Renée Slegers cut a forlorn figure after her Arsenal side made it five matches without a WSL win on Saturday, setting an unwanted club record in the process.
The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City thanks to lacklustre chance creation and Birmingham’s French speedster Océane Hurtré, who opened the scoring by tearing through the Arsenal defence and dinking one over Misa Rodríguez.
It was the second time this season that Arsenal have failed to beat newly promoted opposition at home. For Slegers, the pressure is beginning to boil over.
Quizzed on her future after the game, the former Dutch international said: “Everything I want is the best for us, and all the best for these players. I think if that’s not the case anymore, then a change needs to happen. But I have belief in knowing where we can go with this team, and it’s been really tough.”
As contradictory as the statement is, it’s the first time Slegers has acknowledged that change could be coming. This was Arsenal’s third draw in as many games at Emirates Stadium this season and there were familiar failings on display.
As had been the case against Manchester United, Arsenal took far too long to find their attacking rhythm. They registered just eight shots and one big chance in the first half, despite having 76% of the possession.
Arsenal’s best chance of the first half came when Birmingham pressed them in the centre of the pitch. Stanway threaded a ball through for Olivia Smith, whose eventual cutback was scuffed wide by Blackstenius.
When Birmingham set up in a low block, however, Arsenal struggled to create chances of note. Alessia Russo’s header hit the post after a quality Leah Williamson cross provided a rare piece of incisiveness.
Slegers was explicit in her criticism of her team’s sluggish approach in the first half: “It’s hard for us to build momentum because I think the tempo needed to be higher and our basics in everything – in the duelling positional detail, all the ball basics… I think we turned it over at times and then we lost momentum.”
Things would get worse before they got better for Slegers’ team at the start of the second half. WSL top scorer Océane Hurtré put the visitors ahead with a beautiful run and finish, burning Ona Batlle for pace and lifting the ball beyond Misa in the Arsenal net.
Arsenal were caught by a sucker-punch counterattack for the second home game in a row while chasing a goal of their own. The ball went from the edge of the Birmingham box to the back of the Arsenal net in a matter of seconds.
The goal also exposed a key structural weakness in Arsenal’s setup. The Gunners’ only win of this WSL season came at Brighton on the opening weekend, and The Cutback highlighted vulnerabilities down the left side of their defence after the match. This didn’t cost them on the day, but Birmingham manager Amy Merricks had noticed that particular chink in their armour.
Merricks told The Cutback after the match that Hurtré’s run and finish, which cut through the gap on the left-hand side of Arsenal’s defence, was part of a deliberate tactical ploy.
“That was absolutely part of the plan,” she said. “We know where their strengths lie and we know where their weaknesses lie.”
Hurtré fully exploited that weakness. She was already running into the space behind Batlle by the time Neve Herron took possession and was well clear of the Spanish full-back by the time the ball in behind reached her feet.
Batlle is not the only defender culpable here. Lotte Wubben-Moy doesn’t cover herself in glory either, failing to make the interception.
There was more to like from Arsenal’s performance after Hurtré’s goal. The bulk of the home side’s chances came in the final half-hour, with the Gunners generating two expected goals in this period compared with 0.7 in the first hour.
This at least shows that Slegers’ team are still capable of playing with energy and directness, but the contrast between the final 30 minutes and the previous hour highlights Arsenal’s biggest problem this season. They fail to reach an acceptable tempo in possession until it’s almost too late.
In the end, Arsenal’s equaliser came from a moment of individual brilliance. Olivia Smith followed up her two goals on international duty for Canada with another excellent long-range strike. Closer to goal, Arsenal once again could not find their finishing touch. Their five goals this season now represent less than half of their 11 expected goals.
Speculation over Slegers’ future will continue as Arsenal head into next weekend’s north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Gunners are four points behind neighbours Tottenham and nine points behind the Champions League places.
Spurs have conceded 12 goals in their last two WSL games, giving Arsenal an opportunity to find their scoring touch. Anything other than a win would bring further pressure on Slegers and her players.
