Russo belongs at No. 9 if Arsenal hope to revive their UWCL campaign

BOREHAMWOOD, England -- If Arsenal's 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the Women's Champions League taught us anything, it is that England striker Alessia Russo needs to be playing as the No. 9 if a side experiencing its worst start to a season since 2014 hopes to turn its campaign around.

It was a must-win game for manager Renee Slegers and Arsenal, who, before the victory at Meadow Park, were sitting dangerously close to falling out of contention for the Champions League playoffs. Now, they've brought themselves some breathing room, all thanks to Slegers choosing to move last season's top Women's Super League goal scorer (and second-top Champions League goal scorer) back into her favored striker position.

In Arsenal's three previous games -- two league draws against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and a 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League -- Russo started as the No. 10, with Stina Blackstenius at striker. Arsenal desperately needed results in all of them, but goals did not come, and chances were squandered left, right and center.

In all three games, Russo was unable to do what the side needed her to do for 90 minutes, unable to get on the end of crosses or long balls as she was dropping too deep to aid defensively. This would likely have been to maintain stability in midfield with Kim Little out through injury, and Mariona Caldentey playing deeper as a result. Still, this subdued Arsenal's key attacking threat, and it was no wonder they were unable to score against Spurs or secure a result against Chelsea or Bayern Munich.

Though Blackstenius possesses a lot of quality, she does not fit the profile for what Arsenal were trying to do, and it was only when Russo slipped back into the No. 9 role, usually around the 60th minute, that Arsenal had their best chances. This was evident against Chelsea. Though Russo scored late on, had she started that game upfront, the result -- and therefore, Arsenal's league standing -- could have looked a whole lot different.

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Alessia Russo: Arsenal left with two must-win Champions League games

Alessia Russo looks forward to Arsenal's remaining League Phase matches after scoring twice vs. Real Madrid to kickstart their campaign.

Slegers changed her plan against Real Madrid, and it worked. The visitors struggled to contain Russo throughout the evening. Despite Madrid boasting a confident defense, Russo's pace and movement in the box were far too much for them to contend with, and once she got going, it was impossible to stop her.

First, Russo headed home Chloe Kelly's looping cross to level the score after Caroline Weir broke the deadlock. Russo then got her head to Caitlin Foord's pinpoint corner to seal the victory. For a player who admitted in 2023 that she does not score headers, her development is clear as day, but Slegers had an answer for that: she practices headers at the end of sessions with the set-piece coach to diversify the types of goals that she can score.

"You want to say so many things about Alessia because there's so many things to her," Slegers said after the game. "She works hard; she gives 100 percent every day. Her role in the team reflects how she plays on the pitch.

"Everyone knows how good Alessia is in the No. 9, with her hold-up play, her linking play, her pressing game, her presence in the box, her different types of finishes; she's really good."

Arsenal need the 26-year-old in the box if they want to play the style they have been trying to adopt. It is clear, looking at the effectiveness of their play without Russo leading the line compared with games like Wednesday evening's clash, that her presence in the box does more for the team than her creativity feeding others, which seldom yields results.

Slegers admitted that sometimes it is a "headache" to know where to play Russo, a player with so many qualities and so strong across multiple areas. But her praise for the England Lioness, who was instrumental in England's back-to-back Euros wins, gave insight into why the side has relied on Russo so much and why Slegers has chosen to essentially build her team around where she decides Russo is best positioned for that specific game.

"There's so many things to her and not only as a football player but also as a person. She takes care of the team in such a good way. She role-models all the right behaviors. She sees people, she includes people, she works hard. She's 100 percent every day. Everything in training is game intensity; [she] always wants to learn things.

"She is very respectful and humble. I think that's the way she goes about life and her sports and her goal in the team just reflects how she performs on the pitch."

Arsenal have won only four of their nine league games. Alongside four draws and that bruising loss to Manchester City, it has been the worst start to any campaign they've had since 2014, though the result over Real Madrid leaves Arsenal with more breathing room in the Champions League.

But Arsenal can still turn things around. Against Real Madrid last season, they overturned a two-goal deficit in the quarterfinals of the continental competition, setting them up for success in Europe. Still, the key to reversing their dire start in the hopes of replicating some of last term's glory will rest on Russo leading the line as the starting striker and hoping some of the magic that brought them the victory over Real Madrid sees them through the next block of fixtures.