Latest news with #VivianneMiedema
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Can Scotland capitalise against 'wounded' Dutch?
On Tuesday night Scotland will face a Netherlands team - live on BBC Scotland -which is wounded, both in a physical and emotional sense before their final Nations League match in some of their key stars, the Dutch were walloped 4-0 by Germany in their penultimate game, which set off alarm bells back home as they prepare to play in the Euro 2025 group of death this summer alongside England, France and goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar was missing with injury, as well as attacking totems Lineth Beerensteyn and top scorer Vivianne latter will definitely not return to face Scotland, while Beerensteyn missing out would be music to Scotland's ears given she has scored three goals across the last two Victoria Pelova and key midfielder Danielle van de Donk were not fit enough to start in Bremen meant a switch to a back-three formation, which seemed to bring confusion rather than stability as Germany ran riot, scoring three in the first Andries Jonker, whose contract is not being renewed after the Euros this summer, said too many players were below par as questions surround his can Scotland capitalise? Well, they will need to be far better than they were for the first 70 minutes against Austria in Melissa Andreatta's first the reverse fixture, Emma Lawton's first international goal gave Scotland the lead before the Dutch turned things around in the second half to win in truth, the gap between the two teams at Hampden in February was much more than one goal as the Netherlands squandered numerous expectation on Scotland, already relegated and on the back of six straight defeats, could hardly be lower. That tends to be how they like it, though.A victory against even this version of the Dutch seems unlikely, but if Andreatta could grab a result it would jolt her tenure to life ahead of another summer when Scotland watch on from a distance as others enjoy a major tournament party.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Arsenal women overcome adversity to win Champions League under new manager Renee Slegers and set the stage for future success.
In the summer of 2024, the Arsenal women's team lost its record goal-scorer, Vivianne Miedema, on a free transfer to Manchester City. The departure of the club's talismanic forward, widely considered one of the world's greatest strikers, was followed five months later by the resignation of manager Jonas Eidevall after a string of poor results. For Arsenal, statistically the most successful club in English women's football and among the most decorated in the world game, this was unfamiliar territory. The Gunners, after all, have won the most doubles and trebles in English history, completed a record seven unbeaten league seasons, and assembled a staggering, unrivalled cabinet of trophies. The club has also played a significant, often pioneering, role in the rise of women's football in England. Inspired response So, the situation the team found itself in last October demanded an inspired response. Renee Slegers, Eidevall's assistant, was promoted as manager on an interim basis — not a particularly imaginative decision on the face of it, but the club knew what it was doing. This wasn't a stopgap arrangement but an educated punt, and she was appointed permanently in January. The former Dutch midfielder, whose playing career was cut short by injury, had a reputation for being an intelligent student of the game. She, moreover, had a longstanding bond with Arsenal, having joined its academy as a 17-year-old in 2006. She had made a senior appearance by the time the club became the first English side to win the women's Champions League in 2007. Eighteen years later, Slegers steered the team through a spectacular European campaign, winning Arsenal's second Champions League title. It remains the only English team to claim the prestigious continental trophy. The side built its confidence from come-from-behind wins over Real Madrid and eight-time champion Lyon in the knockout rounds before laying low the almighty Barcelona with a tactical masterclass in the final. Stina Blackstenius' 75th-minute goal, after coming on as a substitute, decided the title clash, producing an incredible finish to a rocky season for the Gunners. Arsenal was better organised, calmer, and executed a meticulously detailed gameplan to perfection against Barcelona, which was in its sixth final in seven years with a team widely regarded as the best in the world, featuring Ballon d'Or winners and influential midfielders Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati. ALSO READ | How Conte's Napoli and Inzaghi's Inter delivered a Serie A title race for the ages Slegers delivered an expert coaching performance, getting her substitutions right and devising a way to stop the highest scoring team in the tournament. 