Analysis
Arsenal must be accountable for their own failings in faltering Women's Super League season
Digital journalist Laura Hunter returns for a second season with a WSL-dedicated column, analysing all the big talking points from across the weekend's action; this week's focus is on Arsenal's self-doubt and how far they have fallen behind others in the title race after defeat to Man City
Monday 5 October 2026 15:32, UK
Sky Sports columnist Laura Hunter analyses the big talking points from the second round of Women's Super League matches, bringing you closer to the key stories at the heart of the women's game.
Slegers 'fine margins' defence failing to stand up
Renee Slegers has had to put a brave face on things over the past couple of weeks. Arsenal are winless in each of their last four league outings, their worst start to a campaign since 2014. To judge their alarming league position paints a bleaker picture still.
There are not many defensible aspects of such underperformance, despite Slegers' consistent claim that her side are falling foul of fine margins. That argument becomes less and less credible the longer such a stagnant run continues.
Perhaps it even lost its legitimacy completely when Slegers admitted after defeat to Man City that the club will use the upcoming international break to stage a comprehensive review of "not only what we see on matchday, but everything in the background". She added: "We have to turn over every stone."
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Small margins do not tend to require such investigation. To suggest Arsenal have been hard done by up until now surely misses the point. Tweaks are not enough to arrest such a talented team from its current malaise. If they were, plenty of stones could be saved from the scour that Slegers has promised over these next two weeks.
In reality, Arsenal appear to be suffering a crisis of confidence, a self-doubt that is particularly noticeable in the pressure moments of big games. It's a multi-pronged problem with tough consequences.
Lisa Baum offered exhibit A within three minutes of kick-off at the Etihad on Sunday, escaping the advances of Niamh Charles, as she did many times throughout the game, only to snatch at a near-post effort instead of squaring the ball to Alessia Russo for a tap-in.
In isolation, that poor decision is easy to write off. Baum is new to the league; a young, dynamic winger with a hunger to impress. Having created the chance, she had every right to take the shot on herself. But choosing the low-probability option seems to be a trend that is harming Arsenal in the final third.
It happened again when Georgia Stanway played a superb raking pass out to Emily Fox on the right and she tried to beat Ayaka Yamashita from an impossible angle. Had she delayed by a fraction of a second, Russo was making a clever run on the blindside of Jade Rose and would have been free at the back post.
Stanway's off-target strike from 30 yards shortly after bore all the same hallmarks, and so a problem becomes a pattern, and that cycle of uncertainty is ruining Arsenal's chances of winning games.
Simply, Arsenal have lost any semblance of nuance. The numbers back that up. Their xG differential is the worst in the division, their conversion rate just as damning. Shots are being snatched at as desperation sets in, doubt stalking the patterns of play by which Arsenal are so known.
This was not a defeat by margins. Man City have killers in their ranks. Arsenal do not. The current conditioning of each side, broken down, is actually quite stark. Nothing about the way City operate under Andree Jeglertz is inhibited. They play with a full range of motion and balanced flow through the thirds when they progress the ball. Each phase has purpose.
Jeglertz lept to the aid of Slegers after the game, calling Arsenal a "great football team" but also made a point to praise his own side's "very fluent" attacking play, adding "we score in different ways".
The creative paralysis Arsenal are suffering does not allow for that, scoring twice because of faults attributed to City's defending. Albeit Russo did offer a timely reminder of her finishing quality in the second half. Her first goal of the domestic campaign is perhaps something to build on; she is one of many with form issues greater than any off-day can accept responsibility for.
Slegers and her coaching staff have serious work to do; by far the toughest examination of her Arsenal tenure so far lies in the next block of fixtures. The north London derby is later this month.
The Dutchwoman has cultivated a discernibly strong bond with her squad and, importantly, retains the backing of the club despite being unable to deliver consistency of results in this moment. Arsenal's stance is not expected to change over the course of this international window.
The time for a reality check is now, though. No more talk of fine margins. Arsenal need big impact from this break and a more intentional way of accepting responsibility for what has already gone wrong in order to find their way back.
The gap to leaders Man City is anything but small or fine. It's a whopping 10 points.
