Arsenal's Season is Shaping Up as the "Positive" Gunners Kick-Start Strong Finish. The north London club have been revitalized, thanks in no small part to the emergence of £1m signing Olivia Smith, whose arrival has injected an air of confidence into the team.
When Smith was first brought in by manager Renee Slegers, she was earmarked for a different role - as a winger - not as a target man at the back of the attack. However, with Stina Blackstenius suffering from a calf injury, Smith found herself thrust into the spotlight and adapted seamlessly to her new surroundings.
Her goals have been a regular occurrence in recent games, most notably in their 1-0 win over Manchester City last week. The Canadian forward's pace and agility on the ball caused problems for the Manchester City backline, allowing her to pick out passes that led to scoring opportunities.
The team is now starting to look like a cohesive unit again after struggling with consistency throughout the first half of the campaign. While they still face a mountain to climb in terms of catching up with title rivals City, manager Renee Slegers credits their recent success to the positive vibes surrounding the club.
"We have players getting a rest mentally and physically," she said, highlighting how this break has allowed them to come back stronger. "This positivity is contagious so we want to keep it going."
With Smith showing signs of her versatility, she's now being considered as an option for different opponents, and Slegers is keen to keep exploiting these new opportunities. Despite the WSL title looking out of reach with 8 games remaining, Arsenal will be determined to bring home silverware, starting with their next game against Chelsea.
The win over City was a significant statement from the Gunners as they continue to assert themselves in the league. The team's resilience is now on full display, and they seem more united than ever before.
When Smith was first brought in by manager Renee Slegers, she was earmarked for a different role - as a winger - not as a target man at the back of the attack. However, with Stina Blackstenius suffering from a calf injury, Smith found herself thrust into the spotlight and adapted seamlessly to her new surroundings.
Her goals have been a regular occurrence in recent games, most notably in their 1-0 win over Manchester City last week. The Canadian forward's pace and agility on the ball caused problems for the Manchester City backline, allowing her to pick out passes that led to scoring opportunities.
The team is now starting to look like a cohesive unit again after struggling with consistency throughout the first half of the campaign. While they still face a mountain to climb in terms of catching up with title rivals City, manager Renee Slegers credits their recent success to the positive vibes surrounding the club.
"We have players getting a rest mentally and physically," she said, highlighting how this break has allowed them to come back stronger. "This positivity is contagious so we want to keep it going."
With Smith showing signs of her versatility, she's now being considered as an option for different opponents, and Slegers is keen to keep exploiting these new opportunities. Despite the WSL title looking out of reach with 8 games remaining, Arsenal will be determined to bring home silverware, starting with their next game against Chelsea.
The win over City was a significant statement from the Gunners as they continue to assert themselves in the league. The team's resilience is now on full display, and they seem more united than ever before.
... still think it's gonna be tough for them to catch up with City, but at least Smith is looking good on the pitch 
! She's got that speed and agility that can really give teams problems. Slegers sounds like a decent manager, though - her team's definitely playing more cohesively now 
. Still gonna be fun to watch 'em take on Chelsea next 
. It's just a case of adaptability and making the most of an injury crisis. And don't get me wrong, their recent win over City was sick 
, but they've still got 8 games to go and catching up with City is going to be no easy feat.
. I mean, we all know how this works - one good win and suddenly everyone's on board 
. But what about when things don't go their way? Will they be able to stay positive then? 
, it's so cool how this Canadian forward Olivia Smith has been able to step up her game like that! She really showed off her skills against Manchester City 
manager slegers is doing something right too, all these positive vibes are getting them results 
and now with smith showing signs of versatility, the possibilities are endless 
i'm not even sure how arsenal will finish in the league but if they can keep this momentum going, silverware is definitely on the cards 
their new signing olivia smith is like a total game changer she's so fast and agile on the field it's crazy to see her score goals 
. and yeah, it's cool that smith is now being considered for different roles - maybe they can get some more goals 