How Arsenal are looking ahead of WSL season

Miedema and Williamson

How Arsenal are looking ahead of WSL season

By Megan Armitage

Arsenal will kick off the Barclays Women's Super League season against Manchester City on the 11th September.

Jonas Eidevall's team will once again be aiming to claim the top spot, with the league title evading them since 2019.

What happened last season?

Arsenal finished second in last season's campaign, just one point behind London rivals Chelsea, but a fruitful summer and new signings may help edge them that one place further in the 2022/23 season.

The Gunners only lost once in the WSL last time out, with Birmingham City doing the 2-0 damage at St Andrew's Stadium back in January.

And with four draws to their name, it was an impressive season for Arsenal as they overtook Man City in the table for the first time since 2019.

In the FA Women's Cup, Eidevall's team also saw a strong run all the way to the semi-final but it was Emma Hayes' side that once again thwarted them with a well deserved 2-0 victory.

Their run up to the semi-final had seen two 4-0 wins as Caitlin Foord scored twice against Liverpool, and 2022 European Championship Player of the Tournament Beth Mead put one in the net against Coventry.

In both the FA WSL Cup and UEFA Women's Champions League, it was a quarter-final knockout for the team with Manchester United taking the 1-0 win in the Cup and Wolfsburg leading 3-1 on aggregate.


Historic campaign beckons

Arsenal already have a historic appearance in their sights, looking to break the WSL attendance record when they host the North London derby at the Emirates.

So far, over 35,000 tickets have been sold for the clash with Tottenham with the record currently sitting at 38,262.

On the back of England's Euros success, Gunners Mead, Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy will have a skip in their step.

And Jordan Nobbs will return to the pitch after recovering from the injury she picked up pre-tournament.

Record-breaking striker Vivianne Miedema will also be planning on adding to her impressive 74 goals, the most in WSL history.

Miedema struggled with Covid over the summer but will have a newfound hunger to dominate on the pitch after stunted play.

In their preseason training, the Gunners have welcomed new signings Lina Hurtig and Kaylan Marckese into their midst.

Shining in the Champions League last season, the Swedish power forward Hurtig will bring a new sense of dynamism to the game, whilst American goalie Marckese helped HB Koge to two successive Danish league titles in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Both joined the refreshed Arsenal team out in Germany for a camp after they beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 in a pre-season match.

And with a strengthened team atmosphere through their summer camp beach volleyball competitions, the Gunners might just be shaping up as the team to beat.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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