Kim Little reached 400 Arsenal appearances as Arsenal closed in on a Champions League London derby.
Arsenal have been deserved 4-0 winners in Belgium on Wednesday at OH Leuven. So long as nothing unimaginable occur subsequent week at Meadow Park, Arsenal will meet Chelsea within the UEFA Girls Champions League quarter-finals.
Commercial
Kim Little got here on instead to succeed in her four-hundredth Arsenal look, a formidable milestone contemplating she spent an excellent variety of seasons overseas within the USA and in Australia. I nonetheless bear in mind once we signed her, as a result of Arsenal didn’t announce it correctly. I used to be trying on the line-ups within the Guardian for the Leeds away sport that adopted a defeat within the League Cup and there was a reputation, Little. I believed we had signed Stacey Little, which didn’t make sense in any respect.
Photograph by Catherine Ivill/Getty Pictures
Then it was all revealed later. A 16-year-old Scottish playmaker who would change into one of many key gamers for Arsenal, a legend of the crew. For me, when it comes to expertise and soccer intelligence, Kim Little is similar to Zinedine Zidane. Her technical potential, imaginative and prescient of the sport, passing, capturing, work charge and skill to reinvent herself in a distinct function are world class.
Commercial
She may even extend her profession taking part in as a centre-back if she desires to.
For this Champions League play-off, Renee Slegers had at her disposal a squad that’s changing into thinner and thinner. It does remind me of the magic pores and skin e book from Honore de Balzac. Arsenal may solely identify eight substitutes when you possibly can identify 12 general. She managed to rotate just a few gamers who undoubtedly wanted a relaxation and provides sport time to these getting back from damage or private day trip of soccer.
The crew was Daphne van Domselaar; Emily Fox, Leah Williamson, Laia Codina, Katie McCabe; Mariona Caldentey, Victoria Pelova; Chloe Kelly, Frida Maanum, Caitlin Foord; Olivia Smith. The Smith experiment at quantity 9 carried on and it allowed a relaxation for Alessia Russo.
Smith was additionally concerned in an unsurprising yellow card offence which means she’s going to miss the second leg of the tie for free of charge to the crew.
Commercial
What we noticed in Louvain have been many top quality crew targets, wonderful motion off the ball that led to at least one contact passes and crosses. We have now seen Arsenal battle to go round opposition defences in latest instances, which led to many attracts within the league. It was actually good to see that creativity can occur in opposition to a low block.
It was additionally necessary to see Russo, Steph Catley and Lotte Wubben-Moy begin the sport on the bench whereas Williamson and Kelly bought begins after lacking many video games because of accidents. After all, the damage rely is beginning to get worrying: Beth Mead, Anneke Borbe, Stina Blackstenius, Taylor Hinds and Katie Reid, with an ACL damage, have been absent. Sophie Harwood was not there, however was certainly taking part in with the under-21 academy crew. It was additionally good to see Kyra Cooney-Cross getting on the pitch after getting back from Australia.
Total, a superb efficiency, permitting for load administration, too. All of it means Arsenal can put out their finest XI within the league sport away to Brighton on Sunday and rotate or relaxation gamers in opposition to OH Leuven within the second leg in addition to in opposition to Bristol within the FA Cup in per week’s time.