Vivianne Miedema is one of the greatest strikers in Europe, ever. Her records exist on another planet. At just the age of 25, she’s already the record goal-scorer for the Netherlands with 94 goals, almost double what leading Men’s striker (and her footballing idol) Robin van Persie achieved (50, in case you were wondering). In the WSL, she’s the record highest goal scorer with 74 goals. She became the first WSL player to reach 50 goals and 100 goal contributions. She’s scored 114 goals at Arsenal in all competitions and 249 goals throughout her entire club career. It’s a record involving strikes of variance, with plenty of 6-yard box tap-ins, headed finishes, and thunderbolts from outside the box. The main novelty at Arsenal is that none of her goals have actually come from the penalty spot, making her record even more unbelievable.
It came as no surprise, therefore, that Barcelona came looking for her signature as the 2021-22 season drew to an end, attempting to lure her to Catalonia with the promise of (almost) guaranteed UWCL success (a quest that would ultimately prove fruitless). For her country, she was instrumental in winning the Euros for the Dutch in 2017, scoring a brace in an exhilarating 4-2 Final victory against Denmark. She will be the striker every fan will be excited to watch this summer, every defender will dreading having to come up against, and one of the favourites to win the Tournament’s Golden Boot. And yet the most incredible thing about Viv is not the goals, the statistics, or the personal awards. It’s the fact that deep down, despite having the skills and attributes to go on to potentially become the greatest centre forward ever, up there with the likes of Christine Sinclair, she does not see herself as a striker.
In the small town of Hoogeveen, on the fields of Helios, the legend of Anna Margaretha Marina Astrid ‘Vivianne’ Miedema was being written. From playing kickabout with her brother Lars, Viv rose through the ranks of her local youth teams, having to play amongst other boys. The opposition would laugh at the notion of playing against a girl, though they were left with nothing to laugh about when Viv had scored 6 goals past them, playing everybody else off the park. The clear gulf in class highlighted just what a unique talent Miedema was. By 14, she had signed a professional contract with SC Heerenveen in the Vrouwen Eredivisie (the Dutch equivalent of the WSL). At 17, she was lining up for her country, and it would trigger a change in position that would define her entire playing career.
Viv has made no secret of her desires to play in the ‘10’, to be the instigator, rather than the executor of her team’s attacks. But with the Dutch in need of a centre forward and knowing that Viv possessed the natural talents to fulfil such a role, she became the spearhead of her country’s attack, a position that would become her norm throughout her club career (until now). Yet just as her country elevated her to the position that would come to define her, so too did it almost rob the world of her talents. A disappointing 2015 World Cup saw the Dutch score only three goals (none from Viv) and crash out at the Last 16 stage. For Miedema, it was all too much. The pressure of leading the line at just 18 years of age, with her homeland’s hopes and dreams resting on her shoulders, was too greater mantle to bear. The fallout from the team’s failure alienated her from the sport, declaring to her parents that she wouldn’t play football competitively ever again.
It proved to be a sliding doors moment for Miedema. In some parallel universe somewhere, there is a Viv who chose to do exactly that, choosing to go back to having casual kickabouts on the Helios fields in Hoogeveen, with the Netherlands struggling without a star striker at Euro 2017, and the world robbed of enjoying her vast talents. But that is not this world. Viv opted to stay with football and was rewarded with a star performance at their home Euros just two years later. She opened her tournament account by giving the Dutch a crucial second goal against Sweden, then followed that up with a header against England in the Semi Finals to send her team on their way to a 3-0 win. But the best was saved for the Final. After Nadim had given the Danes an early lead from the spot, she settled the home nerves with a rapid equaliser, converting Van der Sanden’s cross at the back post. It gave the Dutch the springboard they needed to turn the Final around, and her second goal late on proved to be the icing on the cake. With time almost up, she broke forward, cut inside the defender, and beat Petersen at her near post with a low drive. It capped off an incredible final, and ensured, to the surprise of many, that the Dutch would rule supreme in Europe.
