Arsenal Women Arsecast Episode 153: We are the champions...of the world

0:13Hello and welcome to the Arsenal Women AskCastCast on AskBlog.com with me your host Tim Stillman with the World Champions Edition. That is right, Arsenal women, not satisfied with winning every other trophy, lifted their 65th trophy in their 39th year on Sunday evening as they were crowned champions of the world. Now, I think there is some dispute over that precise branding because we still have a Club World Cup to come in 2028. And I think that officially crowns the kind of World Club champions, but it hasn't happened yet. And we're going to win that anyway, quite frankly. So here to go over, I mean, the game, but there's quite a lot of stuff around the game, after the game, news spilling out left, right and centre, some of which we'll address in the second half in the questions.

0:59So here to go over all of that with me as ever as our co-host, Jamie Spanger. Jamie, how are you doing? Champions of the world, Tim. I'm running with it. I'm running with it until I can no longer run with it because frankly, you can't really dispute it right now. No other team can go and say they're the champions of the world. So not only are we the only in the land, we're the only in the globe. It's a good day. But as ever, Tim, never a quiet week to be around the Arsenal women. So, yeah, there's a lot to go. But this game was obviously long. However, it has been a drama for a week. As usual, the banter club prevails.

1:34We win another trophy. Fantastic time to be alive. Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, like, no one can take it off us, the world champions tags. like are you the world champions no you're not so go away um but i mean just just as a starter for 10 jamie like this this tournament it's it's really strange i did something on friday for espn brazil um i don't know if it's if it's out yet um and if anyone's interested in it i did it in portuguese so you know um might not understand it if you don't speak portuguese but um you know just talking about like where English and European fans place this and obviously I think for a lot of footballing and cultural reasons huge for Brazilian fans in particular to take on like the best of Europe and the US in particular for English fans or for fans of English teams as well quite strange because it's right in the middle of the season it's right in the middle of games against Chelsea Manchester United and Manchester City and then it's like just plonked in there and then the final happens in our stadium.

2:39It felt a little bit strange. But what were your kind of feelings on the kind of mini tournament overall? Now it's over. Yeah, I think there's a few things about this tournament. Look, the first one is always going to be a bit of a trial period and I think they did a good job at planning it the way that they could. Maybe in London, you're putting the one in-season team at home so it does kind of get rid of that travel aspect and then the three preseason teams don't have to do, they have to be the ones to travel. However, they're not preparing for season games. So I think if you must have it during this time, they probably did the best that they could in terms of just kind of negating all those external factors.

3:18So yeah, full respect to that. However, I do agree with, you know, the outside noise. I know Gotham keeper Ann Katrinberger was very, very angry about the timing of the tournament and it being preseason. I did think there was a little bit of irony in the fact that Corinthians beat Gotham and they're also not in season. So if that's going to be your argument in fitness, it's probably not the best argument to make depending on your opponent. Like it's different if they go and lose to Arsenal. But I think, yeah, ideally there's a better time and a place for this to be played. But then you look at it and it's all teams are either going to be out of season.

3:47And if you play this in September when, you know, just before the NWSL like playoffs, Arsenal are either just starting this as well, not Arsenal in particular, but the European clubs are either just starting their season or they're about to head into their season. It's a very bad time anyway. So I think you're always going to get a case because of the fact that the NWSL has played over the summer years and so is the Brazilian League. And so like you're always going to, it's going to be really hard to find a time. Maybe you stage it in like the earlier Christmas months where Arsenal aren't particularly, they're still in season, but they're on a break.

4:18But I do think this is a difficult one because when you're having an intercontinental championship, you're never going to be able to have like the perfect time for all four teams. So I think as a trial period, the spectacle looked great. obviously I wasn't there Tim and I'm really keen to hear about how it was as someone that was on the ground but I thought that they they um like FIFA we obviously I don't have that most respect for them as an organization I don't think anyone does but I think for a first time tournament I do like the idea of a mini tournament it does kind of seem like champions of the world you won two games however you're gonna have to tease out these kind of kinks at the start yeah definitely on Wednesday at Brentford obviously I think the Corinthians fans were certainly on Wednesday were the ones who really bought the cut brought the color and the noise and that's you know Brazil I think is probably the biggest diaspora in the world you know size of population the amount of people that they emigrate and that's that's actually one of the reasons I think it's going to be hard to host one of these in Brazil because Brazilians will turn out wherever you host this thing there will be a brazilian community and um it was actually ended up quite a nice mix of like um kind of brazilian ultras and school kids on wednesday which actually turned out really really nicely because like i think the school kids ended up just having the time of their lives because they were just like oh this we're just going to join in basically and uh and it was really good and And obviously I think, you know, Corinthians beating Gotham gave us a bit of an upset, but it's one of the really good things about this tournament.

5:56I was kind of trying to tell people, I don't think that's as big an upset as people think. And, you know, coming up to the final, I was kind of saying Corinthians, they're going to give this everything and they're a really good team and they're used to winning and they've got really, really good players. They are not coming to be poor relations. I think obviously there's difference in levels among the respective continents, but the Corinthians are so far ahead of pretty much everyone in South America, but they really wanted to win that game. And then in the build-up, we also had an espionage complaint because two of Arsenal's under 16 players who they train at the Hive, Barnett's ground, which is where Corinthians were based.

6:48They lifted a blind and had a little look. And there was a complaint made by Corinthians about this. I think the manager, Lucas Piccinato, was asked about this. And he kind of put it more at FIFA's door where he was kind of saying, that shouldn't like we shouldn't have you know been given a training ground where one of our opponents youth teams train which i think is a really like the hives a great facility that's the thing but i think that's a reasonable complaint to be honest um i like i really don't think arsenal was sending 15 year old children in full arsenal gear to actually spy on corinthians um which is very much arsenal's angle on it but it created a little bit of needle certainly online um And actually, again, one of the things I wrote about before this, Jamie, was that I felt that actually Corinthians, I know everyone wanted the WSL NWSL final, which I do think would have been great.

7:46but Corinthians being in the final for a game that meant so much to them who had no trouble emotionally placing it like it gave it even in the build-up it just gave it a little bit of needle and a bit of an intense feel which I think we definitely saw translated into the game I think that this was best case scenario for the game because the tournament we did the semi-finals didn't really feel like it really meant anything to any of the clubs obviously they're all there to win, but it's no rivalry. There's no real excitement around it. Like none of these teams have played each other before. So I thought it's so funny though.

8:21The image of the two Arsenal players is so funny because they look like Ninja Turtles with their giant red backpacks. And it just, if you're spying on a team, I'm not sure that Arsenal are going to send two kids in like full kit and massive red backpacks bigger than their body. It's so funny. It's really so funny, but I, yeah, I agree. I was really excited for the prospect of a Gotham Arsenal final because I love the NWSL. I love watching it. And I really actually quite like Gotham. However, the game wouldn't have been as good. The atmosphere wouldn't have been as good. Corinthians would like, they show up Arsenal fans.

8:51Like we pride ourselves on being the best fans in the world. That was incredible. They were incredible in the semifinals. They were incredible in the final, the noise they created, just the atmosphere and how many of them there were. It was so, so good. And I think that this is exactly what women's football needs. And I think Brazilian football, you'll know all about this team. Like they are, it's such an underrated like part of the world for the passion and I think that we need that in women's football those are the kind of like that's what we want the game to be like like if we want to take the game seriously we want the game to be like that so I think it's so good when you have these kind of two teams of massive fan bases come together and a little bit of rivalry and controversy in the lead up I think led to a really big battle and it was heated out there it definitely was and and I think a lot of that was generated from the noise so a big uh just applause for the Corinthians fans but at the same time I think the controversy led to a lot of fun on match day.

