Overview
- Arsenal have dropped four points from their opening three WSL games after draws with Crystal Palace and Manchester United, increasing early pressure on manager Renée Slegers.
- The side is creating chances but not converting them, recording 56 shots and only two WSL goals across those three matches.
- On Tuesday, Arsenal scraped through a Champions League tie when Mariona Caldentey scored a 93rd‑minute penalty after an early Chloe Kelly goal was ruled out by VAR, a moment that highlighted the team’s inability to turn control into comfort.
- Opponents have targeted Arsenal’s weakness against low blocks by forcing play wide and congesting central spaces, a tactical pattern that has repeatedly blunted the Gunners’ attacks.
- Slegers has publicly offered to shoulder pressure and protect her players ahead of Sunday’s derby, a fixture that could reshape perceptions of both managers given their status after major trophies in 2024–25.