Arsenal Women Analysis: Arsenal Tune into Leicester Channels
When Arsenal start with Stina Blackstenius upfront, it usually indicates they expect to face an opponent who either plays a high defensive line or is vulnerable in the channels. Leicester, coached by Rick Passmore, have been playing with a back three.
Post-Match Insights from Renee Slegers
Arseblog News asked Renee Slegers after the match if Arsenal had a plan to exploit Leicester in the channels:
“We always want to look at the opposition and where we see opportunities and we want to look at our own strengths in the squad. If you talk about Stina and her performance today, she did everything that she’s good at. She played to her strengths, but also the team put her in really good positions. So I’m happy with what she meant for us today, and I think we found some good moments to exploit things that Leicester gave us.”
Arsenal’s Strategy to Exploit Leicester’s Narrow Back Line
Arsenal’s plan to target the channels in Leicester’s defense started immediately after kickoff. Within five seconds, Steph Catley received the ball and quickly set Blackstenius through on goal. This presented an opportunity for what might have been the fastest goal in WSL history. However, Blackstenius took a heavy touch, allowing Leicester to clear the ball.
Key Moments
- Use of a forward (Blackstenius) to exploit opponent’s defensive weaknesses
- Targeting narrow back three from Leicester
- Immediate pressing and fast transitions from kickoff
The team’s approach combined individual strengths with tactical awareness, creating chances based on Leicester’s defensive setup.
Author’s summary: Arsenal effectively leveraged Stina Blackstenius’ strengths and quick attacking transitions to challenge Leicester’s narrow defensive formation from the outset.