Arsenal Women v Birmingham: Injuries, Reuteler's Chance & My Predicted XI

We're back to club football this weekend, with Birmingham City visiting Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime, and after the international break we've just enjoyed, I'm really looking forward to seeing our players back together.

We've had goals from Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway, Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord, Frida Maanum, Olivia Smith and Smilla Holmberg, so no shortage of players returning with confidence.

But there has been some less welcome news too.

We now have a clearer picture of Mariona Caldentey's injury, Selina Cerci has undergone knee surgery, and Renée Slegers suddenly has some important decisions to make about how she sets this team up.

And I want to spend a little time on that, because while losing players is never good news, it does create opportunities for others. One player in particular deserves a proper conversation. Can you guess who I might be referring to?

We'll also take a good look at Birmingham City, who might not have had the start to the season they'd hoped for, but they do have a forward who's been causing all sorts of problems for opposition defenders.

Right, first things first. Let's talk about Mariona and Selina, because those two absences could have very different consequences for Arsenal.

Mariona and Selina: Two Injuries, Some Big Decisions for Renée

We’ve had some disappointing injury news this week, and unfortunately it's not just one player.

Let's start with Mariona Caldentey.

Renée Slegers confirmed in Thursday's press conference that Mariona has suffered a significant hamstring injury and is expected to be out for around eight to ten weeks.

That's a massive blow.

And I don't think it's simply a case of losing one of our best attacking players, because Mariona brings so much more to Arsenal than goals and assists. She's one of those players who makes everybody around her look better. She finds space, links things together, knows when to slow the game down and when to move it forward, and she's quite often the player who gives us that little bit of imagination and magic when we're struggling to break a team down.

We've spoken a lot recently about Arsenal having plenty of possession without creating enough clear opportunities. Well, Mariona is exactly the sort of player you want on the pitch when you're facing that problem.

So the question now is how Renée replaces what she gives us.

I don't think there's a straightforward answer, because it depends on where Renée wants to play her.

If we're talking about the central attacking midfield position, Frida Maanum is an obvious candidate. She's got the experience, she can score goals from midfield and she offers something slightly different with her ability to arrive in the box.

But there's also Géraldine Reuteler.

And I want to spend a moment on Géraldine, because I’ve been talking about her lack of playing time for weeks now.

Renée addressed that in Thursday's press conference, explaining that Géraldine's pre-season had been disrupted and that some selection decisions were about maintaining consistency.

Now, I can understand the argument for consistency, especially when you're trying to establish relationships between players.

But we're several weeks into the season now, and circumstances have changed.

Géraldine arrived at Arsenal with bags of experience, and we've seen what she can do for Switzerland. She's intelligent, she's comfortable receiving the ball in tight spaces, and she's capable of finding those little pockets of space that can make life really difficult for defenders.

I'm not suggesting she should automatically walk into the starting eleven simply because Mariona is injured, but surely this is an opportunity to give her some meaningful minutes and see what she can bring to the team?

If we're going to be without Mariona for two months, we need solutions now, not spend the next eight weeks wondering whether someone on our bench could have helped.

And then there's Selina Cerci.

We've learned that Selina has undergone knee surgery, and while we don't yet have a confirmed timeline for her return, it's clearly another setback for a player who's barely had the opportunity to get going at Arsenal.

I feel really sorry for her because she's arrived at a new club, she's trying to establish herself, and now she's facing a period of rehab instead of being out on the pitch.

From Arsenal's perspective, that's another vital attacking option unavailable to Renée.

But here's where the two injuries differ slightly.

Mariona's absence creates a problem with creativity and how we link our midfield to our forwards. Selina's absence further reduces our options up front, especially when we're looking for something different from the bench.

So decisions about Frida Maanum, Géraldine Reuteler, Olivia Smith, Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius become even more important, and I think Renée has to be prepared to use the squad she's got.

We've spent a lot of time talking about Arsenal's strength in depth; this is when that depth needs to mean something.

It doesn't necessarily mean changing everything overnight. But it does mean giving players opportunities, letting them develop partnerships, and accepting that the team might look a little different while Mariona and Selina recover.

With Birmingham coming to Arsenal on Saturday, Renée has an immediate chance to show us how she intends to approach it. While Birmingham haven't enjoyed the strongest start to the season, one player in particular Arsenal really cannot afford to underestimate.

Don't Underestimate Océane Hurtré

Right, let's turn our attention to Saturday, because Arsenal are back at home against Birmingham City, I reckon quite a few people will be looking at this game and expecting a comfortable afternoon, and I can understand why.

Birmingham haven't had the start to the season they'd have wanted, and Arsenal, on paper at least, have considerably more quality throughout the squad.

But we've been here before, haven't we?

We only need to think back to that Crystal Palace game, when Arsenal had thirty shots, nearly eighty per cent possession and somehow couldn't find a goal. So I don't want us going into Saturday assuming Birmingham will simply turn up, defend for ninety minutes, and eventually let us score.

Because there's one Birmingham player in particular who's been having a very impressive season.

Océane Hurtré (pronounced oh-say-ahn eer-tray).

Now, if you haven't been following Birmingham closely, Hurtré is a French forward who's been one of their standout performers. She's already scored five league goals and provided an assist, an excellent return for a team that's been struggling to find results.

