Could Jen Beattie be Arsenal’ss secret weapon against Wolfsburg in UWCL semi-final? by Michelle
In a previous piece, we discussed how Arsenal Women could stop Wolfsburg from playing their game, and one thing we noted is that Jonas Eidevall should “overload” the midfield to take care of Lena Oberdorf and stop Alexa Popp from having an easy path dropping at midfield to act as a playmaker. However, goalscorer and talisman Alexandra Popp has been officially ruled out of the tie by Tommy Stroot.
With the midfield needing to be overloaded, Jonas Eidevall may opt to play a 3-4-3 formation. For this formation, which has already been used against Manchester United and Manchester City this year, Jen Beattie has always been introduced to stabilise the defence. Mostly the Arsenal defender has been starting as a sub, but everything from Leah Williamson’s injury and potential tactical switch suggests she could be up for one of her big evenings as a Gunner where she gets to start.
So is Beattie ready to be the secret weapon in Arsenal’s win over Wolfsburg? She is relishing the opportunity, as she revealed so in her pre-match press conference.
“We have used it in different ways depending on the situation in the game,” she revealed via Arsenal “I will take any role; I will take any opportunity to be on the pitch.
“If there is a value in that, I will do it to the best of my ability and give everything I can to the team. It is good for us to have a different dynamic; otherwise, we could become predictable, and we have players across the whole pitch to be able to do that. I am more than happy to be given any role that is needed for the team.”
Beattie is a player who is willing to make any sacrifice for the team. I hope the 11 Eidevall picks to start in Germany have the same determination and drive. At the end of the day, whoever wins between Wolfsburg and Arsenal will be the one who wants it more. Hopefully, it is the Arsenal women who want it more, despite their horrible run of injuries.
COYGW!
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