The sun is shining, the Underground is too busy and too warm again, and another season of the FAWSL is drawing to a close. It has been a strange season, with crowds returning and growing, COVID cancellations, the introduction of UWCL group stages and a delayed FA Cup. At time of writing the end of the season is two days away, and for some teams there is still everything to play for – a UWCL place battle between the Manchester clubs, and a title race still too close to call.
In second place with a slim margin of a single point, the league title is no longer in Arsenal’s hands. Chelsea have come close to dropping points a few times in recent weeks, with slim wins over Aston Villa and Birmingham City, and a couple of odd matches against Spurs. But still, they have prevailed. In general, this has been attributed to their mentality – they are accustomed to winning and it shows. Chelsea are a team who have built a strong foundation over the past ten years under the coaching of Emma Hayes, and therein lies the difference between Chelsea and Arsenal in recent seasons.
Arsenal’s season has been a narrative in itself – opening with a winning streak stopped by North London rivals Spurs, their WSL unbeaten streak abruptly halted by bottom of the league, soon to be relegated Birmingham City. A notable December/January dip followed by a return to form. Winning eight points from matches vs. Chelsea and Manchester City, versus just one last season. Losing just two points from home games, losing just one match overall, conceding just 10 goals. Despite a disappointing lack of trophies and a narrowly lost WSL title Arsenal are on the ascent and are showing signs of ambition they have solely lacked for a couple of seasons.
On Tuesday head coach Jonas Eidevall said he enjoys coaching Arsenal because of the pressure it confers upon his position, it in fact “makes him feel alive”. His passion has been evident throughout the season on the sidelines and was so in his press conference on Friday ahead of the final game of the season. Shortly after his contract extension through to 2023/24 was announced he praised his bosses at the club for instilling trust in him, the Arsenal staff he works with and Mikel Arteta for keeping his door open for advice. Eidevall described himself as “so lucky” and evidently relishes the challenge of the role. He’s quickly adjusted to the WSL, bringing in a high press playing style and new signings in a very busy season, while achieving great results. Arsenal have been in the top two in the league since the beginning of the season, reaching an FA Cup final and semi-final, and the UWCL quarter finals – not a bad start. His leadership is based around collaboration and optimism – on finding a process that works and having belief in it, on setting high standards and “dreaming really beautiful dreams”, and on finding that optimism even when times are hard. It’s a mentality Arsenal seem to have leaned into more and more as the season’s progressed.
Beth Mead: Player of the Season
Arguably no one has more epitomised the fight Arsenal have rediscovered this season than Beth Mead, the England winger who has been with the club since 2017. She didn’t have the best 20/21 season (but on the positive side, Vivianne Miedema’s on-pitch complaint “she’s just not rocking up today” has integrated itself into my lexicon) and was omitted from the Team GB squad for the Tokyo Olympics. She channelled her disappointment in the decision by using the summer to train up, came into the new season raring to go and hasn’t slowed down since.
Mead scored twice in the opening game of the season against Chelsea at the Emirates and has since scored another nine (and counting) and assisted eight (and counting) in the WSL, placing her third in the Golden Boot race behind only the world-revered Sam Kerr and Vivianne Miedema. She broke the WSL record for chances created in a single season at 68 (and counting) and open play chances in a single season at 54 (and counting). In April she reached the milestone of 50 goals scored in the WSL – an exclusive club of only 8 members – and broke Karen Carney’s league assist record of 35 assists. At an international level she scored a hattrick in 14 minutes against Northern Ireland as a super sub for a Lionesses World Cup qualifier in October and seems to have cemented a firm place in the national team for this summer’s Euros.
Beyond the numbers, every minute on the pitch she’s shown a hunger to prove herself – using her work rate and energy both offensively and defensively. When she scores, she’s up for more – when someone else scores she wants to add to the tally. Watching her play, it’s evident she doesn’t intend to come off the pitch until she’s contributed to a goal. Eidevall has been very complimentary of her – he said on Tuesday that while he had watched tape of her before working with her and was aware of her skills, she “blew his mind” in the qualities she possesses as a player, and he “doesn’t think she’s reached her peak yet” – an exciting prospect.
Rebuilding a winning mentality
An underrated turning point in the season came after a slump in performances in the wake of December’s FA Cup final defeat and the losses to Hoffenheim and Birmingham City. Two matches, against Manchester City and Brighton in late January, were vital for Arsenal’s title race hopes, and in both they had to come from behind.
Some may not agree with viewing Tobin Heath’s brief stint with the club a success – joining in September she made just 17 appearances and scored 3 goals for the club before returning to the States. But the multiple Olympic gold medallist and multiple World Cup winner brought a wealth of experience to a team that needed a mental edge and will surely have a lasting impact on the players she played alongside. Besides that, if there’s anything Tobin Heath will be remembered for at Arsenal, it will be her 92nd minute equaliser versus Manchester City. After a terrible refereeing decision leading to a Manchester City goal, Arsenal struggled to regain footing and looked demoralised in a period in which they’d seen a streak of losses and draws. That equaliser was undoubtedly a turning point, and evidently meant a great deal to both Tobin and the rest of the team.
In their next match four days later against Brighton, Arsenal’s opposition scored in the first half and Arsenal once again looked demoralised. But the second half was a different team entirely, led by a rousing halftime talk and Beth Mead, who assisted the equaliser and then scored the winner with a couple of stellar free kicks. Arsenal went on to draw against Chelsea in the match of the season and draw with Manchester United, coming from behind to score the equaliser. With later defeats, like the UWCL quarter final loss to Wolfsburg and the FA cup semi-final loss to Chelsea Arsenal have bounced back quickly to win league matches emphatically, something Eidevall also praised on Tuesday. Leah Williamson commented on this turn around after Wednesday’s match, saying the players had made a pact to finish on a high and to win the matches at the end of the season heedless of the title race.
Hopefully this is a sign of progress. The majority of Arsenal’s most disappointing performances this season have come in knock-out matches against big teams – the two FA Cup matches against Chelsea and the second leg of the quarter-final vs. Wolfsburg. In these three high pressure matches Arsenal looked lacking and played far from their best football, which was probably best showcased this season in their 0-0 draw vs. Chelsea in February and their 7-0 thrashing of Aston Villa in May. These big matches are where Arsenal need to improve next season in terms of mentality and adaptability in the face of teams able to adapt better to counter them, and who currently have the edge mentally. On Tuesday, Eidevall voiced his opinions on how the top WSL teams need to improve to be able to compete seriously with other top European teams – by increasing their tempo and time on the ball and practicing one-touch football. Arsenal have a ways to go – but they have growing club investment, a quality squad and ambitions to return to the top of women’s football. With time, stability, and further improvements in mentality, they can do great things.