9:43Yeah definitely there was like a bit of a narrative in the build-up about Arsenal underestimating Corinthians and you know maybe not really caring about this game and dismissing the opponent and a lot of which I again I understand kind of culturally Brazil is this enormous country but it's only just over 500 years old and you know is kind of pushed aside a little bit um in the shadow of Europe in the US globally and so you know it's taken very seriously to compete against those kind of teams but um it was really funny actually on Wednesday at the semi-final I was at the edge of the press box in Brentford and there were these I think I was next to like a kind of a bit of a VIP section like I think it's players families and there were these there were this group of women who were who were yelling a lot and um i don't think they realized i could understand what they were saying um because um yeah not pg language um particularly and uh and it's fine i went up to them afterwards and i just had a little bit of a chat with them and i was just like you know corinthians are not my brazilian team but i'm really happy to see this i'm really happy to see a brazilian team win and uh and all of a sudden one of them's like oh my god you you've been understanding what we've been saying this whole time and i was like yeah yeah don't worry and then the great thing was i looked um a few hours later and corinthians posted a video of the coach lucas uh bigginato and uh his wife coming down from the crowd and one of the women was his wife that is so good it was yeah it was like absolutely brilliant uh so i i had no idea like it was his wife that I spoke to afterwards but they were like they were just in tears of joy at the final whistle so yeah so some kind of really nice stuff some yeah some needles some slightly edgy stuff but we get to the final um I mean the Asfar game I don't think we need to really talk about that um quite frankly other than again great to see like a strong Moroccan contingent um in the crowd as well um and again that's one of the advantages of hosting in london i think you'd have got the same thing if it had been in like new york or new jersey and it had been gotham's back garden you'd have got loads of brazilians um probably a good kind of cross-section of moroccans there as well but we get to the final having rested quite a few players on wednesday night so emily fox comes back in katie mccabe kim little steph catley all come back in but really the only place you really look at now i think in an arsenal starting 11 for a big game is who plays the number 10 and is it Freedom Ornum or Alessia Russo?

12:29And in this game, it was Alessia Russo. Any surprises there for you? No, no surprises with this lineup. I think maybe we see it transpire, but maybe we expect Corinthians to kind of sit back and really look good on the counterattack. And I think you just can't really use Freedom Ornum in those higher press games at the start of the games. I think you need, we've spoken a million times about how Alessia Russo is probably the best fit right now, despite the fact that she's our striker in that 10 to be able to kind of solidify and lock down that midfield when needed on the transition so if you expect Corinthians to play like that I can understand why Russo's there but I also think there's just room for Stina Blackstinius to be in this game and in and in that I think you need to play Russo on the 10 because why would you ever not play her and we've seen that because she she played the entire game so um yeah no surprises from that and I think yeah the right decision to play Russo and we'll come on to her performance but yeah again she's just so so impressive Yeah and I think a theme of maybe the period where I think Arsenal have gotten better over the last month or two is how Arsenal start games.

13:32The exception to this is the Manchester United 0-0 draw where Manchester United start much better but generally Arsenal have been starting strongly and they start this game strongly. I think they know that Corinthians would have wanted perhaps the game to be a bit more broken up in the early stages and Arsenal didn't really allow that. You know, Russo has a shot saved by Letizia, the goalkeeper who's sometimes known as Lele as well. She, in the Copa Libertadores, Corinthians won the semi-final and the final on penalties and she saved quite a few penalties. So, you know, she's got big experience in these kind of games.

14:10But then, you know, we see Steiner Blackstenius. I think Arsenal felt they could get in behind those full backs. Gilles Fernandes and Tamirez, who's 38, but still an incredible player. One of my favourite players. They get Blackstenius in, shot saved. And then, but then Olivia Smith, who, you know, after her red card against Manchester United, I think has responded very well. 1-0, it's pouring with rain. It's a loud stadium. It's dark. It just felt a bit like what the WSL doesn't feel like at the moment because of the kickoff times. But it was a great start by Arsenal. I completely agree. I was actually going to mention that.

14:53This being just an environment where there is a vocal away end, and that's obviously no disrespect to the WSL, but also there's clear room for improvement. I do still think the only team that offers up an away sport that's allowed is Man United. and I just think this game was like watching a like proper football match and I think we need to applaud that we need to be excited about that because when we have an intercontinental championship where the atmosphere is there we're not almost forcing it like women's football is there and it's there to make a massive presence on the global stage and it's not just England it's not just Europe everywhere in the world can can applaud women's football and I just thought this game was exactly what we need to see as football fans but a strong start from Arsenal I thought I I thought that they did really well at the press and I think they were really, really aggressive.

15:37And that's what Stina Buxtonius, I think, has always been good at. But in the last couple of weeks, it feels like she's just a lot. She's less like sometimes it just feels like she's a little bit of a headless chicken when she's pressing. Like she just kind of wants to run at the defenders. There's nothing really measured about it. She just wants to apply pressure. But in the Chelsea game, I really noticed that she's picking up the right pockets of space. She knows where to press because I just think that's on a building relationship with Alessio Russo. because I think when they started to play together, it often fell short.

16:05It often failed because I don't think they had any chemistry. Now I think Steena knows when she needs to press because she knows that Russo is going to cover the midfield and maybe that's a trust thing. But I think that this is a relationship on the pitch that's really, really growing and allows Arsenal to press really high in this instance. And Olivia Smith, that's just pure instinct to be there for the rebounds. And I think that's what, again, Arsenal have been lacking in recent weeks. There's no one at the back post so often when crosses go in. like crosses like we put them in they fly out for a throw in or there's no one kind of making that last run and it's good in this game because it feels like there is those last runs the players are making them a lot not everyone's playing centrally or kind of stepping back but yeah I'm happy for Olivia Smith because obviously that red card was for a young player that's a massive moment a league cup semi-final like there's a lot of character that needs to be showed to come up obviously you miss the Chelsea game but then you score in the semi-final and the final this Champions Cup you really make a statement as a young player so I'm glad it was Smith but it's a tap-in right but it's it's an instinctual run and like I said it's forced by a really really intelligent forward I think Steen is maybe she flies under the radar especially in the last maybe six months on how much she's developing in that in that aspect I think she's just a lot more measured and we like to joke about her being chaos but I think she's yeah she's going to be a very intelligent number nine Steen so yeah good goal from Arsenal I think maybe an underrated one because of how it went in.

17:23Yeah, her hold-up play, I think, has improved a lot as well over the last kind of six months or so. But, I mean, I spoke to a lot of people in the kind of press area and, you know, I think there was a feeling that if Arsenal get ahead in the first half that they would take the game away from Corinthians. I thought that could happen. I wasn't as sure because, you know, it's difficult to gauge the level because certainly the level of a lot of teams Corinthians play against in Brazil and South America is not quite the same as Arsenal. But I see this team a lot and they're very good. And mentally, they're used to winning.

18:02They're used to winning big games. They're used to winning big finals. And they fly straight back into it. And Duda Sampaio has a shot with the outside of her foot and tipped over by Anika Borba, who, before we go into the equaliser, I think first of all good news that she got spent the night at home and was discharged from hospital perhaps we'll go into a bit more at the end in the kind of ending of the game but this was an amazing shot amazing save. A phenomenal save she's pulled up in so many big moments Annika Borba and other than maybe that Manchester United the semi-final she has not really put a foot wrong since coming in for Van Domsala and this is another massive moment and And I think it kind of sets the tone for the game as well because Corinthians at not one stage in the game did I think they're not a threat or Arsenal can push them back and really pin them back and it's going to be fine and they'll go forward.