'What we did so well was using all possible tools to speed the game up, to disrupt it, but to stay true to who we are. This was key to why we won,' Slegers said. 'Barcelona are so good, but we tried to exploit weaknesses where we could. We said beforehand that the midfield of Barcelona was the engine, they are the conductors. So we wanted to stop them.' Leah Williamson excelled at the back and veteran Kim Little and former Barca midfielder Mariona Caldentey in particular helped shut down the Catalans' star-studded engine room Slegers explained that Arsenal's other players chipped in to flood the midfield and help their own central trio. She hailed her squad for pulling off everything they had planned. '[I'm] super proud, because you can have all these ideas in your head, show videos, use your tactics board, do it in training, but when the moment is actually there against an opponent that is so good, to then execute in the Champions League final, it says so much about the players,' she added. Composure and courage Captain Little said the team's composure on the big stage was a consequence of focusing on the task and not the occasion. The team wanted to play without fear. 'It was fairly calm [in the dressing room] and that is one of the key things in these big games,' explained Little, who first joined the club a year after the 2007 triumph. '[Sleger's team-talks were] task-focussed... small details on how we can stop them and some details around set pieces. I think that showed in our performance, how we approached the game was very controlled, with little pointers of the belief that we have and the courage we wanted to show.' Defender Katie McCabe said it was all about the work rate the entire side put in. That started up front, where England striker Alessia Russo was a rock, using her size to win balls and keep the attack going. Russo had jumped ship from Manchester United to join the Arsenal project in 2023 on a free transfer, just months after the Red Devils turned down a then women's world record £500,000 bid by the Gunners. Russo struggled to match the hype of her arrival during a difficult first season, but Slegers has sparked a transformation in the striker's fortunes — Russo was recently named as the football writers' women's player of the year. 'Any player who plays for Arsenal understands that it's a winning club, so ambitious, and wants to be at the top,' she said. The squad had lunch in the week leading up to the final with the team that won the 2007 trophy, and Russo said it was a 'special' experience. 'We're very aware of what's come before us as well... we had lunch with some of the 2007 winners earlier in the week and to understand how much it still means to them is really special for us current players,' she said. ALSO READ | Bruno Fernandes — The man who made the Theatre dream again In addition to the lunch, Slegers picked the brains of some important figures from that team, including coach Vik Akers and his assistant Emma Hayes, now manager of the United States' women's team. 'I was at the club in 2007 so I have a little bit of an idea of where the club comes from, and I had lunch with Vic, and it was fantastic to see him bring the perspective. There's so many people who have been investing for such a long time, I'm just a very small part of it…' When magic delivers England captain Williamson, a lifelong Gunners fan who joined the London club at the age of eight and was a mascot when Arsenal triumphed in 2007, said the win felt like 'magic'. Standing in front of some 10,000 fans outside the club's Emirates Stadium during the trophy celebration, she said, 'I've been saying the whole time, 'Do you believe in magic?' I knew it was going to happen against Lyon, I knew it was going to happen in the final. And magic delivered.' Arsenal is determined to use the triumph as a springboard for further success. Slegers said her players are hungry for more and the future could be 'scary' — in a good way. 'There are signs that when you are a winning team, you struggle together, you suffer together, you find ways to win,' Slegers said. 'I think there's even more in this team, that's the scary part of it, we achieved something enormous but I think there's still more to give.'
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Is 'magic' Caldentey Arsenal's key in Champions League final?
