A narrow victory told only part of the story as new faces continued to settle into Arsenal’s tactical approach ahead of the new campaign.
Arsenal defeated Paris FC 1-0 on Sunday in their first open-to-the-public pre-season friendly.
Renee Slegers picked four of the seven new signings to start, while two were on the bench (Damm and Reuteler) and one was injured (Batlle).
The starting XI was Rodriguez; Holmberg, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Fox; Little, Stanway, Caldentey; Baum, Cerci, Smith.
The subs used were Catley, Foord, Reuteler, Russo, Hinds, Blackstenius and Cooney-Cross.
The unused subs were the two goalkeepers, Borbe and Damm, as well as the two youngsters, Conway and Teer-Hutchins.
In terms of injuries, Daphne van Domselaar is still on the way back following her operation in the summer, Ona Batlle suffered a minor knock in pre-season, Chloe Kelly is ill, and Frida Maanum has a minor muscle injury but is progressing well.
Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang are still rehabbing following their ACL injuries last season.
It is important to note that pre-season friendlies are used to build up the players’ fitness, and the two public friendlies are just the continuation of the three behind-closed-doors ones. That’s why game time was spread between players.
This game cannot be analysed in isolation, but there are certainly some interesting points.
There is a lot of clarity in the game model, and the new players seem to have adapted well to it. The patterns of play in and out of possession were very clear to see.
Full-backs and wingers alternated in the half-space to leave the full space on the touchline to one player only. Defensively, it was the classic pressing system, alternating between high and medium positions on the pitch.
The midfield three rotated well, with the double pivot of Little and Stanway, and a number 10, Caldentey, all alternating in the attacking zone to create uncertainty in the Paris FC defence.
Georgia Stanway has added bite to the midfield with her aggression. She did enough to get booked, but the referee was lenient, unsurprisingly.
What she will bring will be useful, especially as Katie McCabe used to bring this energy, and having Stanway there is important to provide continuity on the pitch.
The new players have integrated well into the team’s organisation. Baum was a constant threat on the right wing, combining well with Holmberg. Stanway was solid in midfield, Rodriguez showed very good long passing and made a couple of saves. Cerci up top was interesting, too.
Considering the team has been used to playing with Blackstenius and Russo for a while, it takes time to integrate someone in that position and learn how she moves in the final third. Reuteler came into the double pivot, partnering Cooney-Cross.
I would not be surprised if a very different starting XI is in place on Wednesday against Charlton, as there will be 10 more days before the season opener away to Brighton & Hove Albion.
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