12 months is a short time in football. Back a year ago this weekend, Arsenal made their most convincing Women’s Super League title statement yet, sweeping unbeaten Manchester City despite missing a penalty.
This sparked a four-match winning streak that saw them score a total of 16 goals, including a 4-1 win over eventual champions Chelsea. Momentum was building both on and off the pitch, with crowds flocking to watch standard-setting Arsenal light up the Emirates.
Another attendance record was broken that day against Emma Hayes’ Chelsea, with the Gunners showing an understandable attitude. ‘Arsenal is back’ was the headline of the moment. They were the envy of the league.
But more difficult times followed. Optimism began to wane and confidence slowly drained from the previously jubilant stands after a series of gloomy displays, ultimately costing manager Jonas Eidevall his job.
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Highlights of the WSL match between Arsenal and Chelsea.
The Swedes claimed their performance was better than the result (the defense couldn’t hold up), but in reality Arsenal had lost their identity and were in danger of drifting. Despite two wins since Eidevall walked, confidence remains weak in N5.
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Highlights from the Women’s Super League match between West Ham United and Arsenal.
The situation is not all that different from the frustration Manchester United felt throughout last year’s tumultuous season. Marc Skinner’s team – by his own admission – were “bloated by the success” of the previous season and standards had been lowered.
This poor performance led many to call for Skinner to step down. The noise grew louder but never quite reached its peak as United finished fifth. In the end, they were saved by the consolation of the champions after ending a poor season by winning the FA Cup.
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Highlights from the Women’s Super League match between Brighton and Manchester United.
And now, a month into 2024-25, fortunes appear to have reversed. Manchester United have been on a steady rise since their undefeated start. They are one of three teams, along with Manchester City and Chelsea, that are yet to taste defeat. The ship has remained steady and is heading on a clearer course, while a managerless Arsenal are frantically looking for a clear direction.
In many ways, then, our meeting this weekend was serendipitous. It is important that two teams with seemingly opposite trajectories meet at this particular juncture. For Arsenal, this is a chance to prove that their recent decline does not signal a wider, worrying decline.
And for United, who have lost just one of their last four home games against Arsenal in the WSL, it is an opportunity to show meaningful progress and cement themselves among the title hopefuls.
Few statistics sum up the background better than this. Arsenal have made a league-high 12 changes to their starting XI this season, while Manchester United have made the joint-fewest changes (3).
Grace Clinton is the first player to score in three of her first four WSL games for Manchester United.
A stable team always represents the content within the camp more broadly. And this is Skinner’s 100th game in charge of Manchester United in all competitions, the perfect time for him to prove that success is still possible while scoring.
After dominating 3-0 wins over West Ham and Tottenham, the hosts are looking to win their opening three home games of a WSL season for the first time. They have conceded just once in four and have the second-best xG performance of any team in the league (behind Chelsea). This is typified by the brilliance of Grace Clinton, who is turning into a goalscorer.
Momentum is a sufficient indicator, but football often has a funny way of surprising us.
Win or lose this weekend, Arsenal remain the most marketable club in the WSL and have the consolation of a Champions League campaign to serve their expectant fans. For a club so well established in the fabric of the women’s game, the pain can only be temporary.
However, the pain may get worse before it gets better. And United have the ability to prolong their suffering for at least another week, which would completely eradicate the Gunners from the race and beg the bigger picture question: have United and Arsenal swapped places in the WSL standings?
