Stephanie Catley

Elisa being unavailable is really disappointing, particularly because we're still waiting to see her properly in an Arsenal shirt.

But Rene can still choose from Leah Williamson, Lotta Wibbenmoy and Steph Catley at centre-back with Honor Badier, Emily Fox, Mila Holmberg and Taylor Hines amongst the full-back options.

Well, not amongst, they are the full-back options.

Which brings us quite neatly to the team.

I love Lotta to bits.

I love all of them to bits.

But I would actually start Steph Catley.

And no, that is not because she's my favourite.

By the middle of October 2015, she was in Australia joining a newly created Melbourne City team for the W League season, the competition that we now know as the A League women, played during the American winter so US-based players could keep going instead of waiting months for the next NWSL season to start.

She joined a squad full of familiar names, Jess Fishlock beside her in midfield, Scotland team-mate Jennifer Beattie in defence and a 21-year-old Steph Catley as captain.

The manager was Joe Montemuro, a name that matters far more in hindsight since Joe would become Arsenal's manager two years later and build his title-winning midfield around Kim.

He was trying to build a team that controlled matches through the ball with intelligent players who solved problems without waiting for instructions from the touchline.

It's not about hiding from anyone, it's how she allows herself to breathe.

Her teammates have learned to recognise when her social battery has run out as well.

She remembered going to the cinema with Steph Catley and Beth Mead, and when one of them suggested continuing the evening back at their house, Kim's response was basically, no, I'm going home now, which may be the most relatable thing she's ever done.

She admitted that even after leaving, she'd still wonder whether she'd made the moment awkward.

Um, as much as it was an antisocial kickoff time for you, Jamie, um, big news before the game.

Uh, Steph Catley was the one selecting the tunes and, uh, I, I was sitting there peacefully in the press box doing, doing what I was doing, and our videographer, Jason, is from Sydney, and, uh, he walks into the press box bopping, um, because John Farnham, "You're the Voice" is playing [laughs] inside the stadium.

And, uh, he just said to me, "This is the Australian National Anthem." Um-

[laughs]

And my friend Casey had no idea what was going on.

So the whole weekend at the pub that we were working at, I was playing this song.

[laughs] And then Steph Catley decides this is the one, and I thought, "Yeah, at least that, at least I have this.

If I don't have anything, Tim, if I don't have three points, at least I have this." So yeah, I was pleased.

Lotta Wubben-Moy comes in.

Steph Catley goes out of the lineup.

I'm not sure if it's due to injury.

You know, Olivia Smith out of the lineup.

This is now hypothetical because it couldn't have happened.

