The Final Third: Understanding Arsenal Under Renee Slegers
An analytical look at Arsenal’s attack, exploring player roles, tactical patterns, squad depth, and what last season’s performances suggest for 2025/26.
Introduction:
The frontline is where a team’s intentions are made clear. How a side creates chances, applies pressure, and turns possession into goals tells us as much about their identity as any other part of the pitch. Under Renee Slegers, Arsenal’s attack has felt like the area of greatest change — sharper, more varied, and less predictable than in recent years.
This piece is the third and final part of my series Understanding Arsenal Under Renee Slegers. Having already looked at the midfield conundrum and the defensive backbone, I’ll now focus on the forwards — their roles, tactical patterns, and what last season’s combinations reveal about Slegers’ vision in the final third. We’ll also look ahead to this season, where squad depth and rotation will make the attack one of Arsenal’s biggest strengths.
The Frontline Under Slegers:
Looking back across last season, the picture that emerges is one of variety. Arsenal didn’t lean on a fixed front three — they used different combinations depending on the opponent, and that adaptability became a strength. The numbers show where things clicked, which partnerships worked, and how different profiles shaped the attack.
Alessia Russo as the Anchor
26 starts, 20 wins → Arsenal’s most reliable starting point.
Directly involved in goals in 17 of those starts.
Arsenal averaged 2.4 goals per game when she started.
Russo didn’t just finish chances — she set the structure. Whether up top or dropping into the number 10 position, she created the framework others could play around. Arsenal’s attack was far less cohesive without her.
Stina Blackstenius: The Chaos Factor
When Blackstenius started, Arsenal averaged almost three goals a game, but matches were far more open.
Her pace in behind stretched defences, creating space for others, but the side also lost control in transition.
In attack: she thrived in wild games (Villa 5–2, City 4–3), turning chances into goals.
As a sub: even more effective — arriving against tired legs, she often provided the decisive strike.
Caitlin Foord: the Connector
22 starts, Arsenal failed to score only once (Chelsea away).
Comfortable left or right, her ball-carrying and composure gave balance to whichever trio she was part of.
She doesn’t always get the headlines, but Foord’s presence correlated strongly with Arsenal avoiding flat attacking displays. She was the glue.
Beth Mead’s Transition Role
14 starts, 9 wins — especially productive against lower WSL opposition (Palace, Bristol, Leicester: 14 goals in 3 games).
Against bigger sides (Chelsea, Lyon, Liverpool, City), her starting record was mixed.
She still contributed goals and assists, but often looked more effective as an impact sub — injecting energy and directness into games already stretched.
Mariona Caldentey’s Control
Played 20 times, often nominally wide but drifting centrally.
Her goals came in big games (Bayern, City, Lyon), but more important was how she slowed or shaped attacks.
Arsenal conceded less with her starting, not because she’s defensive, but because her ball retention higher up kept the game under control.
Chloe Kelly: The New Edge
Kelly’s arrival added instant directness: 7 starts, 6 wins, goals or assists in most of them.
She pressed, shot, and gave Arsenal a more vertical edge.
Her profile felt like a conscious shift from Slegers — prioritising bravery in the final third, where hesitation had cost Arsenal under Eidevall.
Combinations That Defined the Season
Russo–Foord–Mariona: 7 starts, 6 wins, 1 draw. Scored 17, conceded 2. The “control” trio.
Russo–Foord–Mead: 6 starts, 2 wins, 4 losses. Scored 13, conceded 14. The “high-risk” trio — brilliant against weaker sides, exposed against stronger ones.
Russo–Foord–Kelly: 5 starts, 4 wins, 1 loss. Scored 16, conceded 9. The “new-look” trio — direct, dangerous, but still bedding in.
What It Tells Us
Russo is the reference point — almost every successful combination started with her.
Blackstenius is best as impact — a chaos agent who thrives late in games.
Foord’s consistency matters — she doesn’t just link play, she keeps attacks alive.
Mead’s role is shifting — still valuable, but not always first-choice in big games.
Mariona brings control — first as part of the frontline, shaping tempo and balance in possession, and increasingly as she shifted deeper into midfield, where her intelligence on the ball allowed Arsenal to dictate games more consistently.
Kelly adds fearlessness — her directness gave Arsenal a new dimension.
This wasn’t rotation for rotation’s sake. The stats show Slegers tailoring her frontline to the opponent: sometimes control, sometimes chaos, sometimes raw directness. That flexibility is what made Arsenal harder to read last season — and what gives them so many attacking avenues this year.
Olivia Smith - What She Brings From Liverpool & How She Fits in at Arsenal:
Key Liverpool Stats & Role in 2024/25
Goals & Appearances: Nine goals in 25 appearances across all competitions. Top scorer for Liverpool last season.
WSL Return: Seven goals in 20 WSL starts.
Shooting Volume: Led Liverpool with ~50 shot attempts. Only one of very few players in the WSL with 50+ shots. Shot‐conversion ~14%.
Touches in Opposition Box: Also 92 touches in the box — again, most for Liverpool. Suggests she gets into dangerous areas a lot.
Dribbling / Take‐ons: Attempted ~61 take-ons, successful ~35 (≈ 57% success). Good one-on-one threat.
xG Overperformance: She outdid her expected goals (xG) by about 2.6, meaning she finished chances better than average, or at least was efficient.
Position Flexibility: Though she played most minutes centrally (≈ 62%), she also spent time on the right wing (≈ 37%) and negligible on the left.
What That Suggests in the Arsenal / Slegers Context
Putting those numbers next to what Arsenal’s frontline already do, here’s where Smith looks like a serious asset, and where Slegers might use her:
Adds volume & threat: Arsenal already have forwards who finish and create, but Smith brings high shot volume and ability to poke around in the box. With Arsenal’s better supply (possession, more service), she should have more chances than she did at Liverpool.
