Eni Aluko has backed her former club Chelsea to come out on top against Arsenal in Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley due to their superior attacking firepower.
Emma Hayes’ side has recovered well from a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on the opening day of the Women’s Super League season, winning seven league games in a row and scoring 25 goals in the process to move a point behind Jonas Eidevall’s league leaders.
Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony offered further evidence of the quality of Chelsea’s attack as Sam Kerr – the WSL’s leading goalscorer this term on nine goals – was named the world’s third-best player, with Pernille Harder, Jessie Fleming and Fran Kirby all included in the top 10.
Arsenal are hardly lacking in that department themselves with Vivianne Miedema, Kim Little and Beth Mead all in good goalscoring form, but Aluko believes Chelsea’s strikeforce will prove strong for their opponents.
How to watch the FA Cup final
- Date: Sunday 5 December
- Kick-off: 2pm GMT
- Venue: Wembley Stadium
- TV/live stream: BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Coverage starts at 1.30pm. BT Sport 1 will also be showing the game.
“The forward line of Chelsea – the likes of Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder, Fran Kirby – if they play well, are very difficult to stop,” Aluko told i. “Sam Kerr has been a huge part of Chelsea’s success. She’s still got another level to go in her game in the build-up and technical element of Chelsea’s play, but in terms of scoring goals she’s doing amazingly.”
Chelsea’s previous FA Cup final victories have both come during Hayes’ nine-year tenure – in 2015 and 2018 – and Aluko believes her former manager’s ability to continually adapt sets her apart from her rivals.
“Emma is a coach that knows how to evolve,” Aluko explains. “She’s not fixed to one philosophy which I think a lot of coaches are these days. She keeps things fresh and exciting. Players don’t tend to leave Chelsea, they stay for a long time which is credit to the environment that Emma has built. She has really established Chelsea as a force in Europe.”
Although Aluko expects Chelsea to win at Wembley, she has been impressed by Arsenal’s shift in style under Eidevall, who replaced former manager Joe Montemurro in June. “Clearly he’s implementing a style of play that’s a lot more on the front foot, a bit more direct. Arsenal typically are a possession style team, he’s kept that but also implemented more of a pressing style as well.
“It’s good to see that he’s had that impact on the team so far but the acid test will be whether he can win trophies.”
The final marks the 100-year anniversary of the FA’s ban on women playing the game inside football league stadiums, which stood until 1971. That over 45,000 tickets have been sold for Sunday’s game is further evidence of the sport’s burgeoning popularity.
“Knowing that it was banned for 50 years is incredible really when you think about where the game is now,” Aluko says. “There’s a whole ecosystem now for women’s football now that means that 45,000 people coming to Wembley to watch a women’s game doesn’t feel bizarre. Once upon a time that was a dream, now it feels like the norm.”
Amazon Prime Video will be broadcasting 10 Premier League fixtures between the 28th – 30th December. Eni Aluko will be on punditry duties for Arsenal vs Wolves on December 28th.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3Dnmr94
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