Arsenal Women are bracing themselves for a searching internal review during the current international break after falling 10 points behind Women's Super League leaders Manchester City. The 4-2 defeat at City on Sunday has reignited a familiar anxiety around the club — and this time the conversation has taken an unusually personal turn. Are Renée Slegers' players simply too nice to win a league title?

A squad of good people, but enough grit?

Nobody disputes the technical quality Arsenal have assembled. The squad is, on paper, one of the most gifted in WSL history. But sources close to the playing group paint a picture of a dressing room defined by warmth and camaraderie — players described as a tight-knit "family", supportive and considerate. Those qualities make for a pleasant environment. The question gathering pace inside and outside the club is whether that same culture is holding them back when the title race turns brutal.

Arsenal last lifted the WSL trophy in 2019. Since then, Chelsea and Manchester City have treated the league as their private competition, fuelled in no small part by a combative edge, a refusal to accept second best and, frankly, a willingness to be unpleasant when the occasion demands it.

It is difficult to recall the last time an Arsenal player truly got stuck in or sparked a fiery flashpoint. One significant recent exception was Katie McCabe's hair pull against Chelsea in last season's Champions League quarter-final — but McCabe, an influential senior figure who embodied that roll-your-sleeves-up mentality, departed the club this summer. She joined Chelsea. The symbolism is not lost on anyone.

The numbers don't lie

The statistics reinforce the concern. Last season, not a single Arsenal player appeared in Stats Perform's top 20 WSL performers for percentage of duels won. Only one Arsenal player has been shown a red card in WSL football since the 2021-22 campaign. Admirable discipline, perhaps, but it raises questions about whether the team has enough fire in the belly to claw back ground in a title race that is already threatening to slip away.

Comparable figures elsewhere in the division offer a sharp contrast. Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert, a combative, never-say-die midfielder, has been central to seven league titles with the Blues. Lucy Bronze's refusal to accept defeat has been a cornerstone of England's major-tournament successes. Arsenal, right now, appear to be short of that dogged, refuse-to-lose archetype.

Slegers defends her group

Slegers pushed back firmly when the question of Arsenal's nastiness was put directly to her. "I think so," she said, "and nastiness or that grittiness, that can express itself in different ways, and I think we have certain ways in which we express that." It was a defiant answer, though one that acknowledged performances have not been good enough to showcase whatever edge the squad does possess.

Leah Williamson, who captained England to back-to-back European titles, remains in the group, and it would be unfair to suggest Arsenal are without leadership altogether. But after a disappointing draw in Paris, Slegers was praising the team's response by referencing "lots of hugs" and mutual support. Hugs are fine. Championships, however, tend to require the odd confrontational moment — a raised voice, a demand for higher standards, a refusal to accept comfortable mediocrity.

The review that must go deep

The international break gives Arsenal the space to reflect honestly. The noises out of the club suggest the review will be thorough, but the most useful questions may be the uncomfortable ones. Can they close a 10-point gap on City? Mathematically, yes. But the gap in mentality may prove harder to bridge than the gap in points.

Slegers has built something technically impressive at Arsenal. The next challenge — and it is a considerable one — is building something that bites.

Frequently asked

Why are Arsenal Women 10 points behind the WSL leaders?
Arsenal lost 4-2 at Manchester City on Sunday, a result that left them 10 points adrift of the Women's Super League leaders at this early stage of the season. A difficult start and questions about their mental resilience have contributed to the gap.
When did Arsenal Women last win the WSL?
Arsenal last won the Women's Super League in 2019. They have been unable to reclaim the title since, with Chelsea and Manchester City dominating the competition in the years since.
Why did Katie McCabe leave Arsenal?
Katie McCabe left Arsenal this summer and joined Chelsea. She had been one of Arsenal's most combative and experienced senior players, and her departure has been widely noted given questions about the squad's competitive edge.