Is Victoria Pelova Arsenal Women’s Vivianne Miedema’s solution?
When Arsenal Women host defending WSL champions Chelsea on Sunday, January 15, with a 12 p.m. kickoff, they will face their toughest WSL opponent to date.
When Arsenal hosted Chelsea at Emirates Stadium in January of last year, the Gunners were victorious, winning 3-2.
Away tickets for the game sold out before Christmas, and overall ticket sales for this match have surpassed 40,000 and are rising, indicating that this match could potentially set a new WSL attendance record; the current record was set by Arsenal at Emirates when they welcomed Tottenham for the North London Derby with 47,367 fans in attendance.
Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema are both sidelined with ACL injuries, so head coach Jonas Eidevall has utilized the January transfer window to bolster his team, which has endured a terrible injury run during the first half of the season. Jordan Nobbs has left Arsenal for Aston Villa, while the Gunners have confirmed the signings of Victoria Pelova and Kathrine Kuhl, both of whom represent the Netherlands and Denmark, respectively.
The previous year, Arsenal narrowly missed out on the WSL championship when Chelsea defeated them by a single point. And in Arsenal’s pursuit of the title this season, they must contend with not only Chelsea, but also Manchester United and, after a shaky start, Manchester City, who cannot be discounted.
Arsenal and Chelsea are the only teams from the United Kingdom to have qualified for the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, having qualified at the top of their respective groups. There is not much difference between these two WSL heavyweights.
Will Jonas’ recent acquisitions provide Arsenal with the necessary edge? The transfer window is open until the 31st of January, but Jonas can only bring in one more international player due to homegrown rules, unless Mana Iwabuchi moves to gain game time ahead of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. Jonas could then add two more international players to his roster, or he could bring in loan players, as he currently has two players on loan and can have up to six.
Can Victoria Pelova fill the shoes of Vivianna Miedema on the field? This young woman has a lot on her shoulders, for sure! Nevertheless, based on her performance, she may be exactly what our Gunners need right now.
Is Victoria Pelova Arsenal Women’s Vivianne Miedema’s solution?