Arsenal Women at the World Cup: Player by Player

The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand kicks off on Thursday morning UK time (full details of games involving Arsenal players here). Tim Stillman gives you the rundown on each Arsenal player at the tournament and what to expect from them.

ENGLAND– The Lionesses will go into the tournament as one of the favourites, especially given their status as European Champions. However, injuries to Fran Kirby, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson and the retirement of Ellen White has forced Sarina Wiegman to shuffle her pack. England should negotiate their group, consisting of Denmark, China and Haiti, without too many issues. However, they are on the tougher side of the draw for the knockouts and to make the final, they would have to beat a number of the big guns.

Lotte WUBBEN-MOY
Age: 24
Position: Centre-half

Lotte was a member of the European Championship winning squad at the Euros last summer, albeit she did not see any action on the pitch during the tournament. Though Lotte played a crucial off-pitch role, a vocal advocate of social causes (when she signed a new contract with Arsenal in April 2022 she had extra community work written into it, including a mentoring programme with young girls from her native Hackney and Islington), Lotte led an initiative to write to then Prime Minister Liz Truss to ensure greater access to football for girls in schools. Lotte is unlikely to start for England but injury to her clubmate Leah Williamson means she might well see some pitch time on this occasion, especially as first choice right centre-half Millie Bright has only just recovered from injury.

Alessia RUSSO
Age: 24
Position: Centre-forward

Russo signed for the club from Manchester United this summer and played a prominent role as a supersub for England in last summer’s Euros- she appeared in all six games as a sub, scoring four goals including an audacious backheel against Sweden in the semi-finals. With Ellen White having retired since the tournament, Russo is now battling with Rachel Daly for the starting number 9 berth. Russo and Daly will share the number 9 role at the tournament, it’s just a question of who starts and who is the ‘supersub.’

AUSTRALIA– The Matildas are a team with a strong core of 29-year-olds who have played together for the last decade or so, many of those players now play in the WSL and in Europe. Swedish coach Tony Gustavsson took a while to settle into his role since his appointment in 2020 but, over the last year and since he switched the team to a 4411 formation, they have settled into a real groove. With home advantage behind them, the Matildas have a good shot of going deep in the tournament. They are probably a creative playmaker away from being a bona fide favourite.

Steph CATLEY
Age: 29
Position: Left-back

Catley, who joined Arsenal from Melbourne in 2020, has been the Matildas’ starting left-back for the last decade now and has over 100 caps for her country. Catley is considered one of the finest attacking left-backs in the world and is one of the best setpiece deliverers in the world to boot. She wears the number 7 for the Matildas and Arsenal in recognition of one of her great sporting heroes Lenny Hayes, who played for her local Melbourne Aussie Rules club St. Kilda. Expect Steph to play every minute of every game for the Matildas fitness permitting.

Caitlin FOORD
Age: 29
Position: Forward

Foord joined the Gunners in January 2020 and plays predominantly as a left-forward for Arsenal but can play on the right or as a centre-forward. For the Matildas, she has undergone a very slight positional tweak over the last year with Tony Gustavsson switching to a 442 / 4411 with Foord playing a freer role just off star centre-forward Sam Kerr. Foord’s biggest attribute is her ability to isolate defenders and beat them in one-on-one situations. She is a bona fide starter for Australia but expect one of their first substitutions to be Mary Fowler coming on in the free role with Foord reverting to a more orthodox left-wing role.

NORWAY- Their front four is, arguably, the best in the whole tournament. Left winger Guro Reiten and number 10 Frida Maanum were probably the two best players in the WSL last season. Centre-forward Ada Hegerberg has suffered a lot of injuries in recent years but is one of the finest strikers the women’s game has ever seen. Right winger Caroline Graham Hansen is probably the best ‘orthodox’ winger in Europe. However, the defence is not comprised of the same quality. New Zealand, as co-hosts, are top seeds in their group (ordinarily they would be third seeds) which means Norway ought to top their group after a miserable Euros last summer which led to a coaching change.

