Why Arsenal failed in WSL and Champions League this campaign

Arsenal's shortcomings in WSL and Champions League this season can be attributed to several factors.

Arsenal's Disappointing Season So Far Alessia Russo has consistently performed well, scoring 11 goals in the Women's Super League this season. However, the overall performance of the team has been disappointing, with Manchester City already being crowned champions. Despite Stina Blackstenius' 93rd-minute winner against Everton in the penultimate Women's Super League match of the season, Arsenal's wait for a first WSL title since 2019 continues. This season has not gone to plan for Arsenal, with the team failing to retain their Women's Champions League title and exiting the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage and the League Cup in the semi-finals. ## Arsenal's Slow Start to the Season Starting slowly has become a costly trend for Arsenal, with the team picking up just two points from their next three outings after winning their first two league matches by an aggregate score of 9-2. This included a 3-2 defeat by rivals Manchester City and later drawing back-to-back matches against Chelsea and Tottenham in November. The Christmas deficit was eight points after 11 matches, a gap that the team was unable to close. This is not unique to Renee Slegers' tenure, with the team's title ambitions being curtailed by costly early-season form between September and November in the past three campaigns. ## Squad Depth and Fixture Congestion Finishing fourth was not the plan for Manchester City last season, but it may have been a blessing in disguise for the 2025-26 champions. After all, Andree Jeglertz's side have had the luxury of playing 10 fewer games than Arsenal. The expanded Champions League format this season meant more matches, and the Gunners also played an extra two games in the inaugural edition of the Champions Cup. Playing in five competitions has tested the club's squad depth to the limit, with Alessia Russo being Slegers' most used player, with 3,150 minutes under her belt. In contrast, Khadija Shaw, the league's top scorer, has played 762 minutes fewer than Russo, equivalent to almost eight and a half games. ## Manchester City's Dominance Manchester City have been simply better than Arsenal this season, with the champions winning the most matches (17) in the league, having the best attack (58 goals), and having the second-best defence (after Arsenal). They have put four or more goals past their opponents on six occasions and kept eight clean sheets. After losing 2-1 to Chelsea in their opening game of the season, they won 13 consecutive matches, culminating in a 5-1 thrashing of the Blues after which they had an 11-point lead at the top of the table with eight matches to play. ## Player Departures and Transfer Plans Arsenal's transfer plans are already underway, with the club confirming that Beth Mead will leave the club after nine years, having scored 86 goals in 264 appearances. Defender Laia Codina and midfielder Victoria Pelova will also depart at the end of the season. The club has been heavily linked with some big signings, including Bayern Munich and England midfielder Georgia Stanway and Barcelona full-back Ona Batlle. Jen Beattie stated that 'too many games were postponed to this part of the season' and that 'it's the hardest part, so you don't want your biggest accumulation of games to come at this point in the season'.