Arsenal Women have been the frontrunners for the WSL title throughout 2021/2022, and currently sit five points clear of Chelsea Women (although Chelsea do have two games in hand). Their good form is a result of the tactics instilled in the team by head coach Jonas Eidevall, with the players now having more freedom to move around the pitch and create opportunities in the final third.
His signings have also been clever, with the most high-profile addition being Sweden striker Stina Blackstenius, who joined on a free transfer from BK Häcken in January. She has provided both competition and support for main target player Vivianne Miedema, and is potentially a vision of the future when Miedema may not be there. However, in the present, Eidevall has had a small problem; how to get both players onto the pitch at the same time and not disturb his already established formation.
As this tactical analysis will show, his solution was to give Miedema a new midfield role, whilst Blackstenius was asked to play as the centre forward, and this has arguably led to his team posing an even bigger threat than before. This scout report will look to break down the reasons for this, focusing on Miedema’s new role, how Blackstenius has fitted into the attacking line and why the partnership between both has been crucial to Arsenal’s recent good form.
Vivianne Miedema in possession
The player who has had to adapt the most to this new way of playing is Vivianne Miedema, as she has effectively been turned into a playmaker and is no longer the team’s main striker. Our analysis will therefore begin by looking at her performances since the new tactics were introduced.
The basics of Arsenal Women’s play are that they keep the ball on the ground and play through the thirds, and their quick transitions are one reason that other teams have found them much harder to beat this season.
However, the success of this style of play relies on players running into spaces and having a good control of the ball, and the fact that Miedema has always had these qualities in her skillset made her a natural fit for the playmaker role. When she drops into these deeper areas of the pitch, her vision and wide range of passing has been key in helping her team to build their attacks from the back, whilst her teammates get forward and provide her with passing options, as Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord and Beth Mead are all doing here.