Frida MAANUM
Age: 24
Position: Attacking midfield

Frida signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2021 and after spending the majority of her debut season on the bench, she broke through last autumn in the number 10 role and was voted as the Arsenal Supporters Club Player of the Season and was nominated for WSL Player of the Season. Maanum will play for Norway as she does for Arsenal, at the attacking tip of a midfield three. Maanum is an incredibly powerful dribbler with a hammer of a right foot, expect her to test many a goalkeeper from outside the penalty area.

SWITZERLAND– Also part of Norway’s group are Switzerland and they too might take advantage of being in a group that sees New Zealand elevated to top seeds when they would ordinarily be third seeds as the Swiss are. Essentially, the match between Switzerland and New Zealand will go a long way towards deciding whether they get out of the group here.

Lia WALTI
Age: 30
Position: Defensive midfield

Walti will captain the Swiss at the tournament. She did endure a big injury scare when she suffered an ankle injury in the penultimate game of the WSL season that saw her stretchered off. Thankfully Lia has recovered for the tournament and will do exactly what she does for Arsenal, playing in front of the back four and setting the technical rhythm for the team. Walti is one of the most ambipedal players in football, her passing data always shows very close to a 50% usage of her left and right feet.

Noelle MARITZ
Age: 27
Position: Right-back

Noelle can play either as a right or left-back but she has settled into a right full-back role for club and country. Born in Switzerland but raised in California, Maritz won the Champions League with Wolfsburg as a teenager. Noelle has been a core player for Switzerland for close to a decade and remains an exceptionally solid and unflappable full-back who gives you 7 or 8 out of 10 in every game she plays.

CANADA– The Canadians are the current Olympic gold medallists and one of the strongest teams in the tournament. Defensively, they are probably the strongest team in international football and they are incredibly difficult to break down. In 40-year-old Christine Sinclair, they have the all-time leading goalscorer in international football, though she tends to operate in a deeper position for her country now. That said, the Canadian players have been involved in a bitter and long running dispute with Canada Soccer over support, pay and conditions.

Sabrina D’ANGELO
Age: 30
Position: Goalkeeper

Sabrina (do-doo-do, do, do, do, do-doo) joined Arsenal in January to challenge Manu Zinsberger in the Arsenal goal. Canada enjoys an embarrassment of riches in the goalkeeping department and Sabrina will likely start the tournament as second choice behind Kailen Sheridan. Unless Sheridan is injured we probably won’t see Sabrina at this tournament but if you do, look out for her domineering presence off her line and her ability to pass the ball long with her left foot.

Cloe LACASSE
Age: 30
Position: Wide-forward

Lacasse joined the Gunners this summer from Benfica after four hugely impressive seasons in Portugal. Lacasse can play all across the frontline but is at her most effective playing off the flanks where she excels at manoeuvring herself into shooting positions and maximising counter-attacks. She is relatively new on the international scene and is fighting for a starting place with established players like Adriana Leon, Jordyn Huitema, Deanne Rose and Nichelle Prince. I would expect her to feature in most games but likely from the bench, especially given her ability against tiring legs.

IRELAND– In a group with Australia, Canada and Nigeria, Ireland are playing in their first ever World Cup. Australia and Canada will be heavy favourites to qualify from the group and Ireland will relish their role as underdogs under experienced international coach Vera Pauw. Ireland are an incredibly determined, dogged team that nobody enjoys playing, however, they probably lack the firepower to get out of this group. I wouldn’t expect them to be rolled over easily in any of their games.

Katie McCABE
Age: 27
Position: Left wing-back

Ireland swap between a wing-back system against the bigger teams and more of a 4231 against teams at or below their level. McCabe is key to that flexibility given that she plays either as a left-winger or a left-back with equal proficiency. McCabe has captained the team since she was 21 and is noted for her never-say-die spirit (to say the least) but sometimes her reputation as a spikey player sees her technical quality underplayed. The Tallaght native has a left-foot that is equal part paintbrush and bazooka. Katie will play every minute, fitness permitting and even if her leg is hanging clean off, she will probably play on.

