Renée Slegers has told Arsenal Women what to fear from London City Lionesses before Sunday afternoon's game at Emirates Stadium, and it's the pace on the break. "They have been lethal with their fast attacks and counter attacks and they have so much speed up top," she said. Arsenal go into it six points behind London City, so a win is close to essential if a top-three finish and Champions League qualification are to stay within reach. Slegers drew the line back to Thursday herself, saying London City "aren't the same team as Barcelona" but will "pose us similar questions and threats".
That comparison is the useful part, because Arsenal took a point away at Barcelona on Thursday night. Slegers wants the same discipline behind the ball on Sunday, but she also said her side must "impose ourselves", and that second half of the job is the harder one at home. Arsenal haven't won a league game at home this season, with all four ending in draws and only three goals scored. A team that plays on the counter is exactly the kind of opponent that leaves a home side with the ball and little space to use it. The balance between managing London City's speed and committing enough players forward to win is the whole game.
The preparation is tight too. There are only two days between the games, and Slegers admitted the build-up to Barcelona had been squeezed after Liverpool, when they "only had two sessions and very little opportunity to train tactically". She said the staff would "be creative" in getting the tactical work into the players this time. Frida Maanum is the obvious selection question after coming into the team at Camp Nou following a couple of weeks out injured. Slegers called her "exceptional" there.
Over to the men's team, where the international break has produced a round of interviews and Viktor Gyokeres gave the most direct one. On staying at Arsenal, he said "I want to", and added that his communication with Mikel Arteta is good. He admitted criticism "might get to me" sometimes, but said that if he scores in the Champions League he "couldn't care less what they say". That is a player who sounds settled in a side top of the Premier League. Ben White was booed when he came on in England's 2-1 win over Croatia, and Thomas Tuchel said afterwards he "thought we were past that chapter". White said of leaving the 2022 camp that "people don't know the full story" and that he wouldn't have done anything differently. Mikel Merino's line deserves more attention than either, because he said he and Martin Zubimendi want bigger roles and he is "waiting to see if things can be changed". He was careful to say he won't complain, but a player saying that in public is one Arteta will have to find minutes for.
In the academy, 16-year-old Max Dowman has become the youngest player to appear for England Under-21s, taking the record from Jude Bellingham, who was nearly four months older on his debut in September 2020.
The women kick off against London City on Sunday, then host OL Lyonnes in the Champions League on Thursday and West Ham next Sunday.
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