‘Disruptors’ London City show signs of intent despite defeat by Arsenal in WSL opener

There was a gap between London City Lionesses and Arsenal but that is what you would expect with a newly promoted side playing at the home of the European champions.

But the gap was not noticeable in the opening 20 minutes when London City ripped up the script and took the lead, silencing a rowdy Arsenal home crowd.

Asllani won and scored a penalty in the 17th minute to put the newcomers 1-0 up.

It was reward for their disruptive start as Arsenal looked shaken up and a little confused as to how to deal with the unknown opposition in front of them.

“The way they play and the way they set up is really hard to play against. We had to get used to it. We had to get used to the rhythm and find our connections,” said Arsenal boss Renee Slegers.

“When we did that, I think we did it really well and the pitch opened up. London City Lionesses are still building their connections.

“They have a lot of good players and there were a number who were also not in the squad. They are really good competitors. They will cause problems in the league.”

It was only in the final 10 minutes that Arsenal sealed the win, scoring twice to make it 4-1 as an exhausted London City eventually buckled under the intensity.

It was a learning curve and a reminder of the growth they need if they want to be competing with England’s best on a consistent basis.

But Precheur’s admission that he was “disappointed” at full-time and his harsh assessment that London City “barely existed” in the second half, was a demonstration that they will not settle for just existing in the WSL.

His biggest challenge? Turning a squad of high-paid, big-name signings, into a team who know how to play together.

“We have the capacity to adapt to the WSL. One of our challenges will be to adapt to the intensity and the rhythm which is completely different to WSL 2,” he added.

“Fortunately, we recruited some players who know what this intensity is and what the rhythm is. Now we just need to create a team.

“I have a job to do to create some connection and some cohesion to defend and attack all together. Many of the players only started a week ago.

“We have a lot of positive things we can build on – and we also have things we can improve on.”