SWEDEN– One of the European superpowers of women’s football, Scandinavia remains a hotbed of women’s football talent and Sweden is still the jewel in that crown. The Swedes tend to go deep in every tournament they play in and they will be expected to do much the same this time, even if it feels like the current generation might be ageing out a little in some areas.

Lina HURTIG
Age: 27
Position: Wide-forward

Hurtig joined Arsenal last summer from Juventus but endured a torrid season with foot injuries. She has only just finished her recovery from an injury that disrupted her domestic season and that might cost her a place in the Swedish starting line-up. Hurtig is a wide forward who can play through the middle and her superpower is her aerial ability. When she plays on the right, for example, she is excellent at attacking crosses from the back post. I expect coach Peter Gerhardsson to deploy her as a supersub.

Amanda ILESTEDT
Age: 30
Position: Centre-half

Ilestedt joined the club from PSG this summer. Ilestedt is a right-sided centre-half who can also play as a right-back. Sweden can switch between a 433 and a 343 but, either way, Ilestedt is usually the right-sided centre-half. She is a very good stand-up tackler and strong in the air. She has nursed a tight thigh in recent days but, assuming it clears, she will be a starter.

Stina BLACKSTENIUS
Age: 27
Position: Centre-forward

Blackstenius joined the Gunners in January 2022 and plays much the same role for Sweden as she does for her club. She runs the channels, especially the right channel, very effectively and runs on the shoulder of the last defender, pushing defences back and creating space for the likes of Kosovare Asllani and Fridolina Rolfo. When Sweden play a 343, Blackstenius is very diligent at dropping back into midfield out of possession and marking the opponent’s deep lying playmaker. Blackstenius is a regular starter for the Swedes.

NETHERLANDS– Having lost the last World Cup Final to the US and having been eliminated by them in the most recent Olympics in 2021, Netherlands would not have been happy to be drawn in the same group as the US once again. But they ought to qualify from the group in second place ahead of Portugal and Vietnam. If they do emerge from the group as expected, they are, at least, on the slightly more forgiving side of the knockout draw.

Victoria PELOVA
Age: 24
Position: Right wing-back

Pelova joined Arsenal from Ajax in January and immediately fitted into Jonas Eidevall’s team, becoming one of the team’s most consistent performers during the second half of the season. Pelova plays as a wide-forward or attacking midfielder for Arsenal but for her national team, coached by former Arsenal men’s academy lead Andries Jonker, she has been played as a right wing-back- a new role for her- in a newly assembled 352 formation. Pelova is an exceptionally energetic player who excels in tight spaces with the ball at her feet. She was also a junior chess champion as a child in the Netherlands and has a degree in applied mathematics.

DENMARK– Drawn in the same group as England, China and Haiti, Denmark will be marginal favourites over China to qualify from the group. They feel a little like a round of 16 team but do boast Pernille Harder in their ranks, who remains their bona fide star player. The Danes have looked in good shape since just failing to emerge from the ‘group of death’ with Spain and Germany at last summer’s Euros.

Katherine KUHL
Age: 20
Position: Central midfield

Kuhl joined Arsenal in January and is considered one of the finest teenage talents in Europe (until she turned 20 a few weeks ago, of course!) Kuhl is a largely creative central midfielder who usually likes to play as one of the eights in Denmark’s 433 system. Katherine is already a regular for her country with 26 caps. Denmark might not be able to go quite far enough for Kuhl to emerge as a contender for Young Player of the Tournament but she is a core member of the Danish starting eleven and ought to be for many years to come.

Who isn’t going to the World Cup?

Goalkeeper Manu Zinsberger plays for Austria, who did not qualify, that is also the case for Laura Wienroither, who is likely to miss most of next season with an ACL injury anyway. Jen Beattie and Kim Little have both retired from playing for Scotland, who did not qualify in any case. Third choice goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese is uncapped for the US, Gio was not selected for the Brazil squad. Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands), Leah Williamson and Beth Mead (both England) miss out due to injury. Teyah Goldie is uncapped at senior level for England.