When Arsenal don't win at the Emirates Stadium, it's a big deal. But after four attempts, Renee Slegers' side are still yet to win at home in the Women's Super League. The lack of home wins has cut the Gunners adrift from the WSL title race.
But more worryingly, the message is getting round the league that Arsenal are not as invincible as before in their 60,000-seater stadium. "Many players have said it's one of the hardest places to go to in the WSL," said Nikita Parris to Sky Sports' Pitch to Pod show. "And at the moment, teams are taking points off them at home.
Teams feel like when they go there, they have a chance. "At times [in the past], you go to the Emirates, they suffocate you. Now teams they can see they can get a counter attack that builds a bit of momentum and you're thinking: 'if one of these go in….'.
And at times they have been going in. "In games, we give ourselves a chance - whereas in previous times Arsenal have never allowed that." These comments were put to Arsenal captain Kim Little at the club's training ground. "That's obviously a reflection of these results at the start of this season," she tells Sky Sports.
"But I think historically at the Emirates, we're hard to play against. "That doesn't disappear overnight. We've not had the results we want there, we know we're capable of it.
And we want to do that in our next game." Lo and behold, Parris and her London City Lionesses team are next up at the Emirates this weekend, live on Sky Sports. And it's a game that puts Arsenal's season very much at a crossroads. With the WSL title seemingly out of their grasp on current form, Arsenal will look to muster a top-three finish for a Champions League spot - but London City are threatening to snatch that from them.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