What makes her both interesting and a worry is that she's dangerous even when Birmingham aren't dominating possession.

She's comfortable attacking from the left, she's direct, she's got pace, and she's capable of turning even a pretty ordinary attacking situation into a goalscoring opportunity.

Arsenal need to be very aware of that, because one thing we've seen this season is that when we commit players forward, especially when we're trying to break down a team sitting deep, we can leave ourselves vulnerable when possession changes hands.

And Hurtré is exactly the sort of player who can punish that, if Birmingham win the ball and find her quickly, our defenders could suddenly be running back towards their own goal, and that's never a comfortable situation!

Whoever starts on Arsenal's right-hand side will have an important job. But I also think this game gives Arsenal a chance to show us something we've been asking for over the last few weeks.

A little more urgency.

Not simply moving the ball from side to side and waiting for something to happen, but making runs behind defenders, getting the ball into dangerous areas earlier and giving our forwards opportunities to attack the goal.

We've just watched Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord and several of our other players score for their countries; we know they've got goals in them.

Arsenal's challenge is creating the situations that let them do it together at club level, and I really hope we see that on Saturday.

I'd really want to see Arsenal start positively, put Birmingham under pressure early, and let them know they're in for a difficult afternoon, because the longer a game stays goalless, the more confidence the opposition gains. We've experienced that already this season.

And while we absolutely need to respect Birmingham and the threat Hurtré presents, I don't want us spending the entire afternoon worrying about what they might do.

We're Arsenal. We're at home. We've got some outstanding attacking players.

Let's give Birmingham something to worry about. 

Predicted Line-ups and Score Prediction

So, what would I like to see from Arsenal on Saturday?

With Mariona unavailable, I think Renée has a chance to try something a little different, and I hope she takes it.

I'd stick with a 4-2-3-1, with Anneke Borbe in goal, because Misa Rodriguez would have had the longer trip back from international duty with Spain; likewise, Emily Fox was also involved in that game representing the USA. Smilla Holmberg was absolutely on fire for Sweden, so I’d actually start her, with Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy in central defence and Taylor Hinds on the left.

In midfield, I'd pair Georgia Stanway with Kyra Cooney-Cross. Georgia's coming back from international duty after scoring in both games against Greece, and I want to see that confidence carry over to Saturday.

Then, ahead of them, I'd start Géraldine Reuteler.

I've made my feelings about Géraldine very clear already, but if we're going to find out what she can offer this Arsenal team, surely a home game against Birmingham is a great place to start? She had two great outings with Switzerland in the past week, and for me this is now the time for her to step out in the starting lineup at the Emirates.

On the wings, I’d go with Lisa Baum on the right, because I am craving that Holmberg/Baum connection again from pre-season; Olivia Smith on the left; and Alessia Russo has to lead the line after her amazing displays for England.

And yes, that means leaving Caitlin Foord, Frida Maanum, and Stina Blackstenius on the bench, despite all enjoying excellent international breaks. But that's the sort of problem I want Renée to have; players in form, competing for places and giving us options to change the game.

Now, do I think that's the team Renée will actually select? Of course not! I expect Kim Little will be involved from the start (and by the way, I don’t have a problem with that), and I wouldn't be surprised to see Emily and Ona as well.

But I'd love to see us use Olivia and Lisa's pace out wide, with Géraldine making the runs into the box that Renée herself highlighted in yesterday’s press conference. It could give us a different attacking dimension in Mariona’s absence.

As for Birmingham, I'd expect Amy Merricks to stick with her usual 4-2-3-1. Sophie Baggaley in goal, Millie Turner organising the defence, Asato Miyagawa and Lisa Naalsund providing some midfield cover, with Lily Crosthwaite and Océane Hurtré offering width.

And we cannot underestimate Hurtré. Five goals in five league games is an impressive return, especially for a team that's only scored seven altogether. She's responsible for more than seventy per cent of Birmingham's league goals so far, which tells you just how important she is to them.

So, prediction time - my favourite bit of these match previews. Not.

Maybe I'm getting a little carried away after watching all those international goals, but I'm going for Arsenal 4, Birmingham City 1.

I think we'll concede, because Birmingham have shown they can score, and Hurtré will cause us problems if we give her space.

But I also think Arsenal have a point to prove.

We've gone four league games without a win and had a difficult couple of weeks, but players returning from international duty have been finding the net regularly.

I'm backing Alessia to score, and I think Lisa, Olivia and Georgia have every chance to find the back of the net too.

Most importantly, I want to see Arsenal playing with confidence again. Moving the ball quickly, trusting their instincts, taking chances and looking like a team that believes it can score every time it goes forward.

So that's my prediction. Arsenal 4-1 Birmingham.

Although I can't make any guarantees.

Final Thoughts

Looking toward Saturday, I'm feeling really optimistic.

Mariona's and Selina's injuries are disappointing, but we've also got players coming back from international duty in excellent form, and this is an opportunity for someone else to step up and stake a claim for their place in the side.

I really want to see Géraldine Reuteler get a proper chance, and I'd love to see Arsenal playing with a bit more freedom and confidence in the final third.

Most of all, I'd like us to come away from Saturday talking about a great performance and three points, not spending another weekend trying to work out why all that possession didn't produce enough goals.