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At last the women’s super league is back following the November-December international break. On Sunday our Arsenal Women take on Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium. Our Gunners will be hoping to pick up from where they left off before the international break.

Fixture details: Arsenal Women v Aston Villa Women – WSL

Arsenal went on international break on a run of 4 wins, which came during their fine run under interim manager Renee Slegers. Under Renee, the Gunners are unbeaten in 7 straight games; that is, 6 wins and a draw in what makes their run before that break look great, under Renee Slegers.

One could argue that Chelsea Women’s unbeaten record in the 2024-25 league has given them an advantage in the title race, but anything can happen. Therefore, Arsenal should aim to pick win after win, hoping to capitalize on the Blues’ potential (though unlikely, in my opinion) slippage.

A strong Arsenal lineup should, on Sunday, defeat a Villa team that has only managed one win and one draw in their last five games across all competitions.

That said, Arsenal will be without Lia Walti this weekend. During the international break, she experienced discomfort, and a checkup revealed an abscess. Renee Slegers revealed she’s still in Switzerland recovering. She will therefore miss the game on Sunday.

The Premier League all-time single-season assist record by a player is currently at 20 assists. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry set that record in the 2002-03 season; Kevin De Bruyne equalled it in the 2019-20 season.

After 14 Premier League match days this season, Arsenal’s star player Bukayo Saka has already recorded 10 assists. With 24 PL match days remaining, experts predict that the Hale End star will surpass the PL’s all-time single season assist record. There’s a feeling he’ll rack up 20 or more league assists.

After the Gunners’ 2-0 win over the Red Devils Wednesday night, Declan Rice expressed his wish that Saka breaks the PL assists’ record. He showed his disappointment that Saka failed to achieve another assist on Wednesday night. Arsenal scored from a well-hit Saka corner; Thomas Partey’s header could have gone into the net, but it was a Saliba deflection that saw the ball find the back of the net.

“He’d have been fuming!” Rice joked when he learned Saka narrowly missed out on being credited for an assist after his corner led to Arsenal’s second goal. “That would have been another one closer to the record. I want him to get that; that’d be massive for him.”

Given how lethal Arsenal are from corners, surely it increases the chances of Saka getting more assists from them.

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If there’s one thing Renee Slegers has done well in her time as the Arsenal Women’s manager, it is knowing how to fully utilise the Arsenal women squad. If there’s something most Gooners were ready to go to an argument about, it’s how strong their squad was.

The only issue the Gooners had with the team was the fact that former head coach Jonas Eidevall didn’t know his best team and also wasn’t great at making substitute calls.

7 games in charge, 6 wins, and a draw—one of the great things Renee has done is how she’s handled the Arsenal squad. She’s found the strongest Arsenal team, and while at it, she’s kept everyone happy by making the right substitute calls that have impacted the team.
A number of games, Arsenal have had to rely on the players coming from the bench for game-changer cameos for wins.

On Thursday night, Arsenal versus Juventus could have easily ended 0-0, but substitutes Lina Hurtig and Stina Blackstenius made the difference. Blackstenius set up the ex-Juventus forward for a tap-in that saw her former employers leave London without Champions League qualification.

The difference maker

Arteta will reach Arsenal milestone against Nottingham Forest today.

The gooners will fondly remember the first game in which Arteta took charge of the Gunners, in December 2019 the Gunners were in the search for a new manager after the dismissal of Unai Emery. Many names were on the list of the hierarchy at the time but as the days and weeks went on, it was becoming clear that Arteta would be the one to lead us forward.

He could’ve joined us earlier if you can believe it, we had an interest in bringing him in over a year prior to his arrival in 2019. He was a potential candidate to replace Arsène Wenger before we eventually went with Unai Emery in the summer of 2018. Fast forward almost 18 months later in December 2019, Arteta finally got the hard task of dragging Arsenal back to the top.

Inside the first eight months of his career, he was looking to be doing exactly that when he won us the FA cup, followed by a Community Shield win in the summer of 2020. Fast forward four years onward however, we haven’t won anything else since. Despite that sad fact, we have taken massive strides in the right direction in those four years. We went from top four aspirants to firm title challengers under him, but the next step now is to finally get across the finish line.

This season hasn’t inspired any confidence in us finally doing that under him but as we get back to action from the break against Nottingham Forest, we will be hoping to get our season on track again. This will be no ordinary game for Mikel Arteta, this game will mark another special milestone in his career with the Arsenal so far. Indeed against Forest today, Arteta will take charge of his 250th game for the Gunners. A journey that started five years ago is still going on strong and though he hasn’t won anything major yet, I still have confidence in him taking us even further forward!

