Does Emily Fox go straight into the starting 11 against Watford?
Arsenal Women are already getting busy in the transfer window with a lot of rumours and movement around Jonas Eidevall’s squad. Noelle Maritz left the club to join Carla Ward’s project at Aston Villa and Arsenal were quick to replace the defender with 25-year-old American international Emily Fox, from NC Courage over in the NWSL, to bolster their backline and hopefully strengthen the defence going forward.
With plenty of competition in defence now it doesn’t surprise me that Maritz left as she probably would have been fighting for minutes against what looks like a formidable defence, on and off the bench, and will hopefully give us the chance to be able to rotate without the worry of loss in quality. But does Fox go straight into the starting 11 against Watford in the FA Cup this weekend?
Personally, I think she will get her debut, but I don’t think she starts. We’ve built up a good dynamic in defence this season and other than a few tough losses (viz Liverpool & Tottenham), we’ve looked solid at the back. You have to assume that the fact the back four has been pretty consistent with who is and isn’t playing, that they’ve built up a bond and started to really read each other’s game perfectly.
Being a new defender, even though she’s a quality defender, coming straight into the side can be hard and unless we were looking for a quick fix right now, because of an injury for example, I think time needs to be given so she can adjust and get to know her new teammates, as well as adjusting to the level of play in the Women’s Super League, which I think a lot of players underestimate at times.
But I also think it’s the perfect time for her to get at least a run, 20 minutes towards the end, especially if we happen to be doing well, because the sooner she gets integrated into the squad the better. Fox is a great signing for the club, she’s a talented young woman who has a lot of potential and is just another quality name to add to the list of Arsenal Women’s players.
Fox also hasn’t played a lot lately so match fitness will be key and trying to catch up to her new teammates, who have been playing and working hard all season. Hopefully we get to see her get a few minutes on the weekend and walk away with the first win in Arsenal colours!
What’s your thoughts Gooners? Does Fox start or get minutes for our first Women’s FA Cup game of the season, this Sunday?
Daisy Mae
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Why not?
If we cant introduce a new signing against a Championship team. When can we?
It would be interesting to see how Emily Fox gets on against “one of our own” (Michelle Agyemang) bright new talents.