Despite defeating HB Koge 1-0 to kick off the league phase of the UEFA Women's Champions League thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from Mariona Caldentey, Arsenal look nothing like the club that won this competition in the 2024-25 season. While Koge have become regulars in this competition, appearing each year since 2021, Arsenal are among the class of women's soccer, and after already looking to regain the Women's Super League title from Manchester City, this won't be the start that manager Renee Slegers would have wanted.
The season may be young, but Arsenal have now played five games in all competitions, scoring three goals, struggling to put their efforts on target, taking 19 shots with only two testing the Koge keeper, Alberte Vigum. Capitalizing on a mistake to get all three points is something that good teams do, but with a league phase that will see them face Olympique Lyonnais, Benfica, Paris FC, Barcelona, and Inter, continuing to have performances like this one won't be good enough for Arsenal to make it deeper into Champions League play. Arsenal dominated possession, having the ball for almost 70% of the match, but despite being massive favorites, they were unable to convert it into good chances facing Koge.
Fans can watch all the UWCL action across CBS Sports platforms. Paramount+ will live stream matches all season, while select fixtures also broadcast on CBS Sports Golazo Network and CBS Sports Network.
Beth Mead's departure to Manchester City is one that is looming large on the attack, and these are games where it shows. It had been a summer of change for the club after coming in second in the Women's Super League and making it to the semifinals in the Champions League, but they're only one season removed from lifting this very competition, and you wouldn't know it watching this game in a vacuum. It's a result that feels even worse, especially after also seeing Mead score her first Manchester City goal against contenders for the UWCL crown, Bayern Munich, and the disappointment could be seen on the faces of Arsenal players who knew that they needed to have a better showing than this.
On the bright side, even with massive squad turnover, the defense does look solid, only allowing four shots for an xG of 0.36 in the match, but to defeat the best teams in the world, the attack has to be up to the challenge. These are the challenges that come with being as successful as Arsenal have been, and the departure of top players can create a leadership void that may need to be filled. Securing the win gives Arsenal more time to do that, but the next challenge is around the corner with facing Chelsea away from home on Sunday.
Want to watch WSL? Fans can watch all the action across CBS Sports, as Paramount+ will live stream all 183 matches, the most matches ever made available in the competition's newly expanded format. CBS Sports Network will additionally air one match per week, with select fixtures also broadcast on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
The schedule won't get any easier as an improving Paris FC and Manchester City follow as well. To show that they're still contenders, even with the schedule being hard, Arsenal will need to get results, which only adds to the pressure on these players, and Slegers has to determine what has to change in order to get her side back to their best. Koge were able to stay compact, challenging Arsenal for most of the match, but when the pressure built, it was tough to withstand, with a foul eventually leading to a penalty for the hosts.
At the end of the day, if the team's name in the game wasn't Arsenal, the performance would be taken as a job done and a good result in European competition, but that's how high the expectations are when you've won a Champions League title. If signings gel, there's no reason why Arsenal won't be up for it again, but with so many tough games on the horizon, time isn't on their side. The improvement of teams like City and the London City Lionesses also means that struggles in the domestic league will be punished, as time waits for no one in soccer. If the goals from open play don't come soon, tough conversations will follow.
