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Arsenal Women: Trailblazers
Arsenal vs HB Køge: Is It Time to Unleash Cerci & Reuteler?
Arsenal Women’s Champions League campaign starts tonight as Danish side HB Køge visit Meadow Park, and this feels like the perfect opportunity for Renée Slegers to start using the depth of the squad she’s built.
HB Køge arrive in excellent form. They’re top of the Danish league, have won seven of their opening eight matches and came through Champions League qualifying unbeaten, including a 2-1 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven. So Arsenal should expect to win, but this isn’t a game to take lightly.
In this episode, Roberto looks at who HB Køge are, where they can hurt Arsenal and what Arsenal need to do to start their European campaign with three points.
Then we get into the team selection.
Does Selina Cerci finally start through the middle? Is it time to bring Géraldine Reuteler into midfield? Could Smilla Holmberg start again after changing the game at the weekend? And what would an Arsenal attack built around getting earlier deliveries into Cerci look like?
Plus, Roberto picks his Arsenal starting XI, with plenty of rotation and a few combinations we’ve been waiting to see.
Arsenal Women: Trailblazers is a regular fan podcast dedicated to Arsenal Women. Join host Roberto Revilla for latest news, match previews and reports, tactical talking points and the stories that make Arsenal Women true trailblazers.
Connect with the show on Instagram @arsenalwomentrailblazers
Find us on BlueSky Social @arsenalwomentb
Our website can be found at www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com
Intro/Outro Music thanks to raspberrymusic from Pixabay
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59. Paris FC 2-2 Arsenal: How Did Arsenal Let This One Get Away?
39:39||Ep. 59For about an hour in Paris, it looked like we were finally going to have a different conversation about Arsenal Women.Alessia Russo scored her first goal of the season, Georgia Stanway scored her first Arsenal goal and, at 2-0 up, Arsenal appeared to be finding some of the attacking answers we’ve spent the last few weeks looking for.Then it unravelled.In this episode, I work through how Arsenal allowed Paris FC back into a game they should have won, what happened to the defensive rotations we saw working so well in pre-season and why I’m becoming increasingly confused by some of Renée Slegers’ squad decisions.We also need to talk about Selina Cerci and Géraldine Reuteler. I also address one important question around Géraldine: she is fit, ready to play and there are no injury concerns preventing Arsenal from using her. So why are we barely seeing her?Then there’s that extraordinary late penalty. I’ve checked the law, we’ll work through what the referee appears to have seen and why, despite how bizarre the incident was, I don’t think Arsenal can use it to explain away the result.And with Manchester City coming on Sunday, we finish by separating what we know about Arsenal’s current problems from some of the much bigger claims being made online, particularly for those younger supporters who might be feeling pretty worried about their team right now.
58. Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal: Is Arsenal’s Problem Now Bigger Than Finishing?
27:31||Ep. 58Arsenal lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but after watching the game again, Roberto thinks the conversation needs to go beyond another afternoon of missed chances.For the opening half an hour Arsenal were good. They controlled the game, caused Chelsea problems and hit the woodwork twice. But once again, when the opportunity came to shoot or make the decisive pass, that extra touch kept appearing.And then came the substitutions.Why did Renée Slegers turn first to Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius when Selina Cerci, Géraldine Reuteler and Smilla Holmberg offer something different? Why did Arsenal appear more disjointed after the changes? And what should we make of Kim Little reportedly asking the bench, “Am I the six now?”With Arsenal taking just five points from their opening four WSL games and scoring only twice, Roberto asks whether this is still simply a finishing problem, or whether questions now need to be asked about the tactics, decision-making and clarity coming from the coaching staff.This is not a call for Renée to go, nor is there evidence she has lost the dressing room. But for the first time since Slegers took charge, there are some serious questions that Arsenal need to start answering.Get involved in the conversation over on Instagram @arsenalwomentrailblazers or in the comments on the written article that accompanies this episode at https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/chelsea-1-0-arsenal-is-arsenals-problem-now-bigger-than-finishing
57. Chelsea Women vs Arsenal Women: Is This Exactly the Game Arsenal Need?
28:55||Ep. 57Arsenal head to Stamford Bridge on Sunday after a difficult start to the WSL season, but could Chelsea away be exactly the game Renée Slegers’ side need?In this preview, Roberto looks at why Chelsea’s more aggressive approach could finally give Arsenal’s attacking players the space they’ve been missing, the risks that come with that, and the individual battles that could shape the game.There’s also the big selection question. Does Kyra Cooney-Cross start after her Player of the Match performance against Køge? Who plays alongside Mariona Caldentey and Georgia Stanway? Does Chloe Kelly get the nod? And surely it’s finally time to see Géraldine Reuteler in an Arsenal shirt?Plus, Katie McCabe prepares to face Arsenal as a Chelsea player, Olivia Smith could find herself up against Lucy Bronze and Roberto makes his prediction for Stamford Bridge.
