Jonas Eidevall and his Arsenal Women walked away from our clash against West Ham empty handed, and it’s come at a time where every point we can get is important. West Ham currently sit 11th on the table and, on paper, should have been one of the easier teams to beat, but they put up a tough fight that saw us walk away defeated and left us wondering what went wrong.
For me personally, I think we went to West Ham and underestimated there want to win, and their quality of players. We were arguably the better team throughout the game and had a lot more chances and a lot more possession than West Ham, but they were clinical in everything they did, and defended like it was to save their lives. They came to win, and they did just that.
Now personally, I like Alessia Russo, and I think she brings a lot to this Arsenal squad and, although she scored the only Arsenal goal at the weekend, I can’t help but think Stina Blackstenius would have been the perfect striker to start for this match.
Russo is a proven striker and when she was at Manchester United, she was probably their most influential player goal wise, and has been very good since joining the Gunners. But when it comes to goals, she hasn’t produced as many goals as I personally was expecting from her, and although she is playing well, Blackstenius has been just as good in fewer games.
A game like that against a side like West Ham, we need someone up front who was going to be more clinical and it sounds harsh, because Russo scored, but I do feel a bit like Eidevall is picking his favourites at the moment, over those who have been producing more.
Russo is good at holding up and linking up play, she usually looks at her most dangerous when she’s got her back to the goal and takes it on the turn, whereas Blackstenius is a bit more direct and with wingers like Caitlin Foord and Beth Mead, being a more direct player pays off as they’re some of the best crossers in the league.
Personally, I’d just like to see a bit more rotation between the two of them, they’re two very different strikers and could be both used in very different ways against certain opponents. For some reason Eidevall doesn’t seem to either trust Blackstenius or he thinks Russo is a better fit up front.
I also get that Russo was brought in for the project that Eidevall is building and will most likely be at the club longer than Blackstenius, so maybe he’s just preparing for a future where Russo is the number one choice. But with Blackstenius scoring a goal every 70 minutes this season on average, compared to Russo’s 218 minutes, it does make me wonder why she’s not been getting more minutes.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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