
Arsenal had a great spell in the second half when they should have tied the match: Van de Donk was denied at the goal line by Stokes or Roebuck; Miedema had a strong strike that was blocked by Roebuck–nice save; then right after that Mead had a chance to slot to either of three Gunners in front of goal and she hammered the ball toward Miedema who couldn’t volley the overcooked pass. The team actually played well–better than ManCity–but they had a couple of defensive lapses that cost them and they couldn’t finish at key times. I think Roord needs… Read more »
The first goal was wholly preventable. It was a poorly taken freekick & why we dropped into our area I can’t fathom. That ball could & should have been attacked on the 18 yard line. If Fergie had been in the changing room at half- time the crockery bill would have been a big’un. Perhaps Joe is too nice. The small squad/injury debate will rumble on when we lose. The defeats in the big games against Chelski and MankC hurt but bad luck with injuries hasn’t been used as an excuse in the past or now. Are we clicking? The… Read more »
I think there is a definite problem with squad depth. We got away with it last season.Lia and Mitch were a big miss today, with academy players on bench.
Joe needs to quit being stubborn and expand squad size by at least 2-3 players, by either promoting from academy if ready, or source them.
Bad loss