Barcelona 1-1 Arsenal Women: Misa Shines as Arsenal Earn a Valuable Champions League Point

Arsenal went to Barcelona, spent much of the first half defending for our lives and somehow came away with a point. Frida Maanum scored, Misa Rodríguez was magnificent and for once we were the team leaving our opponents wondering how on earth they hadn’t won!

Barcelona Dominated The First Half, But Arsenal Took The Lead

Renée made one change from the team that beat Liverpool, bringing Frida Maanum into the starting eleven in place of Olivia Smith, with Alessia Russo leading the attack, Caitlin Foord and Lisa Baum operating out wide and Frida playing behind Alessia. Kim Little and Georgia Stanway were in midfield, while Emily Fox, Leah Williamson, Steph Catley and Taylor Hinds made up the back four in front of Misa Rodríguez.

I was pleased to see Alessia starting up front, and I was interested to see what Frida could offer because she hasn’t had much football recently. My main concern was how Taylor Hinds and Lisa Baum would cope on our left, because Barcelona had Caroline Graham Hansen operating on that side of their attack, and when you’re facing someone with her quality, you need both players working together to make life as difficult as possible for her.

We’d barely got going when Arsenal had a wonderful opportunity to take the lead. Caitlin Foord broke forward, Barcelona couldn’t deal with the danger and the ball fell to Alessia Russo, who sent her header against the woodwork from close range. It was a huge chance, although there was a possible offside in the build-up, and I remember wondering whether we’d regret not taking it because you don’t expect to get many opportunities like that against Barcelona.

The game soon settled into a pattern that I’m sure none of us found particularly comfortable. Barcelona were dominating possession, moving the ball quickly and finding opportunities in and around our penalty area, with Graham Hansen causing problems down our left and Sydney Schertenleib getting into dangerous positions through midfield. Misa was already being called upon to make important saves, and there were moments when we simply couldn’t get hold of the ball long enough to give our defenders a break.

What bothered me about our left side was how easily Graham Hansen was sometimes getting at Taylor Hinds, because Lisa Baum wasn’t always giving her the support she needed. Graham Hansen is an exceptional player, and she’s capable of making very good defenders look ordinary, but when Barcelona keep identifying the same area as somewhere they can hurt you, something has to change. Taylor was having an incredibly difficult job dealing with her, and too often she was being left to manage that threat without enough help.

Then, in the 22nd minute, Arsenal managed to put together a lovely attacking move. Alessia did brilliantly to create the opportunity, getting the ball across to Caitlin Foord, whose effort was saved by Cata Coll, but Frida Maanum was in exactly the right place to attack the rebound and put us ahead.

Barcelona 0, Arsenal 1.

I was absolutely delighted for Frida, because after the interruptions she’s experienced this season, getting herself on the scoresheet in a game of this importance must have felt wonderful. It was a proper midfielder’s goal too, following the play into the penalty area, recognising where the loose ball might fall and reacting before the defenders could get themselves organised.

The goal was also a good example of what Arsenal needed to do when we managed to get forward. We weren’t going to dominate possession against Barcelona, but when we moved the ball quickly and got our attacking players working together, we could cause them problems. Alessia created the opening, Caitlin got herself into a dangerous position and Frida anticipated what might happen next.

Unfortunately, Barcelona weren’t remotely discouraged by going behind, and the pressure continued for much of the remainder of the half. Patri Guijarro went close, Clàudia Pina was causing problems and Graham Hansen continued to find ways of getting into threatening positions. Right before half-time, she got her head onto a cross and sent the ball against the post, and by that stage I was looking at the clock wondering how much longer we could possibly keep defending like this.

Somehow, Arsenal reached half-time leading 1-0, and while I was delighted with the score, I was also concerned about how much work we’d had to do to protect it. There’d been some excellent defensive interventions and Misa had already made several important saves, but Barcelona were creating opportunities that a team of their quality would normally expect to convert.

The question during the interval was whether Renée could find a way to make us more competitive without the ball spending almost the entire second half in our penalty area.

Barcelona Equalise, But Arsenal Responded Well

Barcelona came out after the break determined to put things right, and Renée initially kept the same eleven on the pitch. We were still having to defend for long periods, although Arsenal were managing to get themselves a little further forward, and then just before the hour mark Pere Romeu introduced Aitana Bonmatí, which is hardly the sight you want to see when you’re already finding Barcelona’s midfield difficult enough to deal with.

Three minutes later, we conceded.

Esmee Brugts found Caroline Graham Hansen on Barcelona’s right, she received the ball with space to work in, cut inside Steph Catley and curled an excellent finish beyond Misa. It was a wonderful strike, and Graham Hansen deserves credit for the quality of it, but I was disappointed by how much room she had because she’d been Barcelona’s biggest attacking threat throughout the game.

