Arsenal midfielder Lia Walti believes the club should achieve “more than just one trophy” and called out a disappointing lack of consistency against clubs further down the pyramid.
The 31-year-old also claimed that “health of players comes second” as professional football continues to reckon with gruelling fixture demands and upticks in injury at elite level.
Walti, 31, saw her season with the Gunners curtailed in March after suffering a knee injury during a training session after the 3-1 Women’s Super League defeat to Chelsea. The Switzerland international had been a key member of Arsenal ’s squad, particularly in midfield. She appeared in 15 of the north London side’s 17 WSL games and providing three assists.
Arsenal managed without Walti as they defended their Continental Cup title against Chelsea for a second successive season. Yet, the trophy was once again a lone honour as Arsenal struggled to keep up with the league’s top two sides, Chelsea and Manchester City.
“This season has been filled with many memorable moments, though we’ve also faced some disappointments,” Walti told the Mirror. “Our ambitions are clear: we want to win trophies and compete in the Champions League.”
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Jonas Eidevall’s side were boosted by the arrival of England forward Alessia Russo in the summer and the return of captain Leah Williamson and forward Beth Mead from injury over the course of the season.
However, disjointed and flaccid performances against Everton, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur ultimately left Eidevall’s side too far adrift of their title rivals on the season’s final day.
“Of course it is disappointing not to be in the title race on the final day,” said Walti. “With the squad we have, I believe we should achieve more than just one trophy. We have the expectations on ourselves to be up there and bring back the WSL-league trophy to the club.
“We need to be more consistent next season. We won a lot of points this year against the big teams, but we dropped too many points in the other games. It is on us to continue improving our game and make tactical adjustments.
“There is a hunger within the team, and I can feel that it’s only a matter of time before we break through and reach our full potential.”
Arsenal Women missed their midfield General, Lia Walti, in the last months of the season. (2024 Gaspafotos/MB Media)Returning to full potential is Walti’s ambition this summer, which will be filled with friends and family. The midfielder welcomed the reprieve offered after an exacting last three years with club and country, albeit its one engendered by ongoing rehabilitation rather than an explicit break in the calendar.
“The schedule is crazy,” Walti said when asked about the increasing demands placed on professional footballers. “Most teams in women's football don't have as big of squads as the men's team. There is almost no period where the players get a proper rest. The increasing intensity and frequency of games make injuries more likely to happen.
"In my opinion the health of players comes second all the time. There is no time to recover, to process or to celebrate. It would be necessary to consider more rest periods to ensure the health of players.”
Walti's Arsenal teammates jetted off to Australia shortly after the end of the WSL season, before re-joining respective national teams for the most recent international window.
Another window is set for next month, followed by a pre-season tour of the US for the Gunners before they begin preparations for their Women's Champions League qualifiers ahead of the league season's start.
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Both Beth Mead and Lia Walti have suffered knee injuries (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)It means a summer billed as one without a major tournament is as busy as ever, with plenty of criticism levied at football's powers that be.
Walti’s knee injury coincided with that of former teammate Vivianne Miedema, whose full return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December 2022 was blighted by repeat complications. Miedema, 27, was not offered a new deal and will depart the club as a free agent later this month, much to the chagrin of fans who view the exit of the WSL’s record-goalscorer as evidence of Eidevall’s incompetence at the helm.
On Miedema’s exit, Walti said: “Viv leaves as one of the club's greatest top scorers. She doesn't only score goals, she has an incredibly good understanding of the game. She is an outstanding footballer. Her contributions have elevated Arsenal's profile in women’s football, and she will be remembered for that in the club’s history. I will miss my Viv, she is a unique character who I really appreciated as a friend and teammate.”
While a summer of rehab is far from what Walti envisaged, she is also participating in Beyond Meat’s launch of a new ‘Spicy Kick’ Beyond Burger Jalapeno.
“As a climate champion for Football For Future, I’m proud to support initiatives such as these - eating less animal meat - to save the planet. I congratulate UEFA’s 100% plant-based food pact at all stadiums this tournament as part of its sustainability promises and for the fans at home there’s the Beyond Burger Jalapeno - perfect match day food. It tastes amazing - juicy and has a spicy kick! It looks, cooks and tastes like its animal counterpart but uses less water, energy and land. It’s also got 16g of protein.”
Beyond Meat’s new ‘Spicy Kick’ burger is now available at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado.
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