18:56I think that Corinthians, even in their moments where they look to be on the back foot, they always throughout this game look like they can create something. So these little moments are so important. Obviously, that's an obvious thing to say because you don't want the goal to go in, but there's a confidence thing here that you need to shut them down because I thought they looked confident. They looked like they wanted to press. They wanted to play high. so this is a save in a crucial point of the game where Annika Borba has done this a couple times now in recent weeks and she's a very very strong keeper and yeah just happy for her because it's not an easy ask to come in for a goalkeeper who they were they were pumping with cortisone shots last year because they needed her to play in the in the Champions League final now you can trust your number two and she puts on an amazing amazing performance week in and week out so big save because Corinthians they look they look very very threatening in a lot of moments these games yeah definitely and um and kind of helps anna kabob like being pumped full of quarter zone as well um quite frankly and i don't know that's going to change anytime soon um but one thing corinthians are really strong at and again sometimes it's difficult to gauge like levels and stuff like that they have a big set piece threat um they score a lot of set pieces and they scramble this one over the line I mean um you know it's it's it goes in against us but I think Gabi Zanotti uh 40 years old top scorer in the Copa Libertadores last year you know gets the winner in the semi-final scores this goal Brazilian journalist dug out the fact that she'd scored a last minute winner against Netherlands in 2010 in a game that Rene Slague has played in um as well um you know like i don't want this to sound patronizing but like because she's she's had a great career but like another one of the good i guess the feel-good stories coming out of this tournament is gabby's an otty yeah certainly i think that this is just like obviously we saw the semi-final as well and i just think again like this is someone that admittedly like I haven't watched enough of during like being a football fan and like I said like earlier this tournament I think just shows a lot about like it teaches people like I know a lot of people love the European leagues and like we maybe sometimes fall into the bad habit of being very Eurocentric when we watch women's football and I think we forget to kind of rate the talent and also rate the like the legends and the stories I think Marta is probably one of the only players from South America that's really broken through that and we really really respect her and I do think that just as football fans we have the like responsibility to be able to look outside of that and not just pay attention to like the Eurocentric view of football or even just if we're looking at the NWSL like that was on a lot of us to be like we assume it's a Gotham Arsenal final and there's no there's no like assumption that that should be like why are we making that assumption so yeah I think like Zanotti this is a player that deserves to be on these kind of stages and I just think the biggest takeaway from this is as women's football fans we need to know about these players and we admittedly not enough of us do and we expect like players like Kim Little to be globally recognized we need to kind of follow that on elsewhere as well yeah so Corinthians bring the game level Arsenal kind of this was a very kind of tit-for-tat game very intense um you know Russo has a header well saved but it's 1-1 at halftime Freedom Mornham comes on for Steiner Blackstenius at halftime but then Arsenal do go 2-1 up and they did start the second half very well as well they were kind of pinning Corinthians back one of the things Corinthians do very well is they have an attacker on the bench called Johnson who's really really good at running in behind so even when you think you've got them pinned back I mean the first time she ran at Lotta I think Lotta knew what she was in for there but it's actually Lotta Wubhamoy from an Emily Fox cross maybe the arrival of Smilla Holmberg you know getting getting Foxy staying off the training working on some of those crosses but I mean big moment and and I think Lotta really deserved this for her performance as well it's a fantastic goal the delivery is like fantastic from Emily Fox and obviously she cops a lot of flack from her crossing I just don't like when Emily Fox crosses the ball from the corner of the 18 yard box I think when she's running towards the back line she's very good at putting the ball in and I don't think we kind of give her enough credit for that I think sometimes we kind of blame her as being someone with bad delivery because of the fact that she's putting balls in that are always going to be to the defender's advantage because they're coming in on the defender's head.

23:29And that's an Arsenal problem. I think that's a low block problem. That's how we're breaking down defences. I don't think that's an Emily Fox problem. And we see that in this. She's able to take on the last defender. She puts in the delivery that's perfect. But it's a great finish because Lotto Aubamoy is not in close range to be able to put this header in. There's power on this header. There's direction on this header. and a player that these kind of narratives, like I know maybe we're not giving the biggest weight to being Champions Cup winners. I am personally, but maybe the world isn't. It's just kind of these moments where someone like Lota Wobbenmoy scoring in this final just means a lot more and it's a fantastic performance.

24:03And I think Lota's ability to come into games when she's not had a massive run of games, obviously recently she has, but she's so good at sliding into this Arsenal team and just getting a job done. She doesn't complain about it. She knows that she needs to play a role And that's what happens in this game. Another intelligent performance, I went on about Stina before, but you mentioned the threat from Corinthians in and behind. Lotta is always the first one to know exactly where that ball is going. And she plays a really good defensive game just in terms of marking that zone. And she's picking up the ball rather than coming towards the striker.

24:32And I think that this is a really, really clever performance from Lotta that's topped off with a great finish, great cross, just a really, really good goal from Arsenal. Yeah, and she finished it wearing the captain's armband as well. But yeah, I just think with players like Lotta, with Anika Borba as well, it's just like, I just don't think you can judge players until they're in the team for a run. I think about players like Laia Kadina as well. Like I see people kind of, you know, talking about her and it's just like, like, don't get me wrong. There's a reason, you know, players don't get a run in the team or whatever.

25:05But generally, I don't think, you know, someone's level until they get a real run of games. And every time Lotta gets a run of games, I think she's great. So simple as that. But again, at 2-1, maybe a lot of people were probably thinking, okay, let's bury this now. And actually, one of the things about Corinthians' game on Wednesday, they looked knackered. In fact, Corinthians and Gotham both looked totally cooked on 65 minutes on Wednesday. And Corinthians didn't rest players as Arsenal did in their semi-final, so they picked exactly the same team. something quite clever they did that Uji Fernandes was on a yellow card they took her off at half time and brought on Erika who's not usually a right back but very very good centre back to kind of take that away but at that point I was kind of thinking okay Corinthians probably not gonna quite have the energy to come back into this but they did they didn't create a huge amount to be fair I do think Arsenal sat off them a bit and I think that's been a bit of a habit of arsenals but in stoppage time we have um the challenge from katie mccabe and i mean at the time the challenge happens from the press box i didn't think anything of it in fact but then i i didn't see it properly because i just think i just thought she kicked the ball at the time so i wasn't even looking but obviously one of the privileges you get in the press box is a monitor and then I looked at it I was like oh maybe maybe she's kicked through her foot but I think there's there's angles of this to really show that's not the case and from what I could see the angle shown to the referee on VAR is the worst one in terms of giving a penalty I mean what what did you make of that penalty incident so poor never a penalty it's never a penalty I can understand in real time because the way that Katie McCabe's body is positioned, it does look like she stabs at it.

27:14So it does look like a last ditch effort to kind of clear the ball away. And the Corinthians player is obviously like leaning forward a little bit more. So it's not like it's a tussle shoulder for shoulder challenge where it could be 50-50. It does look like Katie McCabe stabs at the ball, but then this is a game where we have the privilege of watching that back. I don't understand how this is given as a penalty. Like there is reasonable doubt to prove the fact that this is not a penalty. There's evidence to prove that it's not. It's an annoying, annoying one because in real time, I can understand, but it's the 96th minute in a FIFA tournament's final.

27:48Like if you're watching that back and thinking, oh, that will do. Like I think like this is a situation where if Arsenal hadn't won this game, there would be a lot of complaints because I don't think the refereeing in this fixture at all was good. I think that there was a lot of calls, non-calls, maybe soft calls that shouldn't have been free kicks as well or maybe things that were left that should have been free kicks. I just think the ref gets far too involved and this is not a penalty in any means. And I feel bad for Katie McCabe because, yeah, I don't see it at all. Yeah, I completely agree.

