Arsenal's season so far: New manager bounce and the search for a winger
Max Radwan examines Arsenal's season so far as the Gunners prepare to return after the winter break
Arsenal head into the second half of the season with renewed optimism after some big results have helped them climb to within a point of second-placed Manchester City in the WSL.
Following the resignation of Jonas Eidevall in October, interim head coach Renee Slegers also guided Arsenal to the quarter-finals of the Champions League as a top seed following big wins over Juventus and Bayern Munich at the end of last year.
Here’s what we have learned from Arsenal’s season so far and some predictions for the second half of the campaign.
The season so far
It is hard to believe that Arsenal are only halfway through their season, given how tumultuous it has been for the club. The Gunners' campaign can be split into two parts: before Renee and the Renee era, or the Jonas era and after Jonas, depending on your perspective.
A promising start to the season in which Arsenal clinched Champions League qualification and put in a strong performance at the Emirates against Manchester City was shattered in the space of six disastrous days which culminated in a first ever Emirates Stadium to defeat to Chelsea hot off the back of a heavy defeat at Bayern Munich and a dispiriting goalless draw at home to Everton.
With Slegers subsequently taking the reins as interim head coach, the Gunners have enjoyed the mother of all new manager bounces, winning all but one of their 11 games played with Slegers in the dugout, and they are yet to taste defeat under the Dutchwoman. The most encouraging result yet under Slegers came in the final game before the winter break, with the Gunners getting their revenge on Bayern in a 3–2 victory which secured top spot in their Champions League group.
Biggest surprise of the season
I didn't expect things to unravel as quickly as they did under Eidevall. While the cracks had appeared over the course of the previous season, navigating UWCL qualifiers looked to have brought a stay of execution. Instead, three bad results and performances in the space of six days were enough to put the Swede out of a job with the season less than a month old.
On a more positive note, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly Slegers was able to turn around the team's short term fortunes with the side she inherited at its lowest ebb. While the quality of opposition faced under Slegers has for the most part been modest, the confident and free-flowing football displayed in emphatic victories against Brighton (5–0), Juventus (4–0), Tottenham (3–0), and Aston Villa (4–0) demonstrate the immediate impact the Dutch coach has had on the team. While plenty of names have been thrown in the ring since Eidevall's departure, the turnaround in fortunes inspired by Slegers (played 11, won 10, drawn one) surely makes her the number one candidate for the role of permanent head coach.
What do Arsenal need in January?
A winger. While Arsenal's attacking output has shot up under Slegers the flaws in the club's squad building have still been apparent at times. With Beth Mead enduring a difficult run of form, the January window may provide Arsenal with an opportunity to bring in a winger who excels at take-ons and offers an injection of pace. With the possible exception of Gio, who's time at Arsenal never really worked out, this a profile of player that Arsenal have lacked in recent years. With rumours of the potential arrival of a mystery NWSL winger floating about, this looks like a gap in the squad that the club are actively trying to address.
Expectations for the rest of the campaign
The league title is nothing more than a pipe-dream now, but it's important that Arsenal keep their momentum going in the league. Unbeaten under Slegers with just two points dropped under their interim head coach, cementing themselves as the best of the rest is a realistic target. Back to back away fixtures in late January/early February against Chelsea and Manchester City will tell us more about Arsenal 2.0.
Outside of the WSL, there is plenty to be excited about. Seeded in February's Champions League quarter final draw after a dramatic win against Bayern Munich to close out 2024, the Gunners will quietly fancy their chances of making a second UWCL semi-final in three seasons, with one of Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, or Manchester City standing in their way. Slegers' side will also have their eye on reaching a third consecutive final of the newly-rebranded Subway Cup; they will travel to Brighton in the quarter final before facing one of the Manchester clubs in the last four – should they prevail against the Seagulls.
Will you be amending your pre-season prediction?
As mentioned previously, clawing back a seven point gap to leaders Chelsea feels like a bridge too far (even if January's trip to Stamford Bridge does provide an opportunity to cut into the Blues' healthy lead), so I am going to have to go back on my confident proclamation from September that this would be the year that Arsenal wrestled back the WSL title. However, with Manchester City's lead on the Gunners diminishing from seven points to one, I am going to amend my prediction to a somewhat respectable second-place finish with a domestic cup win and a run to at least the UWCL semi-finals to boot.
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While I've always thought 2nd place was a possibility, I think Arsenal's best bet for that is to get 2nd by the end of February and hold onto it. It's not that trying to hang on to City's coattails and nick 2nd near the end of season can't be done, but City are probably more likely to drop points while dealing with injuries (and before Knaak has been properly integrated). I do wonder if there's more pressure on us to win at the Joie than for City to win that game.
If only there was was a quality winger with a proven reputation at club and international level available a mere short drive up the M6....July feels a long way off.