One-on-one, directness: Her take-ons/fouls won in final third suggest she forces defenders into reactions. In Slegers’ system that values pressing, quick transitions, and wide & central threats, Smith fits the mould of someone who can break lines.
Versatility: Because she can play centrally or out wide, Slegers has tactical flexibility.
Efficiency & composure: Over performing xG and getting into good positions matters. Arsenal’s top scorers are good finishers and positional presences — Smith looks like the kind who could join them, rather than being a secondary option who only scores off scraps.
Individual Profiles in the 25/26 Context:
Beth Mead
Her decision to stay this summer is one I loved. Arsenal didn’t need to lose depth, they needed to add to it, and Mead embodies that principle. We saw last season the impact she made off the bench: hungry, purposeful, determined to prove herself. Her conversations with Slegers were telling; a manager willing to be clear about roles, a player willing to fight for hers. What stands out is how she is again finding those central scoring positions, something she was doing regularly pre-injury. Her combinations with Frida Maanum and Stina Blackstenius also remain sharp. In a squad this deep, Mead isn’t guaranteed a starting place, but her importance hasn’t diminished.
Olivia Smith
Smith brings something Arsenal had been crying out for: a winger who wants to take players on, who is strong enough to hold them off, and who is fearless about shooting from distance. She is the player who shifts the rhythm of a game with one action. Already, she looks nailed on for the big nights, and the thought of her in Champions League fixtures is genuinely exciting. Arsenal have found their spark.
Chloe Kelly
Chloe Kelly has quickly become more than just a player. There is a sense of belonging with her, a mutual affection that makes her role more powerful than the numbers alone suggest. But her numbers were good too: goals, assists, positional intelligence. What stands out is her willingness, shared across the frontline under Slegers, to shoot. Arsenal’s increased goal tally last season owed much to that shift in mentality. No more hesitation. Kelly embodies it.
Caitlin Foord
Perhaps the most underrated of all. Foord’s recent form has been consistently strong, whether starting or coming from the bench. In pre-season she even led the line as a number nine, showing her versatility, but it is wide where she dominates: carrying, holding off defenders, and delivering composure in front of goal. She is not always first choice, but she is always an option who can swing a game. That pressure on starters is healthy, and Foord is the embodiment of Arsenal’s depth.
Alessia Russo
The anchor. Everything flows from Russo, and her new contract signals Arsenal’s intent to build around her. She scores, she assists, she creates space for others. More than anything, she brings a calm certainty to the frontline. Even in matches where goals don’t come, her contribution is undeniable. She is Arsenal’s reference point.
Stina Blackstenius
Still so valuable. Her role has shifted, but her impact hasn’t. Off the bench, against tired legs, she is lethal. Her runs in behind have improved, her finishing has sharpened, and she remains the player who can change the mood of a game instantly. Her Champions League final winner was the purest example of her importance: the headline name, the decisive moment.
Recruitment and the Future:
It feels strange to say, but the frontline is now the last area Arsenal need to think about in recruitment. A season or two ago, that would have been unthinkable. Depth is strong, quality is varied, and roles are clearly defined.
The considerations are longer term. What happens if Mead, Blackstenius and Foord don’t extend beyond this season? How do Michelle Agyemang and Rosa Kafaji return from their loans at Brighton? Do they fit into this system, or will they need more development? These are questions for later, not now. For now, the frontline is not a problem to fix, but a strength to trust.
And crucially, goals are no longer confined to the forwards. Midfielders contribute, fullbacks arrive high, defenders score from set pieces. It is a collective. That reflects Slegers’ approach: the system produces the chances, not just individuals.
Looking Ahead - Who Plays This Season?:
The first game of the season has already given us a glimpse. Russo set the tone with her strength and awareness, Kelly’s movement was intelligent and decisive, Smith looked electric on debut. Off the bench, Foord carried threat, Blackstenius found space, and Mead reminded everyone she is not done yet.
It makes projecting a “best XI” almost impossible, and that is the point. Arsenal now have a positive problem. The front three of Kelly, Smith and Russo looks like the emerging core, but form and rotation mean Foord and Mead are right there pushing. Blackstenius will remain decisive in Europe and late in league games. Maanum, Mariona and Pelova, from midfield, will continue to blur the lines of what “the attack” really is.
This is not about naming a front three and sticking with it. It is about options, flexibility, unpredictability. Arsenal now have that.
Conclusion - Understanding Arsenal Under Renee Slegers:
Across this series, the picture has become clear. The midfield was the conundrum, the balance point where Slegers wrestled with control and creativity. The defence provided the backbone, stability with Daphne Van Domselaar and Leah Williamson at the heart. And the frontline? It is the release valve, the expression of depth and variety that makes Arsenal dangerous again.
Together, these three parts show a team no longer defined by fragility or reliance on one star. Instead, they are interlocking units, each contributing differently but coherently to the whole. Arsenal under Renee Slegers are flexible, layered, and finally, competitive across every front.
The system will change over the course of this season, that much is certain. But what matters now is that Arsenal have the tools to adapt, and the players to make each change count. This is not the end of the puzzle. It is just the beginning of understanding how Slegers’ Arsenal can grow.
Tomorrow holds promise, but today is already proving itself.
Good win for Arsenal. But misktase like last 2matches in defense should not happen this weekend. Also i hope you to write column on Arsenal's winger after Caitlin and Mead leave in some someday, whether succeeding or singing their position. I think it is thinkable issue.
Your analysis is spot on. Renee will need to find the right combination/rotation for each match. Her analytical abilities will be put to the test.