28:20I think it's a really poor decision and the game was really poorly officiated. I thought it was two brilliant teams going at each other, hugely intense. And again, I thought the officiating lagged a long way behind the quality of the game. The thing is here, like you say, like 93rd minute like you can't be giving like 90 goals for that the thing is as well is like it doesn't make any difference it's not a tackle it's a clearance and the ball does not change direction in any way shape or form so i forget which corinthians player it was um actually i can't remember if it's vick albuquerque who converts the penalty but it doesn't matter that like whether Katie McCabe gets the ball or goes through it completely immaterial because the Corinthians player does not have the ball in any way shape or form Katie McCabe clears it it's not a tackle it's not a challenge it's a clearance and the ball goes in the other direction so and then you know to go to VAR which we're told is for clear and obvious errors clearly not and to go to the screen I thought it was a nonsense there was a real nonsense I thought It was a very badly referee game overall, but we didn't want extra time.

29:36We get extra time. Now, Arsenal were going to bring Laia Kadina on before that penalty in stoppage time, I assume, as a time-wasting sub. Two minutes into extra time, she does come on. She comes on for Kim Little with Victoria Pilova on the bench. Kyra's there as well, but to be fair, there's obviously fitness question marks about whether she could do half an hour in a game like this um i did ask renee about this afterwards she said first and foremost she respected corinthians uh set piece threat that she felt kadina would provide a set piece threat um she also said that kadina was a is a good penalty taker in case it went that far but one of the interesting things she said jamie was about like obviously she's more defensive and that allows you know other players to attack more which is quite a strange thing for someone to say when they've quite deliberately built a squad without that player if you know what I mean like with and like which is something Leah Valti said that I don't think she wants to play with the six and we talked about that a lot and that's it's not necessarily disputing that but it just it's kind of like do you want that player or do you not like what did you make of that substitution yeah I think I think the set piece thing is a complete complete reason and I think if she ran with that it would make sense because Victoria Plover is obviously not vertically gifted uh by no fault of her own and also like this is a game where it's extra time tired legs and it's very very wet like the surface is bad Quintin's in this game just they will be forcing set pieces of course they're going to need if they want to do something they're going to be playing for corners they're going to be playing free kicks we saw both sides doing that on the edge of the areas like there was a lot of playing for free kicks in this game because the referee was giving stupid ones.

31:25So again, no fault for either team for playing into that hand. However, I think that that made complete sense. Like you play that player in that position, she can offer more than Pulover can. However, I think that the comment about like you, you want to allow players to go forward more like Laia Kadina, I again, understand because Victoria Pulover in the pivot we have seen not perform great. Obviously the reverse Chelsea fixture not last week's where we actually beat them uh the other one uh she really really struggled through through transitioning this is the the probably the prime opposition that's going to try to exploit that we see how counter-attacking Corinthians are so I understand from a defensive standpoint I think it's the right decision to make but it also raises a massive like just overall squad question of okay why are you playing your fourth or fifth choice center back as the six because that goes to say a lot about the midfield situation right now who is going to be that player and I think it's interesting because Leobolte did say this is a team and we've seen that.

32:21This is not the way Rene wants to play with a single six and two attacking midfielders. She likes that kind of hybrid pivot. So it's interesting and I just think she probably doesn't mean that is the way I look at it. I don't think she necessarily means that and like this is the kind of way I want to play for this game. I just think it's due to the circumstance of this game. I don't think she means this is a long-term thing because you're not going to play Laia Kadina as that six. She's not a ball-using midfielder. She's not going to open up the play like someone like Kim Little or Karakuni crosses.

32:51I just think maybe Renee is just making an excuse to play her in the six in this game because we need that defensive stability. So I'm not reading into it as she wants to change her playing style because if Arsenal are signing paperwork with Georgia Stanway, that's clearly not the direction we're heading in anyway. So I think maybe just a manager making a comment. But the rest of the substitution to me, Tim, made perfect sense. And I think it was the good one to make. Yeah, a little bit of context. Like Adina played in midfield when she was younger. She came through La Masse with Barca. They're all midfielders, aren't they, anyway, really?

33:21And we've seen bits and pieces of her there, but not in a serious high-stakes situation. I think also probably if you were, you know, you could look at it and say, well, actually, because Rene likes, you know, a bit of rotation there, that relies on high understanding. And Kim had come off. They probably knew they were going to take Mariana off. And so we did end up with a Kadena-Pilova midfield pivot, which is obviously going to be something we've never played before. So perhaps having more definition in the roles made some sense as well. I did wonder, Jamie, whether, you know, you mentioned Georgia Stanway there.

34:02I think Arsenal are going to want to bring in another midfielder as well. probably in the summer unless someone tells me otherwise in the next 12 hours or so. But I did wonder if it was like a little message somehow. Managers do that sometimes. Like, look, I'm having to put my centre-back in midfield. I don't think that's it. That's just something that went through my head at the time. But Arsenal do go ahead again. Caitlin Ford, her first goal since September. I think she really needed that. And, you know, Arsenal force a high turnover, Freedom Ornum releases her in the left channel. Now, what did you make of the finish here, Jamie?

34:44Because Asif Burnham from Forbes spoke to Caitlin in the mix zone and he said, it looks like you mishit it. And she said, that's news to me. And Rene said something about how they discussed prioritising low finishes along the floor. Full disclosure, it's not only Kelly Smith that gets involved in that stuff. I believe the goalkeeping coach, Seb Barton, is involved in those discussions as well, like identifying opposing goalkeeper weaknesses. So do you think she kind of scuffed it or do you think that that was just a really clever finish? I think that there were too many players in the line for her to clever finish.

35:27I thought it was a bit of a scuff. However, I think that the sentiment that Arsenal need to hit lower balls into the back of the net is completely true. Because like anyone that watches football, plays football, you know that the easiest goalie save is when it's hip height. And Arsenal love to hit it hip height to a goalkeeper. And the angle's too small in that scenario to be doing that. We miss so many goals because of that. So I think that 100%, like this is an area that Arsenal need to target. That low finish. Alessia Russo is getting better at that as well because so often she likes to kind of lift the ball a little bit and it means that her shots are easily saved and same as Dina Blaxtinius like she's finishing more low goals as well Olivia Smith's a really good example of a player that does that naturally so I do think that that is an area that Arsenal need to target because when you're on that low angle we see it so many times I feel like I see it in my like nightmares an Arsenal winger approaching a goalkeeper at an angle and just hitting a hip height so the goal is so small for them and the goalkeeper is always going to gobble it up.

36:21So I want to give credit to Caitlin Ford. She doesn't seem like a player that I feel like she seems like a kind of player that would admit if it was a scuff. So I'm going to give her full credit as well. But I thought it kind of bobbled, like it wasn't the craziest finish. And there was maybe a little bit of room for that to be saved even by a defender. So I'll say a bit of both. However, just on the wider scale, Tim, this is an area that Arsenal need to attack and I'm glad it's being noted. And it's cool and interesting that the goalkeeper coach is involved in that training as well, because why wouldn't he be I guess yeah yeah it's and Renee spoke um before the game as well about how they'd spoke you know about being calmer with finishing about bringing that kind of temperature down in front of goal Caitlin said to us if that she saw a gap um I I I think ultimately Lele was in tears at the end of the game and I think that tells you what she thought about um because she she ends up putting her foot out but very very late I think she's caught by surprise by it but it goes in and Arsenal do get that they do kind of I say hold on this time I don't think Corinthians had that many moments at 3-2 however I mean one thing I'm annoyed about for many reasons um not least because I didn't get home till 1am in the end because the referee kept doing nonsense things at the end of the game, but there's two minutes stoppage time given.