56. Emily Fox STAYS! New Arsenal Deal + Arsenal Women News
21:42||Ep. 56Emily Fox is staying at Arsenal!Arsenal Women have confirmed that Fox has signed a new contract and we're taking the opportunity to look beyond the announcement at just how important she's become since arriving in January 2024, what makes her such a special full-back and why the emergence of Smilla Holmberg could make the next few seasons even more interesting.There's also the latest Arsenal injury picture ahead of Chelsea, including Élisa De Almeida, Daphne van Domselaar, Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang.Plus, we head into the Arsenal academy for the first of what could become regular Trailblazers updates, with the U21s enjoying a strong week and four youngsters registered for the Champions League.And finally... Disney+ have explained why those of us watching Arsenal against HB Køge suddenly found ourselves watching adverts while the match was still being played.The Chelsea preview is coming tomorrow. For today, here's everything happening around Arsenal Women.
55. Arsenal 1-0 HB Køge: 21 Shots, 2 on Target… What’s Going Wrong?
21:23||Ep. 55Arsenal Women have started their Champions League campaign with three points, but they left it incredibly late against HB Køge at Meadow Park.Mariona Caldentey’s stoppage-time penalty eventually secured a 1-0 win after Selina Cerci drove into the box and forced the challenge, but the numbers tell you plenty about the 90 minutes that came before it: 70% possession, 21 shots and only two on target.So why are Arsenal still finding it so difficult to turn all of that possession and attacking territory into good chances?In this episode, Roberto looks at Arsenal’s decision-making in the final third, another impressive performance from Smilla Holmberg, the directness Kyra Cooney-Cross brought to midfield, Chloe Kelly’s threat and why Cerci offered something different when she finally arrived.There’s also credit for an extremely well-organised HB Køge side and a promising first Arsenal start for Anneke Borbe.Arsenal have the three points. Now they need to find the goals.
53. Arsenal 1–1 Manchester United: What’s Going Wrong in Attack?
18:46||Ep. 53Arsenal Women have dropped four points from consecutive home games, following a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at the Emirates.Smilla Holmberg's stoppage-time volley rescued a point, but after going back through the game, the numbers and both managers' post-match comments, the bigger question isn't simply why Arsenal are struggling against low blocks.Arsenal forced 18 high turnovers against United but produced only three shots from them and no shots from fast breaks. Are Arsenal allowing opponents enough time to organise the very defensive blocks they're then struggling to break down?In this full match review, Roberto looks at Arsenal's attacking tempo, Renée Slegers' tactical plan, the Russo and Blackstenius combination, the timing and impact of the substitutions and why Holmberg changed the game.There's also an excellent performance from Misa Rodríguez, credit for Manchester United's defensive display and a look at the potential solutions available to Arsenal as the games continue to come quickly.
52. Arsenal 1–1 Manchester United: Smilla Saves It Late | INSTANT REACTION
16:17||Ep. 52INSTANT REACTION: Smilla Holmberg’s brilliant stoppage-time volley rescued a point for Arsenal Women as Manchester United held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates. But after last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, that’s now four points dropped from consecutive home games and some familiar questions are beginning to appear. In this quick post-match reaction, Roberto looks at Manchester United’s disciplined defensive performance, why Player of the Match Verónica Medina caused Arsenal problems, the impact Holmberg made from the right and another impressive performance from Misa Rodríguez. There’s also the timing of Renée Slegers’ substitutions, Selina Cerci’s late penalty shout and the question we’ll come back to in the full match review: are teams beginning to find a repeatable way of frustrating this Arsenal side? This is the immediate reaction rather than the full analysis. We’ll be back with a complete Arsenal Women 1–1 Manchester United match review after going back through the whole game. Follow Arsenal Women: Trailblazers for independent, fan-led Arsenal Women news, reaction, analysis and the stories behind the players.
51. Arsenal Women v Manchester United: Team News, Predicted XI & Match Preview
34:42||Ep. 51Arsenal Women are back at the Emirates on Saturday as Manchester United arrive in North London with both sides looking for a response after frustrating weekends.Arsenal somehow came away from Crystal Palace with a 0-0 draw despite 30 shots and 79 per cent possession, while Manchester United suffered a 5-0 defeat at home to Chelsea following their opening-day loss to London City Lionesses.So, naturally, everybody is completely calm about things two games into the season...In this Trailblazers match preview, Roberto looks at what we can sensibly take from those opening results, Renée Slegers' latest team and injury news, what Eva Olid may change at Manchester United and how Saturday's game could develop tactically.We also look at the possible returns of Géraldine Reuteler and Selina Cerci, why Lisa Baum could be important again, whether Olivia Smith should start and the case for pairing Smilla Holmberg with Baum on Arsenal's right.Plus, Roberto picks his Arsenal starting XI, predicts Manchester United's team and, against his better judgement, gives a score prediction.Can Arsenal turn last weekend's dominance into goals and get back to winning ways at the Emirates?Listen now and let us know your starting XI and score prediction.Follow Arsenal Women: Trailblazers for independent, fan-led Arsenal Women news, match previews, reaction, analysis and the stories behind the players.