So, the question remains as to when Arsenal will finally break their non-winning run, but we certainly have much more chance of doing so now that Timber, Calafiori, Merino and Odegaard are all fit enough to make the starting line-up today.

There are a few wildcards thrown in by Arteta as well, like Jorginho and Jesus starting, but Declan Rice starting from the bench. We also have Martinelli, Havertz and Partey being given a rest, which I can only think is because Mikel Arteta has got more than one eye on Tuesday’s visit to Lisboon in the Champions League on Tuesday.

I assume that this means that Arteta thinks he can rest players despite Forest actually being above us in the table, but keeping some players for the much bigger Premier European competition.

So here is his surprising starting XI….

Let’s hope this team can be enough to get us the whole 3 points against a high flying Forest team….

Arsenal secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest this afternoon, displaying renewed determination in the title race.

The Gunners started the game brightly and had the ball in the back of the net within five minutes, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

With Kai Havertz absent and Martin Odegaard returning to the lineup, Arsenal employed a short-passing strategy to break down their opponents.

The tactic was a joy to watch, and it didn’t take long for Arsenal to capitalise, as Bukayo Saka opened the scoring after finding space to unleash a clinical shot.

Forest struggled to respond to Arsenal’s relentless pressure, and the Gunners continued to dominate the early stages of the match.

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Ethan Nwaneri is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young talents at Arsenal, and it might not be long before Mikel Arteta has to find a regular spot for him in the starting XI. The teenager has impressed with his performances in his limited appearances in the Premier League, Champions League, and Carabao Cup. His flair and maturity beyond his years have caught the eye of many fans and pundits alike.

Despite Nwaneri’s evident potential, Arteta has been cautious with how much first-team football he gives the youngster. The manager is mindful of not overwhelming him too soon, understanding the delicate balance of developing a young player without rushing their progress. However, Nwaneri’s contributions have not gone unnoticed, and as the team looks to improve their form, the question arises: could he be given more playing time in the upcoming matches?

The next test for Arsenal is a high-stakes London derby against Chelsea, and Nwaneri’s cameo appearance in the recent game against Inter Milan has sparked discussion about whether he should start this crucial match. Former Arsenal player Kieran Gibbs has weighed in on the matter, advising Arteta to give the young star a chance. In an interview with ESPN, Gibbs stated, “I would start him there. You could have said over the last months with the results that they have had that he could have played a couple of games and see how it went. Now I think it would be a good time to throw him in.”

Given the team’s recent struggles, introducing fresh talent like Nwaneri could provide a much-needed spark. His creativity and energy might be the injection Arsenal needs as they push to get back on track and win more matches. If Arteta trusts Nwaneri more in the upcoming games, it could mark the beginning of an important phase in his career, helping Arsenal to build a stronger future.

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Arsenal is reportedly among the clubs interested in signing Jonathan David as his contract nears expiration, which could offer a valuable solution to their recent scoring challenges. Despite a strong start to the season, Arsenal’s form has waned, with goals proving harder to come by in recent weeks. Many fans and analysts have observed that the club missed an opportunity to add firepower to their attack in the summer transfer window when they chose not to sign an additional striker.

In the summer, Arsenal was linked with several forward targets, including Benjamin Sesko, who ultimately chose to stay at RB Leipzig. Rather than pursue other options, Arsenal opted not to bring in a new striker. However, with their recent struggles in front of goal, adding a proven scorer like David could give the team a much-needed boost in the second half of the season. Waiting until the summer could prove risky, as David would be a free agent by then and likely attract increased competition from other top clubs.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal’s competition for David is already significant, with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool reportedly interested in the Canadian forward as well. Additionally, elite European clubs such as Barcelona and Juventus are also monitoring his situation, making it clear that David’s next move will be hotly contested.

David has proven himself a consistent goalscorer in recent seasons, both in Ligue 1 with Lille and internationally. Known for his pace, movement, and finishing ability, his skillset aligns well with Arsenal’s style, and his goal-scoring consistency could provide the boost they need. Securing David’s signature in January would help Arsenal gain an edge over their rivals and potentially inject much-needed depth and versatility into Mikel Arteta’s front line as they pursue a stronger finish to their Premier League campaign.

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