Mariona Caldentey was kissing the Women's Champions League trophy a year ago, clutching the badge on her chest while donning the blue and red stripes of Barcelona, having won her 15th major trophy with the she is preparing to face her former team for the first time since leaving them last summer to join Gunners will attempt to win a first European title since 2007 in Lisbon on Saturday (17:00 BST) and it helps to have a star in their team who lived and breathed opponents Barcelona for a did not come through Barcelona's youth ranks, but spent 10 seasons at the home of the defending European champions, scoring 114 goals in 302 games. There will be no holding back in Saturday's Champions League final though as Caldentey hopes to spearhead Arsenal - the place she now calls home - to success. "I feel really confident, I can play my football, I can enjoy it. I am in the right place. I am where I want to be," the Spain international, 29, she cap off an impressive debut season for Arsenal with the ultimate club prize she became so accustomed to winning at Barcelona? 'We always knew she was like magic' Caldentey arrived in north London at a rocky time for Arsenal in July 2024 and some in Spain doubted if she had made the right decision. Gunners legend Vivianne Miedema had been allowed to leave for rivals Manchester City weeks before and fan unrest was building towards former boss Jonas was on Caldentey - a World Cup winner with Spain - to help guide Arsenal safely through a potentially treacherous Champions League qualification she did not take long to settle as 10 months later, Caldentey was awarded the Women's Super League Player of the Season having scored nine goals and assisted five in 21 games. It should not have come as a surprise."She was a crucial player for Barca's style," Spanish journalist Maria Tikas, who writes for national newspaper Sport, told BBC Sport."The fans and media didn't value her enough for how important she was. We always said that she was like magic."It was sad she left, but I knew she was going to be good in England. She really showed quickly the kind of player she was and now at an important moment of the season she has showed it again."Caldentey's first goal came in a 4-0 win over BK Hacken, sealing Arsenal's progression to the Champions League group stages in club believed Caldentey could take them to the next level when they signed her but she could not have predicted how impressive her first season would be."Not at all. I didn't have any expectation. I just made my decision and went for it," said Caldentey. "Everyone helped me a lot from the first day so it was kind of easy to adapt to the new challenge. I've just had fun playing football." 'A total footballer' "She's a total footballer. She's got everything," Arsenal manager Renee Slegers said of Caldentey earlier this impact was instant and went from a struggling side at the start of the season to a team marching up the table, sealing second spot in the WSL and competing with Europe's elite. Caldentey's role was to be the creator, linking up with WSL Golden Boot winner Alessia Russo and providing stardust from midfield."She's given us so much," Slegers added. "There are so many things to say about Mariona, because she does so many things so well. She has given us that next level."Technically and tactically - her intelligence is really high level. Her work ethic is unbelievable. You can see it in games, but you can see it on the training pitch as well."Last but not least, she's a winner."After Arsenal beat Tottenham 5-0 at Emirates Stadium, a journalist described Caldentey as the conductor of an orchestra, with eight legs like an analogy surprised Slegers but she admitted it was a good captain Kim Little, who has played alongside Caldentey this season, said she has been "incredible" for the team."She came in from Barcelona and had a great impact on the team, on a personal level and also with how we play," she told BBC Radio 5 Live. 'If one player is going to lead the pack, it's her' There will no doubt be mixed emotions for Caldentey when she faces Barcelona in was "underrated" but "now finally appreciated" by those in Spain, said Tikas, but will she come back to haunt them?"When we talked to Barca players after the semi-finals, they were really happy to face Mariona and said it will be really special for them," Tikas added."She knows how Barcelona play and how Arsenal can damage Barcelona."Caldentey has spoken to some of the Barcelona players - they remain "close friends" after all - but they have avoided speaking about the final."We did exchange some messages but it is a bit weird so we didn't speak too much about [the game]," she added. "I didn't tell them [we would win] but they know that is what I want!"From Arsenal's perspective, they hope Caldentey's close links with Barca will give them an advantage."I did an interview with Aitana Bonmati the other day and mentioned Mariona," journalist Alex Ibaceta told BBC Radio 5 Live. "She said we know the player she is, we know what she is capable of."Mariona is going to be key in letting the players know what disturbs Barcelona. If there is one player that is going to lead the pack, it's going to be her. Arsenal have enough quality to be able to put out a gameplan so Mariona can give them the tips and tricks on how to defeat Barcelona." Head here to get involved
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Women's Super League review: From the game of the season to favourite quote
