Morning all.
Whilst Mikel Arteta’s men couldn’t quite make to the Champions League Final, Renee Slegers’ side did and that final takes place tonight in Lisbon at 6pm, 5pm UK time.
Barcelona are probably the best women’s team in the game right now and have been for while. This is their sixth final in seven years including their fifth in a row. Their first big trophy in this competition came in 2021 after thumping Chelsea 4-0. They were successful in 2023 and 2024 too beating Wolfsburg and Lyon respectively.
Since their 2-0 defeat at Manchester City in the opening game of the competition, Barcelona have won nine straight Champions League matches including the last two which were both a 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea. They have scored 44 goals scored during that run.
Pere Romeu, Barcelona coach:
“One of the things I most enjoy as a coach is analysing the opposition and preparing our game plan. We have studied Arsenal very hard, and it’s very clear that they are a brave team that need very little elaboration in their play in order to get high up the pitch and attack you.They are aggressively competitive in a sporting sense. We’ve done exhaustive work on trying to break them down, and we’ve come up with our own conclusions about how we think we can tilt the match towards what we want it to be.”
Yes, it’s going to be tough for Arsenal to get the better of the Catalan giants.
There is no doubting the vast improvement of Arsenal since Renée Slegers took over as manager. Like the men, the women have finished second in the league but I very much doubt even the staunchest of fans believed Slegers would take the team to a Champions League final when she replaced Jonas Eidevall back in October and just days after Bayern Munich thrashed them 5-2.
This group of players have never made it to a Champions League final before, not together anyway but for a certain Mariona Caldentey, this will be her sixth appearance, only this time, she won’t be playing for Barcelona. No, the WSL player of this season will be lining up alongside her Arsenal teammates. What a great signing she has proved to be.
Renée Slegers:
”We respect them highly as a team. They’re very intelligent players, all of them, and technically capable, so it’s going to be a new challenge. I think that it’s a challenge that we haven’t faced yet in the league or in the Champions League. We’re going to try to replicate as many moments as possible in training and in meetings and prepare the players for everything that’s going to come. But even the pressure and the day of the final and all the aspects of it, we’re going to try and prepare for. But I think when the moment is there, it’s going to be so special.”
I would imagine Slegers and her players have watched the two Barcelona v Chelsea matches more than once by now to analyse where their strengths are and what they are. If there are any weaknesses to Barcelona’s game, having a plan to exploit them will be key. I doubt there will be many nerves in the Barca camp but if they are at all complacent, then game on.
If our players can show the kind of spirit, aggression and determination they did in Spain to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Real Madrid, or in France when trailing 2-1 from the first leg against Lyon to then beat them 4-1, they’ll have a chance tonight.
Catch up in the comments.
I wonder how, long term, involvement in the World Club Cup will affect Chelsea and Man City next season, particularly in the latter stages of the season?
Yeah Delap seems a pretty cost-effective option Rico and as you say he’s scored goals in a really poor team, ex-Man City, Arteta will know him I imagine, makes sense to me if he’s affordable? Over ready as they say…
Still prefer Sesko though…
Etetike is the lad at Frankfurt, he has Isak vibes about him?
The Portuguese Cup Final today, Sporting vs Benfica, might be worth a search online for that one?
I wonder if JM will be at the final?
The excitement of the transfer window is almost too much Kev… 😜
The Lisbon final is tomorrow , however in other news it seems that Jason Ayto has been removed by Berta and is to leave the club, whether that’s good or bad news remains to be seen. Ayto temporarily had the job having been number 2 to Edu , is Berta clearing the decks and starting to make his moves ?
As suggested on the old post comments, Ayto going seems weird but as you have suggested, perhaps Berta wants his own sidekick..
Manager Mikel Arteta has talked up Ayto’s abilities. Speaking in November, he said: “Very good, Jason and all the team. Edu and I probably got a lot of the praise, but the work behind it is done by this guy and Jason has been phenomenal.
“It is not easy to wake up one day and having to move to a different office and do a different job, like it was for the team.
“But again, the spirit, how people react, how they are willing to (say): ‘Okay, that’s it, that’s the situation, let’s move forward’, with that ambition, and as well with that determination and that enthusiasm, that’s something great. Jason has been great on that.”
The Athletic…
My guess is he’ll join Edu wherever the latter ends up..
Rico 10.39
Yes Rico, I sense that you can barely control your enthusiasm! 😆
Ha ha Kev.
I am looking forward to seeing who we sign because the club have made a lot of noise about this window.
Yes Rico, the club needs to walk the walk after all the talk.
Absolutely Kev. Talk is easy.
The transfer window opens tomorrow, might Arsenal get in there early I wonder…
Arsenal will have to be at their very best today, underdogs? Without doubt, but capable of giving the reigning champions a run for their money.
We have the players to get the ball forward quickly and the pace up front to profit from breakaways.
I’m, very, cautiously optimistic.
The Portuguese cup final is tomorrow
An excellent result for today would be to be equal to the one Arsenal obtained this year, in the same stadium where the final will be played. 🙂
I think Barca will come out on the attack so we might have to ride an early storm..
That would be perfect Jm.
Sheffield United 1-0
Campbell (son of Kevin)
Sheffield United 2-0
VAR check.
Sheffield United 1-0
Sunderland are terrible.
They are terrible, bit better second half
Blimey I never say that coming, Sunderland have been feeble.
Sheffield Utd 1-1 Sunderland
Extra time?
Great strike want it..
What do you make of Bellingham Kev?