How The Signing of Alessia Russo Takes Arsenal To The Next Level
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidivall has made it very clear in the media that he feels as though the club have repeatedly fallen short in the transfer market during his time at the club, namely in his pursuit of a true goal scorer.
It didn’t take long into his reign to realise that star striker Vivianne Miedema wouldn’t suit his style of play, with his wish for a more physical forward met with the signing of Stina Blackstenius, who has been good but inconsistent for his side.
Well, he certainly has nothing to complain about anymore.
Arsenal may have just pulled off the coup of the summer, as after having a world record £500k bid rejected for her in January, Alessia Russo has joined the club on a free contract after failing to agree new terms with Manchester United.
This signing is huge for so many reasons. Aside from the obvious factor that Arsenal have signed the top scorer of one of their main domestic rivals, there are very few strikers in world football right now who fit the profile of what Eidivall wants more than Russo.
As previously mentioned, Jonas has built a very physical and hardworking side, with his strikers needing to lead the press, whilst also being a presence in the final third and dragging defenders out of position to allow space in behind for the plethora of quick, technical wingers and midfielders to attack.
Before the departure of centre back Rafaelle Souza, a striker was undeniably the most important signing for this summer for Arsenal, with Blackstenius being the only out-and-out striker in the squad for last season (if you ignore the cameo of returning Jodie Taylor), and by bringing in someone of the profile of Russo, they have sent out a real statement of intent.
Russo’s stock has been rising rapidly over the last few seasons, with her role in England’s Euro’s triumph making her a household name, and her audacious backheeled goal against Sweden being one of the highlights of the tournament. On top of that, she has repeatedly shown up in big games for Manchester United this season, notably by scoring the winning goals in both games against Arsenal this season (perhaps gone slightly overboard in solving that issue but I like it all the same)
By bringing in a player of her stature and potential longevity, the club aren’t remaining complacent. Considering the injury crisis they suffered this season, losing five first team regulars to long term injuries, it would’ve been easy for the club to rest on their laurels a bit, especially with the season that they had. A Champions League semi-final and a Conti Cup win should be seen as about par for this side, but this signing brings the club one step closer to the ultimate goal: finally dethroning Chelsea at the top of the table.
Signing the top goal scorer of the team who took Chelsea to the final day of the season in the WSL title race comes across as a simple move, but this seems like one of those deals where all the stars aligned, and for Arsenal this sort of opportunity seems too good to be true, particularly when you compare her to the only other striker the club have right now, Stina Blackstenius.
After a difficult first year in England, the Swede really found form at the end of this season, stepping up in the absence of other important players, but in order for this exciting group to make that final step up, a signing of this magnitude was needed.
The two are more similar than it may appear at first glance, but I believe their differences will allow Eidivall to interchange between them depending on the game state, something that simply wasn’t possible this season.
Blackstenius’ role at Arsenal has most commonly been to run the channels, hanging off the last line of defence to run onto a ball from either a marauding midfielder, or in games against teams who play in a low block, from one of the club’s talented ball-playing centre backs.
She has been so successful in games against big clubs because Arsenal are less likely to have a higher percentage of possession, so her strength and timing of runs allow her to peel off from that last line of defence very effectively, combining well with Arsenal’s quick forwards and helping make the team very good in transition. This was shown in Arsenal’s second leg against Wolfsburg at the Emirates, where she held off her defender well just inside their half and completed an impressive counterattack.
Where Blackstenius struggles however is in games against teams who will happily sit in the low block and allow Arsenal to have a lot of possession. In a league like the WSL where the top sides rarely drop points, these games can decide titles, seen this season where Arsenal dropped points away at West Ham after Blackstenius was stifled by the Hammers defence, and the season before when Arsenal lost away to Leicester, a game that ultimately cost them the league.
The WSL title is decided by these fine margins, which is where Russo comes in for Arsenal.
Russo is a far more proactive and technical player than Blackstenius, whose elite off the ball movement drags defenders out of position, with her tendency to drop back into the midfield creating space for the other forwards to run into. Considering Arsenal have the likes of Maanum, Mead, Foord, Miedema, and McCabe who all like to attack space and move centrally, Russo’s potential importance to the side is evident.
By looking at the data, the differences between the two are presented even clearer. Their per 90 stats from the last 365 days from FbRef show the nuances in their games and how Russo will bring a new aspect to the squad. All these numbers are compared to other forwards from the top 8 leagues.
For example, Blackstenius’ total carrying distance per 90 is 118.33, only putting her in the 58th percentile for forwards, whereas Russo’s is 151.51 per 90, putting her in the 82nd percentile. Moving onto passes received, Blackstenius averages 23.99 per 90 putting her in the 30th percentile, whilst Russo averages 28.72, putting her in the 70th percentile. This highlights Russo’s tendency to move back in the midfield to receive the ball and be more involved in the overall build up, whilst Blackstenius waits for the game to come to her, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but by introducing a new dynamic into the way Arsenal play, Eidivall has prevented any stagnancy in how the side move forward. I think this style will fit perfectly with Arsenal’s break out star last season, Frida Maanum, whose desire to attack half spaces will be perfectly complimented by Russo’s smart movement.
On top of this, Russo is the more clinical finisher, scoring 10 goals from an xG of 6.7 last season, compared to Blackstenius’s 8 from an xG of 9.1. And just by the eye test, Russo is more proficient aerially and technically, something shown in last summer’s euros, not just in her iconic backheeled goal against, ironically, Blackstenius’ Sweden, but also in her beautiful turn and finish goal against Ireland.
None of this is meant to disparage Blackstenius or her role in the team. She has repeatedly played a vital role for the Gunners this season, but instead to show how this addition will take that burden of carrying the attack off her shoulders. Russo is an excellent all-around footballer who has few true weaknesses in her game, and it’s very easy to see how she will seamlessly fit in to a side that over the last two years has itself shown an ability to be flexible and change in order to keep pace with their rivals.
But this isn’t a move with the aim of keeping pace with their rivals, but instead to force their way past them. Arsenal Women have built a powerful, technically proficient squad who don’t know when to quit, and by signing a player who knows how to handle the big occasion and how to take a game by the scruff of the neck, Arsenal may very well be the team to beat in the WSL next season.