Arsenal, at this point, were laughing, having already signed the Dutchwoman from Bayern Munich just 3 months before the tournament had started. And it would be there she would really shine, first by scoring the winner in the Conti Cup Final against Manchester City to acquire her first trophy at the club. She then followed that up by being instrumental in bringing the WSL title back to Arsenal for the first time in 7 years. It was here, at Arsenal, that the notion of the ‘hybrid’ 9 & 10 role started to come to the fore. In the middle of games, Viv could often be seen coming deep to receive the ball. In an ordinary circumstance, this would be seen as a positive in the eyes of the defence, as it would be keeping the most dangerous player far away from themselves. But Arsenal were loaded with other dangerous alternative attacking players, such as Beth Mead, Jordan Nobbs, and Dutch teammate Daniëlle van de Donk. Viv coming deep allowed her to unleash the attacking midfield upon the defence with her incredible array of passing, whilst also being able to get in on the action herself as the midfield often returned the favour. Her ability to play in two roles at once overwhelmed many a WSL defence, most notably against Bristol City in 2019, when Miedema had the distinction of scoring a double hat-trick and recording 4 assists in an 11-1 drubbing.
However, the overriding desire to play at 10 permanently was starting to negatively impact Arsenal’s attacking play. Under new boss Jonas, Arsenal played with greater width, robbing Miedema of the tight interplay she used to be able to achieve with the attacking midfielders. Her movement to deep robbed Arsenal of a consistent attacking outlet in the penalty box. Arsenal needed a forward that wanted to be a forward, and at the turn of the year, they brought Stina Blackstenius to the club. The change was almost instant.
When the Netherlands open their Euro 2022 campaign at Bramall Lane, they will do so against Sweden, and against a striker that has unlocked Miedema’s true power. Blackstenius will be leading the line for the Swedes, hoping to triumph over her club striking partner. It is a partnership that has since been christened ‘Vivstenius’, and it helped Arsenal get their season back on track, and within a whisker of winning the WSL title. On a cold, windy day at Meadow Park, Arsenal found themselves 1-0 down to Manchester United. A win was needed to keep Chelsea at arm’s length in the title race. Their task had just got a lot harder when Katie McCabe was sent off for two bookable offences. But at that time of fear and panic, a moment of pure clarity emerged. Stina had been brought on as a sub, moving Viv back to 10. With almost 10 minutes to go, Viv collected the ball on the edge of her own box, then sent a racking 50-yard pass through the entire Manchester United midfield and gave Stina a clear run at goal. She slotted the ball past Earps to grab the equaliser and rescued a point for the Gunners. It was a result that effectively handed the title to Chelsea, but it cemented Viv’s move back to the position she had always desired. Arsenal benefitted greatly from this re-imagined Miedema, with her passing and assists creating chance after chance for her teammates. Against Brighton, a deft flick around the corner got Foord in behind to set up Blackstenius, and later on a delicate pass through the defender’s legs gave Mead a chance of pure simplicity to convert (which she did).
In an interview with the BBC prior to the North London Derby, Viv saw this period as the best weeks she’d ever had at Arsenal so far, which is a fascinating insight into her mentality, considering the trophies she’d won for the team and the individual awards she’d achieved from playing at ‘9’. But it has also been well documented that she gets more pleasure from assisting her teammates than scoring goals herself. She is a player that lacks any ego, rarely celebrating her own goals, much to the amusement of the fans (and a surprised Bukayo Saka). In some sense, her incredible finishing prowess and ridiculous scoring frequency have become an ironic curse. It’s given her notoriety and success, but has also robbed her of the chance to play the football she truly wants to play. In the final months of the season, Arsenal were able to allow her to do just that, and they were rewarded with Viv opting to stay at the club for another year, despite attractive offers from several European clubs. The truth is, an alternate club would almost certainly play her in the role she reluctantly shines, rather than the one she can be her true self, something Arsenal could offer her. Which brings us back to the Dutch Team.
Viv Miedema Bukayo Saka
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March PFA fans’ POTM pic.twitter.com/R1ZGouzQwF— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 29, 2022
With Miedema’s role at her club changed, the question that now has to be asked whether Mark Parsons will offer her the same luxury for the Euros. And sadly, the answer will likely be no. The Netherlands are already gifted with plenty of talented attacking central midfielders, like DVD and Jill Roord. Parsons will be looking to incorporate as many of these as possible, meaning there will be no room for Viv in the engine room. Plus, with Lineth Beerensteyn and Lieke Martens almost certain to play wide, there is only one place for Viv in the team. Once again, it will be Vivianne Miedema who will lead the line for the Oranje Leeuwinnen. And she will no doubt lead it with distinction. However, whether she will also be able to showcase her true talents, and get the chance to the play the football she wants to play this summer, remains to be seen.
Written by Adam Salter
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