Arsenal v Manchester United Women Preview

THE LOWDOWN
Arsenal finish their WSL season with a home game against Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on Saturday lunchtime. The Gunners have tossed away two presentable chances to wrap up 2nd place in the WSL having lost away at Aston Villa and Brighton, conceding nine goals in the process.

It turns the final match into a playoff for 2nd place and nobody knows better than Arsenal how important it is to avoid the UWCL preliminary tournament in September, especially off the back of a European Championship summer. Manchester United arrive at the Emirates a point behind the home team in the WSL table in 3rd.

That means a draw or a victory gives Renee Slegers’ side 2nd place but a defeat means Manchester United take the prize on offer. While the defeat at Villa Park was easy to compartmentalise with so many starting line-up changes and so hot on the heels of the victory in Lyon, the defeat at Brighton with a more familiar starting line-up was more difficult to accept.

Arsenal created plenty on the day but remain far too open to counter-attacks and transitions, a weakness Manchester United will certainly identify. Arsenal have to be much better at managing those moments out of possession and much more secure through the spine of their team to get over the line into 2nd.

TEAM NEWS

Daphne van Domselaar remains unavailable with an ankle injury. Lina Hurtig is also out. Lina Hurtig, Amanda Ilestedt and London City Lionesses loanee Teyah Goldie have all been announced as leaving the club in the summer. Now the Championship season has concluded, loanees Vivienne Lia and Freya Godfrey could form part of the squad if needed, but this is unlikely given the number of players available.

Available squad
Goalkeepers: 1.Zinsberger 40.Williams
Defenders: 2.Fox 3.Wubben-Moy 5.L.Codina 6.Williamson 7.Catley 11.McCabe 22.Nighswonger 28.Ilestedt 62.Reid
Midfielders: 8.Mariona 10.Little(c) 12.L.Maanum 13.Walti 21.Pelova 32.Cooney-Cross
Forwards: 9.Mead 16.Kafaji 18.Kelly 19.Foord 23.Russo 25.Blackstenius 53.Lia 56.Godfrey

A WORD FROM THE BOSS
‘We have great people and great players and making them see that, feel that and empowering them and putting them into the right positions gets the best out of them, that is part of the process. That is going to be important tomorrow coming away from the last two games. The way we have been constructive, we had a tough day the day after Brighton which we had to get through together. But then the way we have gone from there to positivity and constructive communication, smiling faces.

‘We have put some music on, we have watched our goals back from games at the Emirates this season, getting back into the momentum as quickly as possible because confidence is important. We have sold between 45 and 50,000 tickets tomorrow, it is always an honour and a privilege to be part of this and get to play our games at the Emirates with so many fans, such a beautiful setting, it’s going to be beautiful weather tomorrow so it has all the elements for a fantastic day and it is on us to deliver.

LAST TIME OUT
When the teams met in the reverse fixture at Leigh Spirts Village in November, it was a 1-1 draw with Alessia Russo giving Arsenal the lead before Melvine Malard equalised. In the same fixture last season, the Gunners ran out 3-1 winners with a Geyse own goal, a goal from Cloe Lacasse and a Kim Little penalty. Lucia Garcia grabbed a last gasp consolation for United.

THE OPPOSITION
United regrouped in the summer, Mary Earps, Katie Zelem and Lucia Garcia left the club, with striker Elisabeth Terland, former Arsenal midfielder Dominique Janssen and Spurs winger Celine Bizet joining, while Grace Clinton returned from a strong loan spell at Spurs and Melvine Malard’s loan from Lyon was made permanent.

United were far too open last season, especially behind their full-backs. Marc Skinner has made them tougher to beat in this campaign, with only 12 goals conceded they have the strongest defensive record in the league going into the final day. In Terland, they have a focal point upfront they didn’t really have last season after the loss of Lessi Russo.

Meanwhile, players like Jayde Riviere and goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce have consolidated in their second seasons at the club and Celine Bizet and Grace Clinton have offered a consistency lacking in talented players like Geyse. They are difficult to beat, even if they can lack a little fantasy at times. For this game, Jayde Riviere is injured while Aoife Mannion is suspended so what they do at right-back will be interesting.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Frida Maanum hasn’t scored since the 5-0 victory over Tottenham in February and has one assist in her last five games. With Mariona moving into a deeper role and Rosa Kafaji still considered too profligate in possession to play centrally, there is not much competition for her for the number 10 role. However, her end product in recent weeks has come under the microscope.

Russo is too important as a striker to drop into a deeper role behind Blackstenius, it is arguably a pinch point in the Arsenal squad currently. There is also discussion as to whether Arsenal’s midfield should evolve away from the ‘double pivot plus a second striker’ model it has operated in since the early months of Jonas Eidevall’s reign.

With players like Kyra Cooney-Cross, Victoria Pelova and Lia Walti currently on the bench, it has led to questions as to whether the squad is better constructed for a ‘dix and two eights’ model. Those conversations would be quietened significantly with greater end product for Maanum.

She does a lot of valuable work in the Arsenal press but when you are playing as a second striker, you need end-product too. Saturday would be a good day to remind everyone that Maanum is well capable in that regard.

PREDICTED LINE UPS

Subs: 3.Wubben-Moy 9.Mead 13.Walti 21.Pelova 22.Nighswonger 25.Blackstenius 28.Ilestedt 32.Cooney-Cross 40.Williams

HOW TO CATCH THE GAME
The match takes place at Emirates Stadium at 12.30pm on Saturday and will be screened live on BBC Two in the UK.

COMING UP
We will have Aidan Gibson’s on the whistle match report at full-time, as well as every word of Renee Slegers’ post-match press conference online around one hour after full-time. Jamie and I will have a podcast for you on the game on Monday and don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Arsenal Women Newsletter here. We will have plenty of content ahead of the UWCL Final in Lisbon too.

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