Another Women's Super League season, another Chelsea title. Sonia Bompastor's team secured a sixth championship in a row to further assert their dominance of the English game's top division. While The Athletic's Michael Cox described the WSL season as a 'very dull WSL campaign overall', there were, nevertheless, moments and games that stood out. From Naomi Girma's record-breaking transfer to Chloe Kelly's Arsenal loan move, our experts, Charlotte Harpur, Megan Feringa and Michael Cox, tell us what the 2024-25 WSL season will be remembered for. Manchester United had only won one out of 10 WSL Manchester derbies. They had never beaten Manchester City away in the league. So when they were 3-0 up within 36 minutes in their rivals' own backyard, no one expected it. There was quality dappled with calamity as United hunted City's back line and haunted goalkeeper Khiara Keating with their aggressive press. Advertisement A run-of-the-mill game would have seen a team protect their healthy lead for the next hour, but this game was the gift that kept on giving as it swung one way and then the other. Just before half-time, former Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema headed home before Rebecca Knaak made it 3-2, with everything all to play for in the second half. United could have wilted, but they came flying out of the blocks. Elisabeth Terland pressed Keating like a terrier and, nine seconds after the restart, United extended their lead through Ella Toone. She had never scored against City, let alone a hat-trick. The possibility of a comeback was kept alive as City threatened but didn't take their chances. It could have been more than a six-goal thriller. Charlotte Harpur In the first couple of months of the WSL campaign, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was the division's in-form player. The Chelsea winger's first goal in a 5-2 thrashing of Tottenham was particularly spectacular. Millie Bright sent a left-footed diagonal ball in behind the opposition defence and Rytting Kaneryd, making a run from the right flank to meet the ball inside the box, somehow managed to volley it with the inside of her foot while hanging in mid-air, applying both dip and an element of curl, to send the ball looping into the far corner. The Swede's team-mates could barely believe it. She probably wouldn't be able to replicate it given a second opportunity, but that doesn't matter, it was a truly outstanding finish. Michael Cox This season was full of drama, from a litany of managerial exits to player transfers. The week leading up to Jonas Eidevall's exit from Arsenal deserves an honourable mention, including the mega-sized P45 a fan brought into the Emirates with Eidevall's name written on it. Chloe Kelly's January transfer saga was significant not only for its more immediate impact on Manchester City and Arsenal's respective seasons (City losing nearly all of its attacking thrust in the space of two months; Arsenal reaching a Champions League final), but because of the profound message it sent about the power of the player in modern women's football. Advertisement But there is no bigger moment than the first $1million women's footballer. Naomi Girma's January transfer to Chelsea from San Diego Wave for a world-record fee of $1.1million has established a new threshold for player value. The knock-on effects for movement in the transfer windows to come will be significant, particularly with more investment and visibility across the globe. The fact Girma is a 24-year-old American defender, rather than a splashy, 20-goal-a-season striker, is also of note, a sign of the game's tactical evolution globally and in the U.S. Former Chelsea manager and current USWNT head coach Emma Hayes called her 'the best defender I've ever seen. Ever'. For Chelsea and the USWNT, Girma is set to be a cornerstone for the next decade. Her transfer is women's football's Rubicon. Megan Feringa It was an unprecedented transfer saga that went down to the wire on deadline day and involved a player accusing her club of trying to 'assassinate (her) character'. At the start of the season, everyone knew Kelly needed game time, especially ahead of the European Championship. Come the end of the season, however, very few would have predicted she would be playing for Arsenal in a Champions League final. As the relationship between Kelly and manager Gareth Taylor deteriorated, it was evident the winger was not going to play a predominant part in City's season. But City were reluctant to sell to a top-three team given the race for Champions League qualification. Kelly, however, wanted to remain at the top of the WSL and given her contract is due to expire this summer, she needed to maintain her valuation. Her preference was Manchester United, but City would not name a price to their neighbours and rejected two bids from United before deadline day. Advertisement Twenty-four hours before the transfer window shut, Kelly was resigned to the fact she was not going to leave in January, but then Arsenal came swooping in. Taylor was sacked over a month later and Kelly is heading to Lisbon for the Champions League final. How the tides can turn. Charlotte Harpur Back in March, Everton defeated bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace 3-0, securing their third win in five matches to move them 10 points clear of the relegation zone. It was impressive stuff, particularly given Everton were winless and bottom of the table back in November with a squad on its last legs. Brian Sorensen's assessment? 