37:47There is not a single stoppage in the second half of extra time, completely made up, and then we get a big injury in stoppage time, which again, first and foremost, didn't look great for Anika Borba, and I'm really glad that she's okay. I haven't seen a replay because I've got a real bee in my bonnet about players pushing defenders into goalkeepers in those situations, which to me should be a red card, no question. I thought that's what I saw at the time, but I've not seen a replay. So I can't be sure if that's what happened with Johnson. But obviously we have a long delay. Anna Kaborba, she went to hospital.

38:33Her mum was in the crowd and went with her. But thankfully, it looks like all is okay there. I wouldn't expect her to be available for the Man City game. I imagine at a minimum, we're looking at concussion protocols. Hopefully that's kind of all it is at this stage. But Daphne van Domsala kind of comes on at the end for a minute. We go into 12 minutes stoppage time. But Arsenal get it done. Lovely scenes at the end. Arsene Wenger giving out the medals, um which which i think was nice because i don't think people were too keen to see gianni and fantino um and the 1.7 million prize money so um get that cash checked uh or get that check cash rather um how did you feel at the end emotionally like i i just i find i found it difficult to place emotionally i thought emotionally the game felt amazing i thought it was an i thought it was an incredible game.

39:36It was a great advert for women's football. I thought both teams kind of did themselves proud. Both sets of fans did themselves proud, but I kind of didn't know how to feel at the end. I don't know about you. Yeah, I felt a few different things. Firstly, Arsene Wenger giving out the medals I thought was just amazing touch. Like Arsenal win, they're the champions of the world, stadium he built. I think it was just a really good moment from the club to be there. Also, we are the champions of the world, so that was really nice to have him involved. A couple of things. Before I go on, Frida Mornem player of the tournament was interesting.

40:16Something that maybe unbiased Arsenal voted for. Not sure if FIFA did or Visa, whoever decided that. But I think in terms of just the way this tournament made me feel, I think there's a massive difference in these mini tournaments in being there and watching it on TV. Because like not being able to get the atmosphere, It did kind of feel like the thing started on Wednesday. It finished on Sunday. It was almost like a, all right, that was fun. And had I maybe been a Chelsea fan, for instance, I would be like, oh, it's a rubbish tournament. It doesn't mean anything anyway. However, it does because we won the Champions League.

40:49We deserve to be there. I just think like this is something that maybe as years go on, it will gain more traction and importance. And we'll look forward to this kind of tournament because it's, okay, let's see all these big teams competing. Now we know what we're expecting. We know what the tournament is going to be like. So at full time, I was like, hey, that's really, really great. But like I wasn't in tears like I was in Lisbon. It doesn't kind of equate. But I just think for a club, it also means we're not going to end the season trophy-less. I still think we'll win another trophy this season.

41:16I think this team has every ability to do so right now. And I think they will go on to achieve more this season despite the league position. But I just think this is a really, really good thing for the club. And it's a really deserved moment for the club and everything they've built for Arsenal women to be the inaugural winners of this competition seems so fitting as the club that's trailblazed, led women's football from the front, really, really grown the game. So I think in that it was more of like a, it was like an emotional, oh, this is a really deserved moment for these players and also this club to be able to win this trophy for the first time and be the first to ever do it rather than a like, oh my God, this is amazing.

41:53We're better than everyone. It felt more like a, yeah, like an emotional trophy rather than a, this is an incredible feat that we're going to speak about for years to come like we did the Champions League so a bit of mixed emotion but I like the ceremony and I thought yeah a good tournament Tim but I can imagine it was maybe a different feeling in the stadium yeah I think I think a few things about it as well like I kind of like the short format just just in amongst like all the other kind of long formats like I quite like that it's just something a little bit different um I think like you know the different teams from different continents kind of come in with different objectives like as far for example probably trying to really gauge their level um on the global stage looking ahead to the club world cup in a couple of years what do we need to do how kind of far away are we but at the same time again without wishing to sound patronizing like showcase themselves make no mistake Corinthians did not come here to do that they came to win um and and you know treated it very very seriously i spoke to their manager afterwards and he said you know we'll never forget this but also like it's these players know they can compete with the absolute best in terms of conmibol corinthians are not representative of the situation with women's football in south america they're miles ahead and they they deserve their moment because they're miles ahead and have been for years but there are a lot of clubs in south america that could do a lot more conmibol could do a lot more the copper america last summer was a disgrace the copper libertadores is often a disgrace in terms of conditions so on one hand it's like it's great corinthians really deserve to compete in a tournament like this and try to win it which is what they they did not come to make up numbers but at the same time like it kind of feels like a hope that that that acts as a bit of a spark for the rest of conway bowl but yeah i agree with you i i kind of feel like a little bit bragging rights like you we're not finishing the season trophy list now might like lift away a little bit and renee talked about we're in a tournament with serial winners and we want to be serial winners as well so talking about what she learned from corinthians as well so you know without being too like hippie about it a nice cultural exchange but obviously like slightly flawed but um i'll take the 1.7 million prize money uh and let's have that spent before 11 p.m tonight please um knew that that was going to be a long first half because it was a long old game we'll take a break there and we'll come back in part two with your questions and obviously we'll address some of the other news that's come out in the last kind of few days or so so stay with us and we'll be back right after this

44:55okay welcome back to part two of the arsenal women ask cast and ask blog.com world champion an addition um now one of the players um who won yeah another trophy with arsenal who's won everything there is to win it's katie mccabe uh tom gary put out a story on monday morning about her contract being unlikely to be renewed um you know sometimes when these things come out like that's very much in line with what i've been hearing um for a little while i think a lot of people can see albeit Katie is still in the leadership group and she plays every game because she's mega consistent and she's one of the fittest players um in women's football and you know just like never injured and playing 90 minutes all the time but I think we can maybe see what's happened with the leadership group um a little bit where the captain's armband goes and um very much in I've been hearing for a good year now that Rene really wants to refresh this squad and turn it over, bring the age down.

46:06And yeah, so I very much think Katie McKay will go at the end of the season. We also had a report from The Athletic about interest in Onabache. I had less information on that. It's something I'd heard, I think, around Christmas time, but I didn't have anywhere near the level of information that Charlotte and James had in the athletic um but as soon as I heard that I was like and people were like does that mean Emily Fox is leaving and loads of people asked me that and I was like no I think I think Onabache is coming as a left back basically um so anyway all of that aside um first question Jamie uh submitted on Blue Sky by I never know how to pronounce this there are so many different ways to pronounce answer this name, but Swass14.

46:58What impact do you think Katie's, we'll say potential departure at this point, will have on Arsenal? She played a record number of minutes last season, is still the starting left-back and a key leader. Get the need to age down the squad, but I think she deserved a renewal and is a huge loss and not someone we want our rivals to gain. In terms of rivals, I don't know where she'll go. if she goes there is interest from NWSL I wouldn't mind betting on that but I don't know for sure but what do you reckon impact of Katie's looks like departure at the end of the season? Yeah this is a really weird one to talk about like it feels like we're almost talking about Viviana Miedema again but like in a different kind of way because Katie McCabe is just a player that's obviously been at Arsenal for a decade but she's a player that's been at Arsenal for a decade Like when we've been struggling, it has been Katie McCabe to get this squad out of those times.

47:53Obviously, we always refer back to that like historic season in 2022, 23, when the entire squad was injured and she did everything she could to get in those Champions League spots. And she basically carried the team herself that year. I just think like there's not a lot we can say about Katie McCabe's legacy in words. I think we all kind of feel it and it's going to be a really, really sad one. And I think it will be maybe the first of many of maybe if it's this summer, next summer, just the next kind of 12, 18 months where we're saying goodbye to players that are Arsenal and the Arsenal that we've known, especially in the modern era.

