Ladies: Arsenal v Chelsea - Preview

By Lloyd Webb

The start of the 2016 season has certainly not lacked drama for Sari van Veenendaal.

Of the five games she has played this campaign, the Netherlands goalkeeper has already faced two penalty shoot-outs in the Women’s FA Cup, winning Player of the Round for saving three spot-kicks in Arsenal's quarter-final victory against Notts County.

The Gunners now face another tough test against Women’s Super League title rivals Chelsea on Thursday, and Van Veenendaal says another strong performance is vital for her to maintain her impressive start to the campaign.

“I think being consistent is one of the most important parts of being a keeper,” she told Arsenal.com. “It is really good, but sometimes it is really bad so you have to find that balance and play your game.

“So far, my highlight was against Notts County. Hopefully there will be more like that in the future. It was amazing, especially for a keeper it feels really good. It was really special for me. For a goalkeeper, I’m not someone who is a big talker..

“The only thing you can do is work everyday in training to keep it going. I need my defenders, but also Emma Byrne who is a great goalkeeper. I need her to push me and make me work hard. That is the only thing you can do. She is a great goalkeeper and has a lot of experience and has helped me lots. We talk about how we can solve things and help each other."

Thursday’s clash has been billed as a dress rehearsal for the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley on May 14, but Van Veenendaal insists the Gunners are just taking each game as it comes.

“I think every game is very important, but it is special to play against Chelsea and then get them after in the final,” she said. “It is a different feeling, but on Thursday we have to play for the league and it is important to get the points.

“We take it game by game, but it is really important for the title race. We have to win and that is the only option, but we have to be careful because Chelsea have really good attackers.

“They have a good striker and a good No 10 too. They play really good football, but we have a different way of playing to them. They won their last few games so we have to be careful about that too.”