by Claudia Loy (22/12/23).
Above: Caitlin Foord (left) and Steph Catley with the Conti Cup last season. They are now joined at Arsenal by their international teammate, the young gun Kyra Cooney-Cross. Photo: Arsenal Women.
Until their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday, Arsenal’s WSL season had been heading in an upward trajectory. In this article, I look specifically at how their trio of Matildas have been contributing to the campaign to date.
Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley are solid, dependable, and deserving of their regular starting place in the team. They often play the full ninety minutes and encapsulate the desire on show by the team, linking well down the left-hand side.
Foord assisted Catley for Arsenal’s opener against Manchester City at Meadow Park, and Catley said post-match that they know where the other one is instinctively. New summer signing Kyra Cooney-Cross put in player-of-the-month performances in November and subsequently produced another outstanding performance against Spurs in the Conti Cup on 13th December.
These players encapsulate what Arsenal are about; a high level of versatility, desire, and teamwork which is also on show by the Matildas at international level.
Foord works fluidly on the flanks in games, switching between them at times. This is important in the way that Jonas Eidevall’s side vary their attacks. The Shellharbour native is often crucial in the build-up to goals, particularly opening goals, and her energetic driving runs are consistently difficult to defend against.
This was the case fot the equalising goal against Aston Villa at the Emirates in October and the opener against Chelsea at the same venue recently. The Matildas are used to travelling long distances, and their fitness is never in question. There never seems to be a sign of fatigue. Every time they come back from international duty they almost seem reinvigorated, which is extremely impressive.
During the Chelsea game, Catley put on the afterburners and put in a well-timed, goal-saving tackle when the match was at 3-1 to Arsenal. An experienced defender who is nearing 50 appearances for The Gunners, her experience really showed in this moment.
This was a crucial tackle, given that if the score had become 3-2 with 30 minutes to go, the outcome of the whole game could have been different. The Melbournian showed a lot of grit and determination to run back and slide in. This is another example of the Matildas stereotypical ‘Never Say Die’ spirit that has been brought to North London.
Follow Impetus on social media – we’re @ImpetusFootball on Threads, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, and Facebook.
impetusfootball.org 