48:28And Katie McCabe is one of those players. So I think that just emotionally as a footballer that's connected to this club, it's going to be very strange to what's an Arsenal team without Katie McCabe in the team. but in terms of the actual tangible football like aspect of it I think that this is going to be a really interesting one because I do think it's a risk we've seen McCabe in the last month she's probably been one of our most consistent performers and she's someone that you can bet on to put on a performance and everyone has bad games and I think maybe we've seen that happen a little bit more than it used to with Katie McCabe but that comes with age I just think it's it's a big gamble from Arsenal and I'm not saying I'm against it because I think Arsenal have been absolutely terrified of any sort of gamble over the last five six years even more than that so I think it's about time that these like hard decisions are made and we often go back to that Viviana Miedema one and we all thought maybe it was the end of the world but it ended up really really like being okay it it made Russo the starting nine we brought in Mariona I still don't believe that that was an eye for an eye and we needed to do we needed to do that in order you know but that was the on a side of our word, we'll move past that.

49:32However, I just think like this is a positive indication of the fact that this squad needs to be refreshed and it does. But I do think it's a gamble because this is a massive leader of this team, someone that is always willing to show up and you also lose a massive, massive passion presence. And I do think that is so important in a football team. And I don't think Arsenal have another player like that, like Katie McCabe, that can be that passion player. So maybe they lose a bit of personality, but that can really be helpful in the leadership team as well so I know she's kind of lost her captain's rights but I think we kind of knew when that happened that maybe there wasn't a massive future beyond this year for for Katie McCabe on about you as a fantastic player we'll probably speak about that a little bit more and obviously that's not completely done however Tim I'm I'm I'm kind of torn on this because I think it's a gamble but I also think it's about time that we make these hard decisions yeah definitely and um I I think in terms of there is going to be a lot of turnover at Arsenal were willing to do more turnover last summer but the contracts situations didn't allow that as easily from what I know and there's always stuff going on I don't know but from what I know the only people they're definitely negotiating with are Emily Fox, Leah Williamson and Kim Little I think everything else is on the line everything else is up in the air there are some players like Manu, Laia, Kadina, Victoria, Pelova I don't expect them to be offered contracts they're not playing you know kind of out of favour the others I think are up in the air honestly which is not to say they will go I don't think they will I think probably a couple will be kept and it will come down to who and what Arsenal can procure on the market really But yeah, I know they definitely want to keep Leah, Kim and Emily and the others.

51:24I think there's a bit more of a question mark. I think you're right. Of course, it's a risk. She's a massive player. She still plays every bloody game. And that tells you something about her performance levels. I do think there is something here about a cultural reboot as well as a playing reboot. and um this doesn't have to be about anyone being like bad people or anything like that like katie mccabe wouldn't be playing if she was but you know big characters who've been around for a long time every workplace just comes to a point in in every profession where like a bit of turnovers needed so i definitely share your anxiety but i think you're also right that like and we're going to see some more of this in the next couple of months so um you know brace yourselves um do you have a question i do on that note this one's from at aisling clough uh how do you feel about replacing an actual left back with someone who's predominantly played right back i know batye played as a left back for period with barca but it feels like a very strange situation yeah i mean um one thing I might have to really, really try much harder with the pronunciation of her surname.

52:41Yeah, I've always said it was like Ona Barche. I hope that's right, but I will, you know, I will solidify on that. I mean, she played left back at Barca, I think for basically a whole season where they had Lucy Bronze on the right and her on the left. I think with the way René likes her full backs to play, likes them to come into midfield. I kind of think them not playing on their natural side doesn't matter as much. So when Taylor Hines plays right back, I think that looks okay. For example, whereas I think the centre-backs, it's maybe a little bit more important with the passing angles they go for.

53:23What I do think is, I mean, left footers are hard to find in women's football, but I also, I just think fundamentally she's a great player she's 26 she's in easily in the top five full backs in the world and I you know I I tend to focus more on that side of it um than the you know her playing left back I kind of think if you play left back for Barcelona probably going to be okay there and I know she's played left back a lot for Spain um so yeah and yeah I'm I'm just generally I'm really excited about that move like when you look at what we're looking at and from what I'm told like it is very close basically same with Georgia Stanway I mean that's a couple of very big like we have to get this rebuild right big big players like Katie probably going and that's scary because like as much as people want turnover these players deliver and have delivered a lot so georgia stanway owner bache that is the level of player yeah i want coming into the club the kind of tactical side of it i'll work out later because i'm not gonna know until until they're done and they're playing um what what do you reckon on that um i think like i completely agree with you on about yes a player that you can always put anywhere However, like Chelsea won the league with four right-footed defenders.

54:57Like it could be okay. I do think a lot of it comes down to that left centre-back and whether Steph Catley gets extended or whether Arsenal look in the market elsewhere. We did see a dramatic increase in just the way that Arsenal were able to progress the ball when we started playing Catley as a left-footed centre-back because there was another outlet there. And we saw it automatically had opened up Caitlin Ford and we spoke about this last season. Like that was a massive impact on the way that Arsenal were able to open up that left side. so I do think that this is also dependent on Steph Catley's future at the club if she doesn't get extended or if they don't get in another left-footed centre-back I do think that kind of starts to pin Arsenal back again and we've seen that happen again so I do think it's not really a problem but I'm more worried about who plays next to Onabake if she is that left back that's my concern so I'm not saying we should extend Steph Catley because there is an age thing there But looking at that position, I do think we have great centre-backs, but I don't want the Arsenal team as four right-footed defenders.

55:56Not something I think is going to be strong going forward. Yeah, completely agree. And by the way, Steph is someone I would renew tomorrow. I want Arsenal to buy their left-footed centre-back for the next five, six, seven years. I want that to happen. But I still want Steph there, quite frankly. if that's what she wants as well. How about this one then from Lucy at Lucy566? We've had some good news about potential summer signings and obviously a trophy and a win at Stamford Bridge, but I can't help but feel it's distracting fans from another poor transfer window. Are you still thinking we'll be taking a big risk by not signing another player before the window ends?

56:44yeah I think this is a really really valuable question to ask because like Man City are 13 points clear of Arsenal right now they went and signed Sam Coffey Manchester United signed Lea Schuller um Hannah Lundqvist like they've had a really active window as well Chelsea less so than usual which is very strange um for on by by their standards but I think 100 % that's a valid question to ask because there are gaps in this squad like we're not saying this squad's perfect and we can hold out to the summer they're fighting for a Champions League spot right now there's a top three race there's a top two race now because of what happened at the ediac this weekend but i do think like a hundred percent fans are allowed to be like there's allowed to be an anxiety around that because i think this is another transfer window where smila holmberg was signed early great signing for the future great depth signing good but is there going to be another goalkeeper the midfield situation like there's there's chloe kelly who's very injured and a caitlin ford that's going to the asian cup there's not a lot of forwards in that in that lineup for the the next few months as well.

57:40So I completely agree, like this has not been a good transfer window and maybe it's because there's a big summer refresh. And I think someone made the point in one of the questions that maybe players need to be announced to be leaving before we make big signings and players know there's a spot and a future in this Arsenal team before committing. So maybe that's it. The contract situation in the summer is maybe a cloud over the heads right now. However, I agree that, you know, this hasn't been a good enough transfer window. And I think again, like this is another lackluster period where Arsenal aren't doing enough in the market.

