Emily Fox and Katie McCabe have started every single competitive game in each of the full-back positions so far this season for Arsenal. Over the last two games, Steph Catley has also been preferred at centre-half due to her left-footedness.
Ahead of Friday night’s WSL game at home to Brighton, Arseblog News asks Renee Slegers about the selection of Catley at centre-half and weighing up her passing qualities and perhaps the slight loss of physicality without Wubben-Moy and Codina.
Slegers responded, ‘It is always a puzzle, most of our players come with a lot of strengths because they are so good so we always try to build the puzzle. Steph is good in the air as well, she is not the tallest maybe but she has got really good timing and courage in the aerial duels. Her left foot is an advantage in the build up on the left side in possession, so that is part of the reasoning.
‘But we have great centre-backs we have great players in all positions and they all come with strengths so we always try to build the puzzle in what we need from each game.’ Arseblog News asked Slegers whether an overall lack of aerial prowess has impacted the team in defending setpieces this season.
‘From a setpiece perspective, also part of open play, we talk about being ruthless in both boxes. That is still an area we really focus on. We are focusing on it again this week, setpieces is part of it but I think statistically we have done well in the WSL defending setpieces, certainly before Manchester United so I don’t think we should get too emotional about the goal we concede on Sunday.
‘It is obviously part of what we want to work on, setpieces in our own box and the opponent’s box but we don’t want to get too emotional.’ Injury to Laura Wienroither has required Emily Fox to start every game so far this season off the back of winning the Olympics with the USA in August.
Arseblog News asked about the impact on Fox, who was initially going to be rested for the Leicester game in September before Wienroither was injured in the warm-up and has played almost every minute of every game since.
‘Laura did big parts of the training today, so she is progressing really well. Emily Fox is a really important player for us and there are different ways of managing players. We still have different players who can play in that position, but the way that we are managing her is not to take minutes away from her in the games but in other parts of the week.
‘But Emily is fine, she is motivated, she has done really well recovering from her three games in the US and the trip back, she is in a good place. We are trying to do our best to have all of our players as fresh and fit as possible for all the games and as we see it now, Foxy is doing well and she is fresh and fit enough to perform.’
