Stina Blackstenius may have more appearances from the bench than in the starting lineup for Arsenal this season but the forward is making the minutes she is given count. She is their top goalscorer with 14 and has the most goal involvements with 15. The Sweden international has made 25 appearances for her club in this campaign, 10 starts and 15 from the bench. Her appearances as a substitute have risen significantly from last season. In the 2022-23 campaign Blackstenius made a total of 39 appearances and just five of those were from the bench.
Arsenal have a good problem in terms of the amount of forward talent they have in the squad. Blackstenius, Beth Mead, Caitlin Foord and Alessia Russo are just a few of the players the manager, Jonas Eidevall, has to pick from. The return of Mead and Vivianne Miedema from knee injuries and Russo’s introduction to the team this season after she signed from Manchester United has added to the competition for starting places. Russo’s signing in particular has affected Blackstenius as Russo plays in her preferred No 9 position.