58:08So So, yeah, I agree. I don't think it's been strong enough. Yeah, let's address the question head on first. Yes, I think I felt that the squad is one, maybe even two players light. Definitely one the whole season. And I was, you know, particularly with what's potentially coming up. And like you say, the prize finishing second instead of third is really big as well because you have no qualifiers and it's really worth going for. I do think the summer thing and things being up in the air does make January difficult January is always much quieter in non-tournament years as well there's fewer Chloe Kellys pushing for game time and things like that so I do think January is genuinely a bit quieter I do think the focus has been more on midfield I do think, I suspect next season we'll see Mariana playing higher up for example to kind of address that number 10 situation.

59:08I think that's the role she prefers, actually. But yeah, I really wanted another player, an outfield player as well, in this transfer window, be it a midfielder or a forward of some kind. On the forwards, again, I think there's some stuff that's probably a bit up in the air there about Will Steiner's day, Michelle Ajumang we got Jessie Gale doing BITS alone as well I'm sure she'll do a WSL alone next year and and you know potentially like another Ajumang coming through but yep I think we should have added another player your turn for a question now you kind of hinted at it at the end there Tim but this one's from my spam account not my spam account but do you have any thoughts on some of our loonees and what you think should happen next season example or Kofage doing well at Brighton, Gale scoring regardless of club?

1:00:08Yeah, so Jessie Gale, I'm looking at, I think what they've done with Jessie Gale looks really good. Like Pompey, you know, bottom of the WSL2 did really well there and they've switched it up and gone, okay, let's see if she can do well at a club that's chasing promotion. So far, so good there. So they've switched things up for her. I don't think Pompey were that happy about that. they're kind of battling relegation and that's one of their best players kind of just gone um but very good for her i think very good for arsenal i imagine the next step will be maybe wsl loan or maybe another like promotion chasing wsl to team next season i don't see her coming in next season particularly you know hopefully michelle ajumang will recover okay from her acl and we'll start to see her a little bit more.

1:00:58I wouldn't be that surprised if Steiner was offered a one-year deal. I don't know, speculating, particularly with Ajimang's injury. So, you know, there's perhaps another kind of year there. You know, I think maybe the player people look at as, should it have been another loan as Freya Godfrey, doing quite well at LCL at the moment. And I think there might have been more of a space for her next season. I think she'd been out on three loans though So, you know, I do think there comes a point where players have to go What do you reckon? I think that there is maybe not a spot for Rose Kofadji in this team And I think we've seen that because she was a big signing Like we were excited about this one A really, really big player at Hecken And I remember watching her at the bridge when they played Chelsea And I thought this is a really big player that's going to raise ceilings And obviously she came at an interesting time and then it was the manager switch and it felt like she didn't really fit in Renee's system.

1:01:56And Renee was really like, it was a hard one because is she a 10? Is she a winger? She was playing as a winger, but then Arsenal went and signed Olivia Smith for a million pounds. So it does feel like that's another player that's maybe the one that got away. And I do think maybe in a couple of years we'll regret that because I do think Rosa Kofaji is a fantastic footballer with a high ceiling. So I don't really know. I just, I don't think that there is a, she's going to come back into the senior squad and play a massive role. And I don't think that she's the kind of player that will want to do that either.

1:02:26And as she shouldn't, she's a very young player that wants to be kind of really getting a move on with her career right now. Michelle Adjumang, obviously her recovery, we can just hope for the best. I know she got recalled from Brighton and is doing her rehab at Arsenal now. So hopefully that's nice and smooth. Jessie Gale's an interesting one because she has been so good in the championship. And she is a player that like, As soon as she moved to Bristol her first game, she scored a really, really good goal. Bristol City were on the counterattack. She really strained forward. Yeah, and then she lobbed the keeper.

1:02:56And it was just like that's a very instinctual run from a player that's just joined this team midweek is scoring a goal like that. So I think Jessie Gale's a player that I agree, Tim, like she's not going to be in the senior squad next season, but she should do a WSL loan. She should go to a WSL club because I think we saw with Freya Godfrey, it was kind of that player that was just not right but like could have been if factors were different. I think Jesse Gale, Arsenal are going to maybe pay more attention to this player and say like there is a pathway here. Someone like Grace Clinton, like they're not at all the same player but it feels like that whereas United kind of gave her to Bristol City then she came back then she went to Spurs.

1:03:32I kind of see that same trajectory happening with a player like that because the championships, well the WSL too, sorry, is a good league and like there are a lot of like proven players in there, proven players that have proved themselves in the WSL as well. So I think she's a player that I'm really excited about in the future, but I don't think it's her time yet. I just think Arsenal need to really, really nurture her. And then obviously Leila Harbitt's at Everton, which I think is something with so many Arsenal players who've gone to Everton. There's obviously a bit of a trust there and first winner Goodison, good job to them.

1:04:02Exciting times for Everton after a very horrible start to the season. So that's another player I'm interested by because it does feel like Arsenal picking good destinations for her. They're not just kind of throwing her into the championship. They're really like weighing into their decisions. And I think that NWSL move proves that. You don't send a player to the NWSL just to kind of get them off your books. There's a purpose in that move. And we've seen a lot of Everton moves where there's purpose as well. So, yeah, Everton have done a lot of Jess Park, Aki Bibi Jones. Big names have gone there as well.

1:04:30So Leila Harbaugh, I think, is someone that Arsenal might be nurturing as well. But maybe not yet. Yeah, Gio, Catherine, cool. I think Everton and Brighton are quite trusted because of the football they play. Start like under Brian Sorensen, if you're a passing midfield player, that's what Everton do. They pass the ball. And you're right. I think they're really testing Leila Harbert with the loans they're on this season. Yeah, so that will be a really, really interesting one. I don't see Rosa coming back. I have to say, I think she was really going to have to pull up some trees. I have to admit during a couple of those Man United games, I was a bit like, I wouldn't mind her on the bench actually to come on and try and change this.

1:05:14And I did wonder whether Arsenal might recall her or something, but no, I don't think that's going to happen. How about this one then? This one's from Lexi M 1987. We talked a little bit about Victoria Pilova. and Lexi asks, every time Pilova takes the field now, I panic. Her passing has been sloppy of late and causes additional stress on the team. Is this because there's no future for her and she knows it or is she generally having any issues? What do you reckon then with Vic Pilova? Because she certainly doesn't look like the player she did two seasons ago before the ACL. yeah Vic Pilova is such an interesting one because like obviously two seasons ago she was other than Lotta probably our best player she was fantastic but I think this is another case of maybe she just doesn't return from the injury the way that she would have hoped and we see that a lot with ACLs but this is I think that Vic Pilova is just a player that thrives on consistency and she needs to be in that team and she needs to be playing a lot in order to build that up because honestly at the Euros I thought she was one of the best players for the Netherlands and that's because she knew her role in the squad.

1:06:26I actually think she had a good tournament other than the fact that they had a very early exit. She was a really strong performer in that midfield for the Netherlands. So I think this is a player right now that's at a bit of a crossroads and it's a hard situation because Renee obviously doesn't prioritize her whatsoever. Like she's probably the last choice midfielder right now, which is definitely hard for a player returning off an ACL after a really big season. But it's so difficult for a midfielder in that position where Arsenal don't play a style of 10. Like you can't come into that 10 or into that pivot and know what you're going to do because like there is no style there.

1:07:00They're all so completely different, whether it's Russo or Mornem, like Vic Plova has to come in and kind of improvise. And that's hard to do in that position when you don't have a lot of minutes. So I do feel for her right now because it's the same as Losses. She needs a few games to string her performances together. We've seen that a lot with a lot of players right now. Caitlin Ford's maybe not performing as good as she has always been historically because of the inconsistency in whether she's starting or not. And I just think Vic Pilova is the prime example of that player. So I do feel for her.

