Arsenal Women take on Hoffenheim in Germany tonight needing to avoid a five goal margin of defeat to qualify for the quarter-finals. Coach Jonas Eidevall has opted for Mana Iwabuchi on the left, with Beth Mead on the right while Steph Catley will partner Jen Beattie at centre-half. Anna Patten continues to deputise for the ill Noelle Maritz, while Lia Walti, Frida Maanum and Kim Little will anchor midfield. Neither Manu Zinsberger nor Hermione Cull are named on the bench so Arsenal don’t have a sub goalie. Zinsberger is ill and Cull is not available due to travel restrictions in Germany.
ARSENAL (4231); 18.WILLIAMS, 4.PATTEN, 5.BEATTIE, 7.CATLEY, 15.McCABE; 13.WALTI, 12.MAANUM, 10.LITTLE(c); 9.MEAD, 23.IWABUCHI, 11.MIEDEMA.
Subs: 1.Zinsberger, 3.Wubben-Moy, 8.Nobbs, 14.Parris, 19.Foord, 20.Boye, 22.Schnaderbeck.
Hoffenheim XI: Tufekovic; Wienroither, Specht, Feldkamp, Naschenweng; Dongus, Corley, Hagel; Linder, De Caigny, Brand.
Subs: Von Schrader, Kocsan, Degen, Billa, Harsch, Fühner, Steinert, Leimenstoll.
Slightly alarmed here. Is Manu just being rested? It would be terrible if she’s injured!
Zinsi is ill. Cull couldn’t travel due to travel restrictions. Stenson is ineligible.
Well that didn’t go too well – through but hardly deserved it.
That was painful to watch. In the earlier 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim, the difference was that Arsenal took their chances and they didn’t. It was the other way around tonight. Until Leah Williamson is back, we’re not equipped to play out from the back. She can also drive out of the back line à la Ben White, and hit the long ball, keeping the opponents guessing. We’re really missing her. I wonder why Vivianne Meidema had that time off both from Arsenal and Netherlands. Is there something we’re not being told? She’s been a shadow of herself since she came… Read more »
How’s Miedema to be effective given how absolutely woeful the Arsenal back 7 have been in the last three matches against quality opponents? They’ve been terrible. We couldn’t get the ball out of our own half against Chelsea and hardly had the ball against Barca. I”m not quite sure what a striker is supposed to do when the rest of the team is dreadful. Didn’t see this game yet–and not sure I want to. Up until a week ago a few (light-headed) fans here were calling Jonas “brilliant.” Really? A more apt description might be way over his head at… Read more »
Well maybe if you had seen the game, you could understand why fans are asking questions about Viv. While I agree that Viv is not our problem at moment, she also in not the solution and today if she could have taken some of the chances she had, it would have taken the pressure off.
People might not want to see it but I have to agree with Eelleen. That’s at least four or five clear-cut chances she’s had to score in the past two games that she’s wasted. Even worse though is that she was not the most concerning aspect about today’s performance.
Her scoring data is way down for the whole of 2021, her finishing is not as clinical- lots of touches in front of goal a bit of over elaboration.
Viv will return to her sensational self in the New Year 🙂