Arsenal women have just announced the signing of Swedish international and 2021 Ballon d'Or nominee Stina Blackstenius.
The mere mention of Swedish international might ring a bell or two. Sweden are very much poised to win the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifying group.
Back in October, the Girls in Green welcomed Blågult (the Blue and Yellow) to Tallaght Stadium to kick off Irish hopes of making a major tournament.
For the most part, it was a fierce battle between one of the world's best as they attacked the game while a Republic of Ireland team held on resiliently in defence.
With just shy of forty minutes gone in the match, Stina Blackstenius had tested goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan several times and it looked like she'd find the back of the net soon.
The Swedish goal poacher had her chance as she cut into the opposition box and capitalised on a Louise Quinn deflection to open the scoring for the visitors.
21 October 2021; Stina Blackstenius of Sweden, left, celebrates after her side's first goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 qualifier group A match between Republic of Ireland and Sweden at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Arsenal's Dip In Form
Arsenal are still the team to beat in the WSL as they sit top of the table four points clear of rivals Chelsea. But the FA Cup final left much to be desired.
Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby had their way with their London rivals all game and produced two masterful displays to help Chelsea convincingly win 3-0 in December.
It left many questions for boss Jonas Eidevall to answer. A recent loss to Birmingham City has left Arsenal looking like a much more beatable team than before.
But one thing they're not short for is goals. They lead the WSL in goals scored thanks to the efforts of Vivianne Miedema and Kim Little.
The Arsenal striker pairing has scored thirteen so far this season. The addition of Blackstenius looks to only strengthen their scoring yield for the rest of the campaign.
😍 BLACKSTENIUS FRIDAY 😍 pic.twitter.com/ynqpBrI5f9
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) January 14, 2022
McCabe's Gain
Katie McCabe has been crucial to all things Arsenal have done this season as she's tied for the most appearances in all competitions through 2021/2022.
She leads the team in assists and if her Republic of Ireland games are anything to go by, her wide runs, crosses and set-piece taking all add up to it.
Having another striker, who's known as an out and out goalscorer, can only be a positive for McCabe in having another target to aim at in the box.
The Republic of Ireland travel to Sweden on April 12th in their first World Cup qualifying fixture of 2022. Ireland sit one point ahead of Finland in second.
McCabe will be more familiar with her Swedish teammate Blackstenius come April and might be able to provide the Irish defence with a pointer or two.
See Also: 6 Players We Expect To Make Their Ireland Debut In 2022
