Arsenal are set to carry out a full review of their Women’s Super League campaign during the current international break, after Sunday’s 4-2 defeat away at Manchester City left them 10 points behind the leaders.
The Guardian reported on Tuesday that the club are poised to undertake what it described as a “big review” of the season so far. The aim is to establish why the early weeks of the campaign have gone wrong.
The scale of the gap is stark. Manchester City sit top of the WSL, and Arsenal now trail them by 10 points before the autumn is out. Sunday’s result was a direct blow in a meeting between two expected title contenders.
Slow starts are a familiar issue for Arsenal. The Guardian noted that the problems have surfaced again in the early stages, a pattern that has cost the club ground in previous title races.
Arsenal’s mentality questioned against Chelsea and City
The Guardian’s analysis questioned whether the squad has enough grit, resilience and tenacity to win the league. It argued that Arsenal’s technical quality is not in doubt, describing the group Slegers has assembled as world-class.
The concern lies elsewhere. According to the paper, Arsenal appear unable to match Chelsea and Manchester City on the mental side of a title race, raising the question of whether the team is hard-edged enough to finish top.
Arsenal have not been crowned WSL champions since 2019. In that period Chelsea and Manchester City have been their main rivals at the top of the English game.
A 10-point deficit for Slegers to close
For Slegers, the break offers time to reset without fixtures. It also leaves her with a sizeable deficit to recover once domestic football resumes, with Manchester City setting the pace.
Arsenal have not publicly set out the details or findings of any review. Their next task is to stop the gap to the leaders growing beyond 10 points when the WSL restarts after the international window.