1:07:26However, I do think that there are a lot of attributes in her game that Jonas Eidevald didn't ask of her that Renee Slagas is. And that's just the defensive. Like she needs to be stronger defensively and she needs to be a little bit less. She's a very gambling footballer. She likes to go forward and she likes to take that attack and gamble. I think Renee's not relying on her to do that. She's relying on other players to do that. And that just might be a matter of the fact that the style of player that she is doesn't fit the team in the way the manager wants to play right now. Because I agree. I think when she comes on, it's almost nerve wracking.

1:07:58I don't think you can really trust her to retain possession. I think that she turns the ball over a lot. And against a team like Corinthians, it can be obvious if she were to come on earlier because they're very counterattacking. They're going to really punish you if you mess up and cough up possession in the midfield. So with Vic Plova, I think it's just a matter of the fact that she's, yeah, Rene just prioritizes other players. and as a result, she can't string games together. And then as a result, her performances aren't showing positively whatsoever right now. Yeah, I completely agree on the lack of rhythm and game time.

1:08:30I don't think she is a 10. I think she's better at receiving deep and driving forward. I maybe think she just doesn't quite fit Renee's eye. And yeah, like you say, not playing regularly. I do think there's probably a bit of a confidence thing there where she probably knows that she's not longed for this club, that the manager just doesn't really want that type of player, doesn't feel she can use her. And that's probably going to have an impact as well. So, yeah, I think there's a little bit behind that. That was my question, wasn't it? Should we do one more each? Sure, let's do it. I have this question from at Madeline Key.

1:09:17The£1.7 million is yours to spend. Who are you realistically, but remembering we're massive, signing? Yeah. I mean, like it's so difficult with transfer fees to know what the hell anyone's worth. I will answer the same way I always answer and say that I reckon Tenwa Chawinga could probably get a visa now. So again, with apologies to my friends at Kansas City Gooners, that would be a very dream signing for me in an area I think we really, really could do with one and the type of player I'd really, really like to see as well. I saw on the Crossways podcast as well, Ian Wright put forward Claudio Pina as like, and I like that shout, I have to say.

1:10:10and I do think Barca, I mean, it looks like we're going to take a player off Barca. I do think it looks like financially they are not going to be putting in what they used to put in. So it might be a little bit prime for picking. They've got, just look at the list of names of players they've got whose contracts are up at the end of the season. So yeah, really like one of those. What else do we really need? I mean, a left centre-back player. I don't know who's like the only, the only one I really know is like Mappy Leon. And she's like 31, I think. So, you know, like a good left footed centre back.

1:10:52I don't, I don't really have a name there or a name is escaping me at the moment. And I think Arsenal needed like a central midfielder of some sort. And again, who I would like that to be and who Rene Slagas would like that. I don't really know because I'd probably start naming orthodox number sixes and I don't think that's the way she's going to go. But yeah, like Georgia Stanway and another in midfield. I mean, I'm pretty certain that is going to happen anyway. I just don't have a name on that midfielder yet, but I think I might be able to find it soon enough. What would you do with that money on the squad?

1:11:35I would throw all of the money at Clarabille, like all of it. I don't know whether she scared me about like Bayern Munich. Obviously, there's a bit of nightmare there in that Champions League game, but she's fantastic. And I think in a position where Arsenal need depth, I would literally throw all my money at Clarabille. If not, if we do need a six, however, I'm still unsure about what René Slagas thinks about, you know, a defensive midfielder. Patry from Barcelona is unbelievable. Like, I don't think either of those are realistic for that amount of money, as crazy as that sounds. but they're probably two of the best players in the world.

1:12:06But those are the two that I think Arsenal need in that position and they're probably the best in the world at those positions. But I agree with your Chuinga shout as well. She's so good. She's so good. Okay, how about we end with this one? I think this is a good question. I think, you know, we'll do more of these questions as the kind of months go on and I think as things become clearer. but this one's from L at Cafadjibor. We know there's going to be a decent amount of turnover in the summer, which I think is a good thing, but how much is too much? I could see us losing five or so players. How many losses becomes detrimental to squad stability?

1:12:51So we've talked about this a little bit before. And like I said, like Arsenal, we're willing to pass all this out a bit more, I think. but do you have concerns over the amount of change and how different this squad could look next season and how it might take some time to settle down? I think that that's a valid concern I think we've seen in the past historically when Arsenal have had a bit of turnover the end of the World Cup summer reigns in my mind when we lost to Liverpool at the Emirates it just felt like there were so many new names in that team and the team didn't work cohesively at all However, I think it needs to happen.

1:13:30I think five or six players out of this squad right now, it's going to be like a big, big emotional shift for the squad because they're likely going to be players that have been there for years. But I think the refresh needs to happen. It's the perfect time for it to happen. There's no major tournament this summer for these players to be at. You have the entire summer to obviously give them a break, but you bring in the new signings. You bring in the squad earlier than you usually have to. You don't have to rush them back. And then Renee Slaggers, I think I trust the way that she's kind of, And this is a product of something I don't love about her, but the way she ices out isn't the right word, but kind of she knows which players she doesn't want in her squad.

1:14:02I really hope that recruitment does align with the fact that she knows who she wants in her squad. And bringing in those players, there's going to be a, okay, this is our philosophy. This is who we have in the squad. We have the whole summer to be able to figure that out and get ready for the WSL to start. So I think if you're going to have a massive refresh, it's good that it's not a World Cup, a Euro summer. like we obviously I just think it's it's probably the best summer to have it even though this probably should have happened years ago but yeah so I can understand the anxiety because that happens in teams a lot but teams have done that for Chelsea refresh their squad most summers like they have a lot of big ins and outs and they just know because under Emma Hayes this is the style of football we're playing this is our identity we just find the players that can fit that so I can see the anxiety but I think it's the best time to do it and just take the bull by the horns and really, really use this summer as a way to just completely set the foundation.

1:14:54Yeah, I'm worried about it a little bit. I think, you know, it might take a little bit of time to settle down. But at the same time, it's kind of happened with this team anyway. This year, it kind of feels like this team should feel more settled than it is. I think ideally it would have happened over a slightly longer period of time. At the same time, I look at someone like Man City and they've made quite a few changes and it's kind of really helped them along this season. It can make you a little bit of a surprise. I think that happened at the beginning under Jonas. You look at Jonas' first summer, there was loads of turnover, like Giroud left, Daniel Evanderdonk left and then quite a few players came in and it did just freshen things up.

1:15:38So maybe that will happen for Arsenal. But yeah, I think that's a totally justifiable anxiety. But at the same time, I think the earlier Arsenal attack some of this, the better. Like making decisions quickly. And, you know, I think stuff is happening for the summer now. Put it that way. Like I think and I think that's a big part of why Jodie Taylor and Rene's contract all happened when they did. because I think they're really working towards the summer now, which eases things. And I think to your point, yes, there's a prospect of hopefully like an earlier pre-season, you know, maybe they go away somewhere or something like that.

1:16:23So, yeah, it's all to come. It's all going to be exciting and scary, which is kind of exactly what the FIFA Champions Cup final was. But, Jamie, we got through it. We are champions of the world. Should we leave it there? always good to talk to you Tim when something good happens so we'll claim all our champions titles until we have to let go of them absolutely and we will be back with another episode obviously I think next Monday because we play Manchester City on Sunday so we'll do a post Manchester City pod for you thanks for bearing with us through this one it was an eventful one there was a lot to get through so it ran slightly longer than usual but hope that you enjoyed it and we'll see you next time