Arsenal's fearsome forward line of Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema can send a WSL warning ahead of next season by damaging Man City's title dreams

The stats really highlight Arsenal's failings in front of goal this season. No team in the WSL has a greater negative differential between its expected goals and actual goals, the Gunners having scored four fewer than the metrics suggest they should have.

Arsenal have missed more big chances (as quantified by Opta) than any other team in the WSL, only Everton and Tottenham have worse big chance conversion rates, and while Man City and Chelsea boast the best shot conversion rates in the league, the Gunners are seventh of 12 teams. To compete for a title, you have to be clinical - and Arsenal have not been.

But what is so paradoxical about the Gunners’ season is that they have been great in the big games. They’ve beaten all of Chelsea, Man City and Manchester United, losing just two of their seven meetings with the rest of England’s ‘big four’. They’ve been a really potent attacking force in some of those games too, putting four past Chelsea in December and beating United 3-1 in February, and even have a trophy to show for their efforts after beating Emma Hayes' Blues to the Continental Cup in March.

“I think on so many occasions, especially this year, in top games against the best sides we've shown up and put in really good performances,” captain Kim Little said before that final. “We know we've got that in us. We know that we can bring that best out of ourselves whenever we are on top of our game.”

If they can beat the best teams in the league by being on it in the final third, then why haven’t they been consistent across the season to keep up in the title race? Well, Arsenal have certainly struggled against defensive-minded teams and breaking down low blocks, with 12 of their 16 points dropped in the WSL this season coming against teams outside of that ‘big four’.

On top of that, it's fair to say that Eidevall is still figuring out how to get the best out of Russo after her summer move from United. Indeed, after playing the majority of her first season at the club as a No.9, the England star has moved into more of a No.10 role in recent weeks, which certainly highlights the point. She is still adapting to a different team, too, and the new relationships that need to be built with the players around her.

Some would also argue that Eidevall should have used Stina Blackstenius and Cloe Lacasse more this year, with the former only recently getting a run of starts at centre-forward because of Russo dropping deeper, as they’ve shown fantastic glimpses in their limited minutes.

There is also the issue of injuries, which have really hit Arsenal’s forward line hard, with Mead and Miedema the two most significant names on that front. Both made their long-awaited returns from ACL ruptures in the first half of the season, and both have fared quite differently since.

Mead has played a lot of consistent minutes after coming back into contention in October, and there was a really exciting period in the weeks that followed where she was in top form. However, that level then dipped, serving as a reminder of the struggles that players returning from such long-term injuries face.

It can take months for them to really get back to themselves, and it’s just something that needs to be worked through. Mead is doing exactly that, with four goals in seven days in April certainly showing that she is on track to finding her best form again.

Miedema, meanwhile, has struggled for fitness and had to have more knee surgery in March, with her road back proving to be a little more complicated. Both have been huge parts of this Arsenal attack for several years, and so for the club to lose them, adapt to life without them, sign new players in their absence, welcome them back, then see them return to the sidelines or struggle for form, has understandably been difficult to deal with in terms of getting the best out of the attack.

It’s not just Mead and Miedema’s injuries that have impacted the forward line, either. Leah Williamson might be a centre-back, but her role in Arsenal’s build-up and the way she is able to drive forward and contribute to the attack with pinpoint passes is important, and that too has been missing due to her time on the sidelines. The England star only returned from her own ACL injury in January, and there have been a couple of niggles since which have stopped her getting back into some consistent rhythm.

Laura Wienroither became the fourth member of that ACL club last May, after seemingly nailing down the right-back role. To lose her created a problem in that position for Arsenal until the January signing of Emily Fox, meaning there have been rejigs in the back line that have limited the connections between full-back and winger.

These shouldn’t be excuses for why Arsenal’s season hasn’t been as good as they would have hoped. There’s no doubt that the Gunners should still be putting the ball in the back of the net more frequently, with none of the above able to explain some inexplicable misses in crucial moments. The players have to hold their hands up sometimes and simply admit that they need to do better in those positions.

However, it is all at least part of the reason why their attack has statistically been among the WSL’s worst, despite all the talent in the squad, and can offer hope for next season, too. Mead, Miedema, Williamson and Wienroither are all back fit now, meaning Eidevall will have a full complement to work with from the get-go. That all four will be able to get a proper pre-season under their belts will absolutely be beneficial, too.

Given that the coach also seems to have more understanding of how Russo fits into his team now, there should be no reason why Arsenal’s attack cannot be one of the best in the WSL next year and, in turn, why the Gunners cannot go toe-to-toe with the division’s best for the title.

But it’s not next season yet. There are still two games to go, two games which Eidevall will want to use to continue to understand his attack, the most effective combinations and how to get the best out of it. To end the season strongly will also give the players some momentum and confidence to take into the new one, especially if they can secure a victory over a team as good as table-toppers Man City on Sunday.

“We haven’t won at Manchester City for a long time and I would very much like to change that,” Eidevall said at the weekend. “We have an obligation to the league and all the teams competing. Every team needs to do their very best and, in the end, the best team is going to win the league and that is fair.”

Arsenal might well be out of the title race, but they can still have a huge impact on it as they look to show everyone just why they can be a team to fear in 2024/25.