Alessia Russo in Arsenal’s game against West Ham. Photo credit: Alessia Russo via X (No copyright intended).
Arsenal’s statement signing only has two goals this season for the club – but she brings something different to the table.
Arsenal fans have many reasons to feel positive right now. Their comfortable 3-0 victory against strugglers West Ham was their eighth consecutive win in all competitions, Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema have both returned from long absences after suffering ACL injuries, and they sit within three points of Chelsea at the top of the Women’s Super League table.
However, there is one slight concern: Alessia Russo hasn’t been scoring. Arsenal’s big-name signing of the summer transfer window has started all eight of their WSL fixtures so far this season, but has only contributed two goals.
In contrast, Gunners teammate Stina Blackstenius has four goals to her name already, despite receiving limited minutes in comparison to the England striker. Beth Mead matched Russo’s tally in one game against West Ham on only her second start of the season after a lengthy spell out.
This has not yet proved to be a major issue, as Arsenal aren’t a side who are short of goals. Only Chelsea have scored more in the league this season than Jonas Eidevall’s side, and an impressive 12 different players have managed to get on the scoresheet at least once in all competitions.
Nevertheless, as the season rolls on and the fixtures pile up, do the Gunners need Russo to show a little more ruthlessness in front of goal?
More than a number nine
What Russo has been lacking in goals, she has arguably made up for in other areas of the pitch. Arsenal’s number 23 is key to their attacking play, acting as a trigger for the side’s high press which means a lot of hard work off the ball.
She has often dropped deeper during games to pick up the ball in space, which sometimes prevents her from being in goalscoring positions but allows her to initiate attacks which her teammates then benefit from.
Manager Eidevall recently praised Russo’s all-round game, highlighting her “application and effort” and suggesting that her teammates need to find her in the box more.
“When she plays as a nine, that has to be the aim so we can get her more goals, because from a finishing perspective she is probably the best finisher I have ever worked with”, he told reporters at a press conference last week.
Although there is clearly more to Russo’s game than goals and Arsenal seem happy enough with her early season form, there is no doubt that numbers will be expected to improve in the long run.
Eidevall himself said upon signing the England forward that he expected her to score “a lot of goals” for the North London side. If that statement was to come true and Russo starts scoring regularly alongside of her other on-pitch contributions, Arsenal will have a frightening prospect on their hands.
What do the stats say?
Goalscoring-wise, there is a clear gap between Russo and her competitors. Her two goals at a rate of one every 340 minutes pales in comparison to Blackstenius’ four goals with one every 48 minutes, although this admittedly is a very small sample to go off.
Compared to the league’s other top strikers, Russo also falls behind: fellow England forward Rachel Daly has scored a goal every 180 minutes on average for a struggling Villa side, including one penalty; Chelsea striker Sam Kerr is averaging a goal every 145 minutes despite lacking fitness; and Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw currently averages an impressive one goal every 83 minutes following her hattrick against Tottenham on Sunday.
However, Russo is ahead of each of the above strikers on other valuable metrics. According to SofaScore, when compared to Blackstenius, Kerr, Shaw, and Daly, Russo has made more tackles, recovered more balls, and won possession more times per game on average. In addition, none of these forwards have created more big chances than Russo’s three.
She has also provided two assists this season, created nine chances, including three big chances, and has a respectable 77% pass completion rate.
These numbers support the idea that while goals may have been in relatively short supply for the Arsenal striker in the opening weeks of the season, it’s the other aspects of her game that have stood out.
Form is temporary
Anyone who has watched Russo play over the last few years knows that there is little chance of her not succeeding at Arsenal. The striker has already proved her quality at the highest level with both England and Manchester United, and there is confidence within the club that she is on the right track.
It was always going to take time to gel with new players and a new club, particularly with the added pressure of being such a high-profile signing. Arsenal definitely look like an improved outfit when she is on the field.
Most importantly, Russo undoubtedly has the support of Eidevall, whose reluctance to replace the England forward with the in-form Blackstenius demonstrates how important he feels she is to the squad.
For these reasons, and the fact that Arsenal definitely look like an improved outfit when she is on the field, fans shouldn’t be overly concerned about the forward’s current goalscoring record.
That being said, with a vital game coming up against Chelsea tomorrow for the Gunners in the WSL, now would be the perfect time for Alessia Russo to repay the faith shown in her by her manager by chipping in with a goal.
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