Renée acknowledged that afterwards, saying Arsenal had become a little disorganised and given Graham Hansen too much space. That’s exactly how I saw it, because this wasn’t someone who’d suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caught us by surprise. We’d spent almost an hour watching her create problems, and when she finally got the opportunity to cut inside and shoot, she took it.

What encouraged me was the way Arsenal responded, because after spending so much of the game under pressure, there was a real danger that conceding would open the floodgates.

Renée made two changes almost immediately, bringing on Ona Batlle and Olivia Smith for Taylor Hinds and Lisa Baum, and I was pleased to see both players introduced. Ona knows Barcelona extremely well from her time at the club, and Olivia gave us someone who could carry the ball forward and make their defenders work when we managed to break out of our own half.

The changes helped us become more competitive, although Barcelona weren’t maintaining quite the same intensity they’d shown earlier, and I don’t want to pretend everything improved simply because two different players came on. Renée also explained afterwards that Arsenal had made adjustments to how we used the ball, because keeping possession for longer meant spending less time defending, and that was one of the most interesting things she said.

It’s a fairly simple idea when you hear it, but against Barcelona it’s much harder to put into practice because they’re so good at closing down space and forcing mistakes. We were beginning to move the ball with more confidence, and suddenly there were opportunities to get at them rather than spending every few minutes clearing another cross or defending another corner.

Olivia created an excellent chance for Alessia Russo inside the penalty area, but Alessia put her effort over the bar, and she’ll know she should have done better with that one. She’s been in wonderful goalscoring form recently, and normally you’d expect her to make the goalkeeper work from that position.

Frida Maanum had another opportunity later on, with Cata Coll coming off her line to prevent her getting a clean chance, and there were moments during the closing stages when Arsenal were finding some useful space in Barcelona’s half. Leah Williamson also made an important block to deny Schertenleib, while Kyra Cooney-Cross came on for Georgia Stanway as Renée looked to manage the final minutes.

By the time the whistle went, I was relieved we’d held on, but also slightly frustrated because those opportunities for Alessia and Frida had given us a chance to win a game that Barcelona had dominated for such long periods.

That was probably the biggest difference between the two halves for me. We went from struggling to get out of our own defensive third to creating chances that could have won us the game, and although Barcelona remained dangerous, Arsenal had finally found a way to make them defend as well.

Misa Rodriguez, Frida Maanum And The Players Who Made The Difference

There’s one player I have to single out, and that’s Misa Rodríguez, because without her performance I’m not convinced we’d be talking about a point this morning.

She made some outstanding saves, especially during the opening half when Barcelona seemed to be creating opportunities every few minutes, and what impressed me was how quickly she reacted when shots were coming through bodies or from difficult angles. Goalkeeping against Barcelona is incredibly demanding because the ball is constantly moving, players are finding different positions around the penalty area and you’ve got very little time to react when someone finally gets a shot away.

Misa was excellent, and we’ve seen her produce some important performances recently, but this was on another level. She gave the players in front of her confidence, dealt with the pressure and made sure Barcelona didn’t turn their dominance into a lead.

I also want to recognise the defensive work from Steph Catley, Leah Williamson and Emily Fox, because there were some important tackles and blocks during the game, even if the organisation wasn’t always what I’d have wanted. We can recognise that Barcelona found too much space at times without overlooking the enormous effort Arsenal’s defenders put into keeping them out.

Caitlin Foord deserves praise for her involvement in the goal and the opportunities she helped create, but I was particularly pleased for Frida Maanum, because this was an important performance for someone who’s had such a disrupted start to the season.

Renée spoke very warmly about Frida afterwards, explaining that she’d told the coaching staff she was ready to start and praising how much she contributed when Arsenal didn’t have the ball. That’s worth mentioning because it’s easy to concentrate on her goal, but her positioning, communication and willingness to work defensively were important parts of why Renée selected her for this game.

There’s also something lovely about a player returning from injury and immediately making such an important contribution. Frida has always had that ability to arrive in the penalty area at just the right moment, and seeing her do it at the Camp Nou was wonderful.

Caroline Graham Hansen was named Player of the Match, and I’ve got no complaints about that either. She was outstanding for Barcelona and gave Arsenal an enormous amount of work to do throughout the evening.

Renée's Decisions: A Different Approach And Something To Build On?

Renée deserves credit for the way Arsenal approached this game, because we’d been very critical of some of her decisions in recent weeks, and it’s only fair that we recognise when she gets something right.

She knew Barcelona would have most of the ball, so Arsenal needed to remain organised, work hard for one another and look for opportunities to break forward quickly. That was a sensible approach against a team with Barcelona’s technical quality, and while there were periods when we struggled to carry it out, the players clearly understood what they were being asked to do.

There’s a certain irony in watching Arsenal spend much of the evening defending in the way so many teams have defended against us in the WSL this season, and I have to say it gave me an even greater appreciation of how difficult that can be. You need everyone concentrating, everyone communicating and players prepared to do an enormous amount of work without the ball, because Barcelona only need one lapse in concentration to create something dangerous.

