Everton Women v Arsenal Preview

Yesterday at 03:00 PM

THE LOWDOWN
Arsenal travel to Walton Hall Park on Friday night to face Everton in the WSL. Renee Slegers has the task of picking her team up after their unexpected FA Cup exit to Liverpool at the weekend but their bid to qualify for next season's Champions League takes centre stage domestically now.

Walton Hall Park has generally been a happy hunting ground for the Gunners though they were held to a draw there last season. With Manchester City dropping points in the final moments at West Ham last week, Arsenal are in a good position to finish 3rd at least, they play 2nd placed Manchester United at home on the final day of the season too.

However, they need to cut out surprises like last weekend, where Arsenal floundered on a bad pitch with an excitable ball. Nevertheless, they lacked the raw power and directness to make the conditions hurt Liverpool too. The return of Chloe Kelly, cup tied for that game, will help but Arsenal are in a run of winnable WSL games and they need maximum returns.

However, Everton have improved since the winter break, the change in ownership at the club allowed them to thicken out their threadbare squad in January and last season showed that Arsenal are not bulletproof at this stadium. Everton held the Gunners to a 0-0 draw in October at Emirates Stadium too.

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal are still without Lotte Wubben-Moy due to a muscle injury but Chloe Kelly returns after being cup tied for the game against Liverpool. Lina Hurtig is available again after illness.

Available squad
Goalkeepers: 1.Zinsberger 14.van Domselaar 40.Williams
Defenders: 2.Fox 5.L.Codina 6.Williamson 7.Catley 11.McCabe 22.Nighswonger 28.Ilestedt 62.Reid
Midfielders: 10.Little(c) 12.L.Maanum 13.Walti 16.Kafaji 21.Pelova 32.Cooney-Cross
Forwards: 8.Mariona 9.Mead 17.Hurtig 18.Kelly 19.Foord 23.Russo 25.Blackstenius

A WORD FROM THE BOSS
You see them change between systems, I think what it looks like what Brian (Sorensen) is trying to do is to play them to their strengths and adjust to the opposition. I think that’s the real strength of them. I think they’ve they’ve got it right lately. They brought in some new players that are really contributing for them as well.

I think what they do, but more and more teams in the WSL do, is they shift well between an aggressive press. They recognise when they want to press as a team, but they’re also very comfortable and disciplined when they defend their own goal and in a low block. So I think that’s the strength of them and I think we have to try and break that down on Friday.

We can all agree that we didn’t succeed last Sunday so then it’s about what do we need to focus on an emphasize moving forwards and we need to leave emotions from last Sunday behind us and look at it more objectively and constructively. I think we did that. We had good meetings on Monday. We had a day off on Tuesday and came back in and I feel that the whole staff are refreshed and looking forward.

LAST TIME OUT
When the teams met at Emirates Stadium in October, the Toffees held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw in Jonas Eidevall's penultimate WSL game in charge. When the teams met at Walton Hall Park last April, Alessia Russo gave Arsenal a late lead but Issy Hobbs equalised for the home side in stoppage time.

https://youtu.be/c-gl2B_lcgs?feature=shared

THE OPPOSITION
Since being able to expand an already small squad devastated by injury in January, Everton's results have picked up. The Toffees suffered ACL injuries to Aurora Galli and Inma Gabarro in the opening weeks of the season, exposing an already small squad. Megan Finnegan has since joined them after rupturing her ACL at the end of January.

However, following the takeover of 777 at Christmas, the Toffees were able to loosen the purse-strings and add to the squad with the signings of Hayley Ladd, Martina Fernandez, Kelly Gago, Emma Watson, Louna Ribadeira and Maren Mjelde. Early in the campaign, Everton just couldn't buy a goal, they only scored twice in their first seven WSL games of the season and one of those was an own goal.

They have been defensively mean under Sorensen all season, conceding only 22 goals (Manchester City have conceded 20). Everton generally play with a back three, they pass out from the back and commit numbers around the ball, tempting the opponent to do the same before hitting big switches of play into space.

PLAYER TO WATCH

If the player of the season vote were to take place now, Mariona Caldentey would figure strongly in the voting. The Spaniard has adjusted well to life at Arsenal and become one of the team's most consistent and productive performers. However, last weekend she felt rather thwarted in a more central position in tough conditions with a ball that was very difficult to get under control.

Mariona always likes to play in-field and Liverpool and West Ham gave Arsenal some problems with an intense central press, clogging up central areas. Everton will do something similar, they usually play in this manner in any case. With a back five, they will be aggressive in their defending and Arsenal will need some guile to open them up.

Games against Everton are also dictated by how well you press them in possession, they like to have the ball in their own defensive third to bait the press. Mariona is Arsenal's most effective and prolific player at winning the ball back in the final third and that quality could be just as important as her creativity with the ball at her feet.

PREDICTED LINE UPS

Subs: 1.Zinsberger 9.Mead 12.L.Maanum 13.Walti 16.Kafaji 18.Kelly 21.Pelova 22.Nighswonger 28.Ilestedt

HOW TO CATCH THE GAME
The game will be played at Walton Hall Park at 7pm on Friday evening, the game will be streamed live and free on the Barclays WSL YouTube channel.

COMING UP
We'll have Aidan Gibson's on the whistle match report right on full-time, while we will also have every word of Renee Slegers' post-match press conference online around an hour after the game. Jamie and I will have a podcast for you on Monday morning. Arseblog News will be in Madrid for next week's UWCL tie too.

The post Everton Women v Arsenal Preview appeared first on Arseblog News - the Arsenal news site.