After the Gunners collected their fifth consecutive Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) clean sheet last weekend, newly appointed Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers has consistently told the media that it has been a mental change, as opposed to a technical one, that has sparked life back in to her side. But, there has been one tactical shift- Steph Catley.
The Australian defender has been integral to the Arsenal defence for the last five seasons, but under Slegers she has been the heart of the backline. A left-back by trade and now the favoured centre-back partner for teammate Leah Williamson, starting ahead of the likes of Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina, Catley spoke to The Halfway Line about ‘redefining’ herself.
Catley ‘really enjoying’ her new role
Despite her versatility, most often we see Catley deployed as a full-back for club and country, but there have been previous occasions where she has been thrust into this centre-back role. This time, however, it’s different. She has had time to work on her craft, settle and build connections, something she claims she is “really enjoying”.
Catley went onto explain that “It’s something I have developed quite slowly throughout my career because I have been thrown into major tournaments at the last minute, but I have never really been able to train the details of it and create partnerships and understand the role as much as I am now. There are aspects of it which I have really fallen in love with which has been really enjoyable.”
Asked just how different it is to play centrally instead of on the left-flank, Catley was honest in her assessment stating “The running is very different from centre-back to left-back and I do feel the difference in my body when I finish games. I do feel like I can recover a lot quicker, and I suppose it’s a different high-speed game completely.”
The Australia Vice-Captain further pondered before admitting “I think at my age you think you know most aspects of the game and what you can get out of it as an individual. So to be at this stage of my career and redefining myself in a way, it’s really nice and I am really enjoying my football and learning again.”
‘Things change’ acknowledges Catley
Probed as to how it feels to be the chosen centre-back partner for Williamson, ahead of Wubben-Moy and Codina, Catley was modest in her response, citing that “It’s the wonderful and tough thing about our squad; you can’t have all of these amazing players on the field. But that’s also what makes us so special and so strong in these moments, when we have so many games we have so many opportunities to play. Football changes so, so quickly, you never know what’s going to happen; a couple of injuries or a couple of dips in form here and there, things change.”
Questioned on whether she feels this change of position alters the longevity of her career for the better, Catley expressed that “You just have to do what you can do in the moment, right now, I’m playing consistently, I am keeping myself healthy, I am keeping myself fit, and I am able to perform at a high level game in, game out. That’s all you can ask for as a player, you want to do that for as long as possible, it’s what all the players in our squad want to do.”
She went on to highlight that “that’s the pressure of playing at a top club, anywhere in the world, you’ve got players who are waiting for their moment, that’s a good thing, it keeps you at the top of your game, and it’s what you want in a squad like ours.”
Arsenal don’t shy away from a ‘hunger for clean sheets’
Since Slegers took charge – first as interim, and now on a permanent basis – the Gunners have recorded nine clean sheets across all competitions and have conceded just one goal in their last seven Women’s Super League matches.
Catley described that the shift “comes down to a hunger for clean sheets. For me, I’m very detail-orientated, so it’s the small things within a game, it’s the communication and the partnerships, winning the small battles that people might not notice. It’s doing that consistently over the space of the ninety minutes and not giving up those moments that might lead to a mistake or lead to a goal. So, sometimes its just a shift in that hunger. You want to score goals, but keeping a clean sheet is also a priority.”
Asked if she celebrates a clean sheet almost more than a goal, she chuckled before confessing that “I think so, yeah. I mean as a full-back its the same. If you think about it, a clean sheet is the entire team, because you think about how much work a number nine is doing to start the press, there are so many little things that go into it. But as centre-backs and as a goalkeeper there’s definitely a lot of pride that goes into that, and it does feel good when the whistle goes and you’ve got that clean sheet.”
‘We are going to be up to go against anyone’ warns Catley
Arsenal are still in all four competitions – Women’s Super League, Women’s FA Cup, Subway Women’s League Cup and UEFA Women’s Champions League – and Catley was confident that “I don’t think we approach them any differently, we have such a great situation. In terms of our squad is fit, everyone is capable of playing to such a high level and there’s so much competition that when every game comes around there is a chance for a new line up or someone stepping into a new position, whatever it is. So, I think we go into every game just as hungry, same focus, same foundations, nothing changes other than who are we playing against and what we need to do.”
She was full of praise for the momentum her side have built stating “I think the way that we are playing at the moment, we have the basics right and our foundations are so strong, so anyone who’s on the field can do the job that we need them to do.” Before warning that “we are going to be up to go against anyone.”
