Arsenal women: From Champions League Prelims too Final Showdown with Barcelona

Just a year removed from a heartbreaking Champions League preliminary round exit against Paris FC via penalty shootout,Arsenal Women,now under the guidance of Renée Slegers,find themselves on the cusp of glory. They’re set to face Barcelona in the Champions League final this Saturday at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Kickoff is at 6:00 PM CET, and U.S. fans can catch the action on DAZN and potentially other streaming services – check your local listings!

Slegers, a former midfielder who witnessed Arsenal’s sole Champions League triumph in 2007 as a youth player, took over the managerial reins last october following Jonas Eidevall’s departure. Her impact has been transformative, notably with the summer acquisition of Spanish international Mariona Caldentey.

Caldentey’s move to London after a decade of dominance with Barcelona has proven to be a masterstroke. Despite often flying under the radar in terms of individual accolades at Barça, her adaptation to Arsenal has been seamless. Actually, she was recently crowned the Women’s Super League Player of the Year.

But it’s not just Caldentey. Arsenal boasts a potent attacking force led by Alessia Russo. The English striker,valued at €375,000 according to soccerdonna,topped the WSL scoring charts this season with 12 goals and added another seven in the Champions League,trailing only Barcelona’s Claudia Pina (10).

Russo and Mariona give the team touch, says former spanish international Natalia Pablos, who played for Arsenal from 2015 to 2017.

Pablos recalls her time with the Gunners as her only fully professional experience. Arsenal was investing heavily in its women’s program, creating a foundation for future success. This included top-tier facilities like the Realty Training Centre in London,a meaningful advantage over manny rivals.

We had all the comforts,we ate at the club,and we trained in the morning.The gym was still under construction, but we had a temporary ship that was exclusive to us, Pablos remembers.

During her tenure, Pablos played alongside early Arsenal stars like asisat Oshoala, Daniëlle van de Donk, and Fara williams, and also established English players like Casey Stoney and Alex Scott.

This investment in the women’s section has yielded impressive results. After a period of Champions League absence (2014-2015 to 2018-2019), Arsenal has consistently improved, reaching the quarterfinals in 2020, repeating the feat two years later, and advancing to the semifinals in 2023.

This season’s Champions League final appearance has propelled Arsenal to seventh in the UEFA club rankings. Despite an early cup exit, they secured second place in the league, guaranteeing a Champions League spot for next season and bypassing the preliminary rounds. We have had to overcome many arduous situations,many setbacks,but the persistence of the team and the fact of continuing to believe have been key to us, Slegers told UEFA recently.

Arsenal’s resilience was evident in their quarterfinal comeback against Real Madrid (overcoming a 2-0 deficit with a 3-0 win at the Emirates) and their semifinal triumph over Olympique Lyonnais (reversing a 1-2 home loss with a 4-1 victory in France).This demonstrates a tactical versatility, capable of both controlling possession and launching rapid counterattacks.

According to Hudl Statsbomb, Arsenal leads Champions League clubs in expected goals per shot (0.13), slightly ahead of Barcelona (0.11). They also boast the highest dribbling success rate (58%) and the third-best passing accuracy (84%), trailing only barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Mariona Caldentey recently highlighted the team’s confidence: We have matured, we play more confidently. Lately, we have honed many goals, but we also have a lot of ease to score and we are a team of sparkle with which we can change the game in five minutes. That gives us confidence to know that we do not need to have the best game or be superdominant to win.

Arsenal’s improved squad, led by Renée Slegers, faces a daunting challenge against Barcelona in Lisbon. Whether they can disrupt Barcelona’s possession-based game remains to be seen, but their versatility and attacking prowess make them a dangerous opponent.

further Investigation: For U.S. fans, it would be fascinating to analyze the potential impact of this Champions league final on the upcoming NWSL season. Could the success of players like Russo and Caldentey inspire a new generation of American players? Also,a deeper dive into the financial investment in European women’s soccer compared to the NWSL would provide valuable context.