Sandy Baltimore

And you, and you know, you've got different s- uh, fullbacks knocking around, but obviously Carpenter loves to bomb forward.

Baltimore loves to bomb forward.

If Bronze is playing right back, she loves to bomb forward.

You know, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that role.

And I think what's particularly impressive about this win is that Chelsea rotated some of their team.

They brought in players like Gila Behrman and Sandy Baltimore, Shaka Unusgun and Maika Hamblin.

I think they made four changes from their last WSL game.

And whilst those players that I just mentioned are quality players, that means players like Lauren James, Alyssa Thompson, and Katie McCabe all dropped to the bench.

I think I'm encouraged a little bit by Chelsea.

Sandy Baltimore didn't appear in this match.

I think Monica – or pardon me.

I think Micah Amano probably could have done more in this match.

Aggie Beaver Jones was on the bench.

There was Sandy Baltimore on the bench.

They were kind of switching around with theirs.

And they just read Arsenal for who they were and adapted to it.

Newsome on 67 minutes for James.

Baltimore on 88 minutes for Thompson, and Berman 89 minutes for McCabe.

Uh, the unused substitutes were Peng, Girma, Bjorn, Dragoni, and Hermano.

Uh, we had two players booked.

This works both ways.

If Emily Fox, assuming she starts, goes forward, what's behind her? If Honor Badier goes forward on the other side, which he definitely will, who's moving over or dropping back to protect that space? If Georgia Stanway or Kyra Cooney-Cross carry the ball forward and Arsenal lose it, Where are Lauren James, Alyssa Thompson or Sandy Baltimore? Because Chelsea can go from defending to attacking very, very quickly and Renee specifically mentioned their counter-attacking threat yesterday.

She said that's something Arsenal always have to prepare for and that even though she expects this game to play out differently from the ones we've watched recently, Arsenal still need what she described as a really solid defence behind the attack.

I think that's probably where this game gets really interesting tactically because Arsenal's defensive record has almost been forgotten beneath all the conversation about the lack of goals.

Who didn't play poorly, but they just didn't have a player that could connect anything.

It sort of felt like their offense was, can we get it to Baltimore where she could just take it, turn and run? Can we get it to Alyssa Thompson where she could take it and run? Shuka Nuskin, take it.

Ellie Carpenter, there wasn't any real like, all right, boom, boom, boom.

Here's how we're going to manufacture some offense.

I think the ball is there and she's just gone and she gets to all of them all the time.

It's such a superpower of hers.

It's a different kind of speed than like Tim Wachewinga or like a Sandy Baltimore type player.

You

I thought Chelsea's threat came from out wide.

Carpenter and Baltimore are outstanding.

They've got a lot of options there in that they can bring...

Katie McCabe on as well.

We don't need it.

And I've picked it as a loser because there was a moment really early in the game where Sandy Baltimore was making a run.

She crossed the ball in and that pace, the momentum's carried her towards those boards.

She sees them.

Like, Vika Kaptain was good on the right wing.

You could also play Sandy Baltimore there.

Alyssa Thompson, I thought, had a pretty decent game on the left wing.

I think that's her best position, hands down.