THE LOWDOWN
Pending a pitch inspection which, I am going to be honest, given the weather forecast in London, I think will probably see this game postponed, Arsenal restart their season with a home FA Cup tie against Bristol City on Sunday afternoon at Meadow Park. Surprisingly, the club still don’t have a permanent managerial appointment in situ for this game with Renee Slegers still in interim charge.
The appointment process has been closely guarded so it is difficult to get a sense of why there is still no permanent appointment and given Slegers record as interim, most supporters left Meadow Park after the victory over Bayern Munich believing Slegers’ appointment to the permanent position was a formality.
Slegers is in the final round of candidates with the process set to conclude in the coming days, in the meantime, the Gunners have a cup tie to win against Championship side Bristol City. Unlike last year, the Gunners have not headed for a warm weather training camp or, as far as we know, played any friendlies. There again, doing both of those things did not lead to a significant uptick in form for the team last season.
Arsenal have not won the FA Cup since 2016, which, given they have won the trophy a record 14 times, is a blemish on their modern record that needs correcting. They have won three Conti Cups and a WSL title since then, it feels like high time that Arsenal took a trip to Wembley again.
TEAM NEWS
Lia Walti is back in full training with the squad after recovering from surgery for an abscess in November. Lina Hurtig and Emily Fox are unlikely to be in the squad after being given extended Christmas breaks, though both have now returned to training. Victoria Pelova is in full training but still not ready to return from her ACL injury. Amanda Ilestedt is also not quite ready to return to play after maternity leave. It remains to be seen whether Kathrine Kuhl will be in the squad with the likelihood that she will leave the club in January, if she plays in this game, she would be cup tied for another WSL team.
Available squad
Goalkeepers: 1.Zinsberger 14.van Domselaar 40.Williams
Defenders: 3.Wubben-Moy 5.Codina 6.Williamson 7.Catley 11.McCabe 26.Wienroither 62.Reid
Midfielders: 10.Little 12.L.Maanum 13.Walti 16.Kafaji 22.Kuhl 32.Cooney-Cross 60.Harbert 61.Earl
Forwards: 8.Mariona 9.Mead 19.Foord 23.Russo 25.Blackstenius 53.Lia 56.Godfrey
A WORD FROM THE BOSS
You want to find the right balance of players getting enough time to recover, but don’t break them down too much. So, you need more time to build them up again. But I think we try to find the exact right balance and getting enough preparation time for the cup and the league to start again. So, I think it looks like we got it quite right, and we try to individualise as well with a couple of players. But at the moment, it looks quite good.
It’s a competitive game on Sunday and we have a competitive game next Sunday as well so we need to set up the best team possible to win those games but we have a big belief in the full squad. We have, I think, one of the biggest squads with the most depth. We have all options, so we going to look at what’s best for the team, what’s best for every individual, how they coming back, what do we need against Bristol, what do we need in the upcoming games? So, we’re going to play a team that wants to win the game.
I think it’s going to be an interesting game. It’s going to be challenging in the way that it’s our first game back after the break. Bristol City is, like you say, is a top team in the Championship we definitely shouldn’t think this is going to be an easy one. What we’re going to ask from the girls is to be on their toes in this game against this opposition.
LAST TIME OUT
The teams met in April in the WSL at Meadow Park and Arsenal ran out 5-0 winners with braces from Beth Mead and Alessia Russo and a Powell own goal.
THE OPPOSITION
Bristol City were relegated from the WSL last season, having been relegated in 2020-21 also, they have become something of a yo-yo club. But given that every club in the WSL is currently affiliated to a Premier League men’s club, Bristol City’s achievements as a club that has not been in the men’s top flight since 1979-80 should not be sniffed at.
In 2013, Bristol City finished 2nd in the WSL only being pipped to the post on the final day of the season by Liverpool. That season qualified them for the Champions League in 2014. Players from that teams like Jemma Rose, Siobhan Chamberlain and Natalia made their way to Arsenal once the WSL salary cap was lifted.
Former coach Lauren Smith left the club over the summer to lead the England U19 team, due in part to her record of coaching young talent at Bristol City. Stephen Kirby, who had been on the coaching staff at Leicester City, took over. They are currently 2nd in the Championship though there are only three points separating the top five in the Championship.
PLAYER TO WATCH
It feels like a big second half of the season for Rosa Kafaji. Arsenal bought her in the summer on the understanding that there would likely be an adaption period required for the 21-year-old who came from Hacken. Kafaji has been used sparingly while she adapts to life at Arsenal and the WSL but this very much feels like a game earmarked for her.
The Swede is an immense talent but still a little raw off the ball and with her decision making. Arsenal will fine tune those aspects on the training ground but it is likely Renee Slegers will rotate the team a little for the visit of Bristol City and that probably means Kafaji being handed a rare start.
This could be a good launchpad for Kafaji to kickstart the second half of the season and her Arsenal career. It’s always difficult for younger or fringe players to truly make an impression in the team against Championship opposition but Kafaji is a long term signing and young players progress into the team one step at a time.
PREDICTED LINE UPS
4231: 1.Zinsberger; 26.Wienroither, 3.Wubben-Moy, 5.L.Codina, 11.McCabe(c); 32.Cooney-Cross, 13.Walti; 9.Mead, 16.Kafaji, 19.Foord; 25.Blackstenius
Subs: 6.Williamson, 7.Catley, 8.Mariona, 10.Little, 12.L.Maanum, 14.van Domselaar, 23.Russo
HOW TO CATCH THE GAME
The game kicks off at 3pm on Sunday at Meadow Park and will be streamed live on the Adobe Women’s FA Cup YouTube channel.
COMING UP
We will have every word from Renee Slegers’ post-match press conference on the site shortly after the game on Sunday, as well as Aidan Gibson’s on the whistle match report. Jamie and I will have a podcast for you on Monday too, even if the game doesn’t go ahead!
The Borehamwood home FA Cup tie has been postponed, so I expect that our game will not take place tomorrow. I’d rather that than endanger the players, though.
Your predicted lineup highlights the fact that we have a great squad but it would be nice to get in a young, speedy, touchline-hugging winger if/when Kuhl leaves for Everton. There are some great pictures and video of training on the official site. Everyone looks so happy to be back.
As long as it doesn’t lead to fixture congestion, it’s probably not a bad thing for it to take place at a time when the men’s team isn’t playing!
Could the rearrangement be as early as next week?
Or is last week in January more likely