London, England, April 21 2024: Steph Catley (7 Arsenal) in action during the Barclays Womens Super League game between Arsenal and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium in London, England. (Jay Patel/SPP)
Steph Catley is delighted that there is so much competition for places in the Arsenal starting line-up.
The Australia international returned to the team for Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup fifth-round encounter against Bristol City having missed the midweek UEFA Women’s Champions League game against OH Leuven.
The Gunners cruised through to the quarter-finals, beating the Robins 3-0 at Boreham Wood.
And Catley said afterwards that she was pleased that there was such a fierce challenge for the starting spots.
“I think that’s what you want at a team like Arsenal,” Catley said to the club’s official website.
“We’ve got world-class players all over the pitch and not everyone can play all the time, so it’s nice to be able to rotate.
“You know anyone that comes in is ready to do their job and is at a high level, so that’s exactly what you want to be to put yourself in a good position as a team.
“So I think that’s just spurred us forward.”
Steph Catley: Arsenal have found our feet as a squad
After a very inconsistent start to the season – and falling away from the Women’s Super League title race early on – Arsenal have now won seven matches on the bounce.
Catley puts that down to mindset – and, interestingly, squad rotation.
“I think the attitude has been amazing,” she said. “I think we’ve really found our feet, especially as a squad. We’ve been able to rotate a lot. Just about every single player’s had consistent minutes in this block.
“I think that’s been really nice for the team and good for our momentum. Everyone’s in form, everyone’s contributing.
“And yes, we’re just in a great place with confidence and scoring goals, keeping clean sheets, so it’s been a really positive window for us.”
