Why Frida Maanum started over Vivianne Miedema as Arsenal thrashed Lyon
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has explained that Frida Maanum got the nod to start her first game of the season in Wednesday night’s historic Women’s Champions League win over holders and record winners Lyon because of her ability as an energetic runner.
Maanum, who hugely impressed during her debut season with the Gunners in 2021/22, has only been a substitute in the WSL so far this campaign.
A shift in recent months has seen Eidevall instead deploy superstar striker Vivianne Miedema in an attacking midfield role, which also helps accommodate Stina Blackstenius as a ‘number nine’. But that has left one less midfield place available and Maanum had been the unlucky casualty.
But Eidevall made a huge tactical call as he picked his team to face Lyon, with Miedema curiously only among the substitutes and Maanum chosen to bolster the centre of the pitch alongside usual starters Kim Little and Lia Walti.
It was a gamble to leave out one of the best players in the world, but the Swedish coach was vindicated for the role that Maanum played in one of the biggest nights in Arsenal’s history and Lyon’s worst ever Champions League defeat by some distance.
"Frida is one of our players with the strongest running ability as well," he said, via Arsenal.com.
“I think she carried out that role that required an extreme amount of running, because you basically have to defend two players the whole time.
"I think she was brilliant - both off the ball and on. I think it was an excellent performance from her and she should be really proud and happy."
Maanum both scored and assisted in the 5-1 annihilation at the Groupama Stadium. The Norwegian showed her instinct to get forward when she broke into the box to convert a rebound to make it 2-0 in Arsenal’s favour early on, before later intercepting a loose pass to set up Beth Mead for the fifth.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!