My main criticism of Renée’s selection remains the combination of Lisa Baum and Taylor Hinds on the left. I understand wanting Lisa’s pace available when Arsenal broke forward, but the defensive demands of that position were enormous against Graham Hansen, and I wasn’t convinced we were giving Taylor enough protection. The equaliser came from that side, and Renée herself acknowledged that we’d allowed Graham Hansen too much space.

But she made changes, Arsenal improved during the final half-hour and the players demonstrated they could adapt to what was happening. Renée also explained that the adjustments made at half-time were intended to help Arsenal spend more time on the ball, which gives us a useful insight into how she was approaching the problem.

Something else I appreciated was her assessment of the result. She acknowledged Barcelona’s chances, recognised that Arsenal had opportunities to win it towards the end and said a draw was probably fair. There was no attempt to pretend we’d been the better team for 90 minutes, and I found that refreshing.

She also spoke about the resilience, discipline, communication and bravery the players had shown, and those are qualities I’d like to see us carrying into our league performances. Because what Arsenal demonstrated last night was that when there’s a clear plan, everyone understands their responsibilities and the players work together, we can make life difficult for even the strongest opponents.

The challenge now is producing that level of concentration and commitment consistently, rather than only finding it when we’re facing Barcelona.

What This Result Means For Arsenal In Europe

A point away to Barcelona is a valuable result, especially with the league-phase standings still taking shape and Arsenal trying to secure direct qualification for the quarter-finals.

There’s still plenty of work ahead, including Lyon next week, but we’ve come away from one of the most difficult fixtures in European football with something to show for our efforts, and that matters.

We’ve beaten Barcelona before, of course, but that doesn’t make going to the Camp Nou any less demanding. They have some outstanding footballers, they’re capable of producing periods of almost relentless pressure and we had to work incredibly hard to stay in the game.

What gives me some encouragement is that Arsenal found ways of creating chances of our own, particularly during the final half-hour, and if we can combine that attacking threat with better organisation when opponents have the ball, there’s something worth building on.

But before we start worrying about Lyon, we’ve got a rather important WSL game on Sunday.

London City Lionesses: A Very Different Challenge

Arsenal are back at the Emirates on Sunday, with London City Lionesses visiting for a 4:30pm kick-off, and this is a fixture I’m approaching with a great deal of interest because London City are having an excellent season.

They’re currently 3rd in the WSL with 19 points from 9 games, they’ve scored 24 goals and they’re coming into Sunday’s game after beating Birmingham City 4-1 last weekend. Arsenal are 6th with 13 points, so we’re welcoming a team that’s 6 points ahead of us in the table, which tells you how important this game is.

London City are no longer some upstarts who’ve unexpectedly found themselves near the top of the league because they’ve had a lucky run of results. They’ve invested heavily, recruited experienced international footballers and assembled a squad with some serious quality, and they’re beginning to demonstrate what they’re capable of under Eder Maestre.

Just look at some of the players they’ve got available. Grace Geyoro brings enormous experience and intelligence to midfield, Daniëlle van de Donk is someone Arsenal supporters will know very well from her years at our club and she’s still capable of causing problems with her movement and creativity, while Delphine Cascarino and Kadidiatou Diani give them pace and quality going forward. Add Alexia Putellas into that group and you can understand why they’re scoring goals and taking points from teams around them.

Their victory against Birmingham was another example of how dangerous they can be, with Poppy Pattinson, Cascarino, Geyoro and Diani all getting on the scoresheet. They’ve also beaten Manchester United this season and lost narrowly to Manchester City, so they’ve demonstrated that they’re capable of competing against strong opposition.

What interests me most is how Arsenal approach this game after spending so much time defending against Barcelona, because London City will present a different challenge. They have the quality to keep possession and attack quickly, but Arsenal should also have more opportunities to impose our own game than we did at the Camp Nou.

I’d like to see some of the defensive concentration we demonstrated against Barcelona carried into Sunday, but with much more purpose when we’ve got the ball. We can’t afford to be slow in possession, allow London City time to get organised and spend another afternoon making life unnecessarily difficult for ourselves.

There’s also the question of how Renée manages the squad after such a demanding Champions League game. Several players put an enormous amount of energy into that performance, and with Lyon coming up next week, she’ll have some decisions to make about who starts, who might need a rest and how we maintain the balance of the team.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some rotation, and with the depth we’ve got available, we should be capable of making changes without losing the quality needed to compete.

The one thing I wouldn’t do is underestimate London City simply because they’re relatively new to the WSL. Their league position isn’t an accident, and they’ll arrive at the Emirates believing they can beat us.

As for my prediction, I’m going for Arsenal 2-1 London City Lionesses.

I don’t expect a comfortable afternoon, but I’m hoping the confidence from Thursday’s result will help Arsenal produce a strong home performance and finally give our supporters the league victory they’ve been waiting for at the Emirates.