'It's hunting season.' Sat in an unassuming back room at Walton Hall Park, Sorensen delivered the last line in movie-star fashion, a catchphrase for the camera to zoom in on as the Danish manager tipped his Everton-branded baseball cap to the audience before setting off into the Merseyside sunset. Life at Everton has not been easy for Sorensen, who has had to navigate endless injury crises with a limited budget. In March, life started to look less grim, with a full squad and new owners who have a vested interest in the women's team's development. Unfortunately, Everton's hunting season didn't go as well as many hoped, with the disappointing 3-2 defeat to Brighton and a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on the final day ensuring they wouldn't be the team to take the title of 'Best of the Rest'. But Sorensen's line won't be forgotten, and as Everton continue to venture into their new and seemingly brighter The Friedkin Group era, Sorensen's quip might yet prove prescient. The bigger hunt awaits. Megan Feringa It may not be the issue that dominates, but I am intrigued to see what impact London City Lionesses' promotion to the WSL will have on the other 11 teams. Advertisement Owned by American businesswoman Michele Kang, they will be the only fully independent club in the 2025-26 campaign, whereas the remaining sides are all attached to a Premier League club. Last season, Kang persuaded experienced Sweden international Kosovare Asllani and former Paris Saint-Germain manager Jocelyn Precheur to drop down a level to join the then-Championship side. So, who can Kang tempt now that they are in the top flight? Money talks and a disruptor in the league may lead to other teams looking over their shoulders. Charlotte Harpur Nailing colours to a prediction mast is a dangerous game in the age of digital receipts. I wish I had the tea leaves. So, before I start: please, have mercy. But this time next year, we'll be talking about Manchester United and how this season of over-performance has finally been exposed. While United managed to remain in the top three, an undercurrent lurked — an inexplicable question of how this has happened, rather than faith in a bigger, grander process. The underlying numbers demonstrated why, with United regularly over-performing in attack and defence, often spared blushes by the virtue of other teams' poor finishing or goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce's remarkable season. United's final four matches of the WSL were against West Ham United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, a kind of litmus test for their European credentials. To fail to win any games and earn just two points from a possible 12 hinted at a truth finally unshielded. How United confront that truth this summer will ultimately dictate what the conversation next season looks like. But it's difficult to ignore the precedents set in the past 12 months at the club. The other thing we'll be saying? The WSL still has a major gap problem. Megan Feringa
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal's Caldentey wins WSL player of year award
Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey has been named the inaugural Women's Professional Game's WSL player of the year, which was voted for by fans. The Spain international scored nine goals and registered five assists in the Women's Super League this season. She helped Arsenal reach the Women's Champions League final, where they take on her former club Barcelona in Lisbon on 18 May. 'I'm super happy because I really enjoyed my first season here. Everyone helped me,' said Caldentey. 'It was kind of easy to move from Barcelona. It's a highly-competitive league but I have enjoyed it.' Caldentey pipped Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo to the award, as well as Chelsea duo Aggie Beever-Jones and Sandy Baltimore. Completing the shortlist was Brighton's Kiko Seike, Manchester City's Mary Fowler, Manchester United's Maya Le Tissier, Liverpool's Olivia Smith and West Ham's Shekiera Martinez. How did each WSL club do during 2024-25 season? BBC Sport pundits pick WSL players of the year Elsewhere, Martinez was named the WSL's rising star after impressing on her return to West Ham in January, following a loan spell with SC Freiburg. Vivianne Miedema's stunning chip in Manchester City's 4-2 victory over Aston Villa in January was voted the WSL goal of the season. Her team-mate Khadija Shaw shared the WSL golden boot with Russo after both ended the season on 12 goals. Women's Championship winners London City Lionesses picked up three awards with top-scorer Isobel Goodwin claiming the player of the season and the golden boot for her 16 goals this season. Goodwin said: 'I'm buzzing. It tops off a really great season and to get these individual awards, I'm really happy. 'It's a team game so I'm glad we got [the promotion] over the line. But this is a nice feeling.' Team-mate Emily Orman also won the golden glove for the most clean sheets in the second tier (seven). The WSL manager of the season will be announced at the League Managers' Association dinner at the end of May. WSL player of the season - Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal) Women's Championship player of the season - Isobel Goodwin (London City Lionesses) WSL rising star - Shekiera Martinez (West Ham) Women's Championship rising star - Sophie Quirk (Portsmouth) WSL goal of the season - Vivianne Miedema (Manchester City) Women's Championship goal of the season - Maria Farrugia (Sheffield United) WSL golden boot - Alessia Russo (Arsenal) and Khadija Shaw (Manchester City) Women's Championship golden boot - Isobel Goodwin (London City Lionesses) WSL golden glove - Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United) and Hannah Hampton (Chelsea) Women's Championship golden glove - Emily Orman (London City Lionesses) Club hero award - Emma Fletcher (Manchester United) Player champion of change award - Katrina Gorry (West Ham) Club matchday experience award - Manchester City Fan of the season award - Bik Singh (Birmingham City) Head here to get involved Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page
