Good morning, Arsenal Women aficionados!
A win is a win and a prestigious away win to current league leaders - which we hadn't defeated at their place in seven years - is even more meaningful.
Yet, at the back of my head, a little voice is asking "was it truly necessary?"
Of course, I am referring to letting Chelsea back in the title race - to which we are not participating - and allowing Emma Hayes to go out with another league title, as opposed as leaving with no silverware for the first time in five years.
I'm that petty, yes.
On a more serious note, winning against Manchester City was a big result and should be welcomed (and treated) as such, especially since we always struggled to get the three points when travelling north. In all honesty, I thought we were done as soon as Lauren Hemp's strike found the back of the net, because Manchester City had everything to play for, while we didn't have any target for the final few games of the season.
Credit to the players for fighting back in the closing stages and finding the goals to turn the game upside down, even if those points won't have any impact on the standings.
I've been critical of Jonas Eidevall lately, but he also deserves credit for keeping his players fully motivated and focused on the task, because that was perhaps the best indication of how much the team trusts him and how much in control he is, after what can be labelled as a disappointing campaign.
It felt very encouraging to see the players fighting to get back in the game, to push as hard as possible to get the equalizer and, more impressively, push again for the win until deep in stoppage time.
Asked whether he considered this campaign as a succession of "what-ifs", Jonas Eidevall replied that the team lacked consistency but showed high potential, which is hard to argue given the points racked up against Manchester City (6) and Chelsea (4) this season. The potential is undoubtedly there, but I had (and still have, to some extent) doubts whether Jonas Eidevall was the right coach to unlock it and make sure it is fulfilled. The manner in which the win against Manchester City happened definitely helped easing some of those doubts and surely reinforced his credentials.
Yet, the "what-ifs" remain predominant in any discourse around this season and way more impactful that any evaluation around the potential of this team or the results in big games, which is truly indicative of the status of the team and the regrets over what could (or should) have been.
What is important, though, is that this team is alive and ready to fight, which bodes well for the immediate future: with Emma Hayes leaving and some key players on their way out, Chelsea are likely to walk themselves into troubled times or at least they would require some time to re-adjust and find their rhythm under a new coach, which would open a window of opportunity for any contender willing to separate themselves from the pack.
That could and should be us, obviously, and this win at Manchester City - another contender - might give us a little edge when we will meet again.
Perhaps the new season already started, in some ways.
Kim Little & Co. will finish the season at home against Brighton on May 18th, in what might be the last appearance in an Arsenal shirt for several players - notably the hero of the Joie Stadium, Stina Blackstenius. The Swede will be out of contract in a few weeks and the club has yet to announce any decision on this front. We shall see.
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We will talk again in two weeks' time.
Speak to you soon!
Italian living in Switzerland, Gooner since mid-nineties, when the Gunners defeated my hometown team, in Copenhagen. I started my own blog and podcast (www.clockenditalia.com) after after some experiences with Italian websites and football magazines. Covering Arsenal Women with the occasional rant about the boys.
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