But yeah, but Frida Mornem I felt was the wrong choice because when Frida comes on earlier in a half she has more time to settle in and then she potentially has the ability to affect a game um and I think that change was made too late Caitlin Ford I'd have maybe thought about bringing on her on a little bit like five minutes earlier because again she was brought on too late to affect the game and in fact she's been getting a bit of hate again people saying she shouldn't have had her contract renewed you know she's absolutely useless um she contributes nothing to the team I'm really sorry but she actually chased back to almost I think it was the edge of our area to to make a ball recovery to stop a palace attack so you know I don't think that that is a fair assessment of her performance today I just I don't think you can put give her a rating I mean she had a couple of really great runs into the box as usual but then palace had three players on her and and speaking of three players on her Alessia Russo is another one every single time Alessia Alessia Russo got the ball she seemed and I'm saying she seemed because I have not had the chance to watch the match back properly um but she seemed to be swarmed with palace players they literally just stuck to her um and that made it very very difficult for her to do what she would normally do now do I feel that we could have moved their defense around a bit yes I do I think when you're facing again a very stubborn low block uh where they're very compact and organized through the middle of the park you've got to find ways to move them from side to side move them from side to side or stretch them which again you know Stina Stina Stina probably should have come on just again five minutes earlier so you know and there were other things that just weren't working you know Olivia Smith she had a couple of of shots and skied them a free kick that was very poor um people have said that Chloe Kelly had a stinker today I'm not going to pass judgment on that I think she did all right she got some really good balls into the box but the thing with Chloe Kelly is you need someone who can attack her deliveries and we didn't have that and if pre-season is anything to go by again the player that needed to be in the squad for Chloe to have the effect that we want Chloe to have is Selena Churchy so you can if you disagree with me by the way and like I say please remember this is an instant reaction I've just got home um it's been a long day of very very mixed emotions um and it's been raining and I'm tired and uh you know I I am feeling a little bit deflated at the same time I I'm aware of all of that and I'm aware that I missed I didn't there are parts of the game that I kind of missed a little bit because that's what happens when you're in the stadium but um you know uh I I may well as I may well have got things wrong so if anyone's listening that did watch this on tv where you maybe had a better view and you have the benefit of replays and things then please you know let me know if there's anything that I've missed um if there's anything you think I'm wrong about let me know um but just just I will caveat that with the fact that you know I watched it live I was in the stadium it was very busy loads of distractions I might have got some things wrong and there are some things that I've obviously missed that I'm not talking about you know um you know Kyra it was really really really good to see her start today although again if we go back to the match preview um my belief that we should have started with the same 11 as we did against Brighton for me is hasn't changed I still would have started with Kim Little today um I still would have started with Steph Catley instead of Lotte Wubbenmoy because I believe that Steph is much better in terms of long ball distribution which is what you need when you're facing this type of setup against you and oh geez I've got such a migraine at the moment it's completely gone out of my head who was I just talking about um Kyra Kyra I she would have been second half weapon for me um you know I would have started with Kim we needed um we needed Kim ahead of Georgia doing that thing that Kim has started to do with Georgia where Georgia drops back collects the ball in the center of defense starts to to then progress it with Kim ahead of her as almost a defensive kind of shield Kim links really really well with Emily Fox and was you know doing quite a good job with Lisa Baum I thought and um you know that would have just freed Stanway to just play a bit more on the left hand side linking with Chloe and with Onubadje Onubadje by the way I thought didn't have a bad game at all again a couple of really good track backs um she was getting nice and high and um she wasn't perfect but she was getting some dangerous balls into the box and getting herself into some really really good positions I think when that lady settles down Um, and she's kind of adjusted herself to the pace of the WSL, then, you know, sh- she's gonna be really, really good.

Again, I've seen people going on about the fact that she should be playing where she's comfortable at right back.

Well, newsflash, and the lady said it herself, go and look at her most recent interview, she can play right back or left back.

If Arsenal commit numbers forward, lose the ball in a poor area, and allow Lloyd-Smith or O'Brien to run into the space behind our fullbacks, Palace have players capable of turning one loose pass into a proper chance.

Beth England's role matters here because even if she's not the player carrying the ball forward, her movement can occupy Leah Williamson and Steph Catley, or whoever starts at center back, and create room for someone arriving alongside her.

She also cleared an Everton effort off the line in stoppage time, which tells you something about the work Palace are asking from their senior players when they have a lead to protect.

So I don't think Arsenal's challenge is to just break down 11 players camped around their own penalty area.

We've all watched enough of those afternoons to know where they lead and it usually involves somebody describing 72% possession as evidence of dominance while everyone else quietly stares at a big fat zero on the scoreboard.

I'd also keep the same back four, assuming everyone has come through the Brighton match unscathed.

Emily Fox and Honor Bardier gave Arsenal width and movement from full-back while Leah Williamson and Steph Catley have the passing range to move Palace's defensive shape before trying to find the forwards.

Lotte Wubbenmoy will obviously be pushing to come back into the side and at some point Elisa de Almeida might enter this conversation as well, but Steph Catley and Leah Williamson kept a clean sheet at Brighton and I do not see any reason to disrupt that partnership for the sake of demonstrating that we have other options available.

Yeah, exactly.

I mean, you got, uh, you know, Steph Catley, of course, the big legend is there.

You know, Ellie Carpenter is still there.

Of course, Sam Kerr's-