Blackstenius and Foord could be key to Arsenal Women beating Chelsea this weekend

The Arsenal Women’s stars have shone on international duty, and if they can translate that success to their club performance, we could be in for some exciting weeks ahead. Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius are two Gunners who have thrived during the international break and may be crucial when Arsenal returns to action this weekend against Chelsea in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup 5th Round.

Foord scored two goals for the Matildas, one against Spain and then Jamaica, bringing her Matildas goal total to seven since September, Stina Blackstenius excelled for Sweden against China and Germany. She set up two goals in Sweden’s 4-2 victory over China, though she didn’t do much in the Sweden vs. Germany game as the game played out to a draw.

So can these two help Arsenal beat Chelsea this weekend?

Chelsea is undefeated in 20 games since September 18, 2022. The Blues will undoubtedly be a difficult puzzle for Arsenal to solve. This weekend, Arsenal will have to break their 2023 winless streak like a terrible habit.

Without Beth Mead and Vivienne Miedema, it may be difficult to expect Arsenal to run riot against Chelsea, but it is in adversity that new heroes are formed, and Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius, if they are as good as they were during the international break, could come up big.

After the Manchester City loss, Arsenal’s boss Jonas Eidevall noted that his team struggled with possession and thus didn’t manage to keep possession, something that he needs to take care of.

He admitted, “It is my responsibility; I have to look and see, ‘Can we find players earlier and find their positions earlier?’ Can we play through to the free player? We end up having one touch too much on the ball, and it eats the time and the space which then results in a mistake.

“But that is my responsibility to find out how we can position earlier and take up better positions and play away from pressure, and turn that into strength.”

Beating Chelsea in the Vitality FA Cup trophy could be the best way for Arsenal to return to form and give a great boost to our waning confidence.

COYGW!