Arsenal has had a very difficult season, dropping vital points and facing multiple injuries. However, with injured players hoping to make a return soon and winning the League Cup last weekend, there could be light at the end of the tunnel for Arsenal.
One key player for Arsenal that got injured last year is, Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner, Beth Mead. Mead ruptured her ACL during a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United back in November and has since undergone surgery. The Sports Personality of the Year has undergone rehab and has been taking her recovery one step at a time. England manager, Sarina Wiegman, is positive that Beth Mead's therapy is going strong, “I don’t want to push it,” Wiegman said. “She’s had so many things going on in her life. We’ll see how her rehab goes then we’ll look at the future.” Mead is planning to make her return for the 2023 World Cup in Melbourne this summer and she is on track for this.
Another ACL injury that Arsenal faced this year was Vivianne Miedema's ACL repture against Lyon in the Champions League, back in December. After the match, Vivianne spoke out on the injury ,“Absolutely gutted to share I’ve ruptured my ACL in our last game against Lyon,” Miedema said on Twitter. “It was one of those moments, where I knew straight away. Although Beth Mead's ACL update is looking positive for the World Cup, as she may make her return in an England shirt this summer, Vivianne Miedema has been confirmed to be missing the World Cup in July.
The Gunners were also without their captain, Leah Williamson, for multiple months. This had a heavy blow on Arsenal, missing their leader in the team. These number of injuries took a toll on The Gunners, suffering numerous defeats and dropping vital points in the WSL.
Important points were dropped against Manchester City back in February, and against Manchester United, back in November last year, which saw Arsenal slowly slipping away from the title race. The Gunners currently sit 4th in the WSL table, 6 points behind league leaders, Manchester United.
Although Arsenal Women have suffered multiple career threatening injuries this season, there is still hope and belief for The Gunners. Last weekend, Arsenal managed to get their hands on silverware for the first time in 3 seasons. They faced Chelsea Ladies in the League Cup Final at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon, where they managed to beat The Blues by three goals to one. This provides Arsenal ambition for the rest of the season, where they are now searching for European success in the Champions League, along with continuing their domestic success.
Arsenal recently beat Liverpool ladies by two goals to nil last night. They now look ahead to their WSL fixture against Reading, at the weekend.
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