Kafaji’s Cry for Minutes with Arsenal Women: Fair Complaint or Premature Outburst? | OneFootball

Is Rosa Kafaji justified in expressing her frustration over a lack of game time at Arsenal Women?

Last summer, Arsenal beat a host of European giants—including Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona and PSG—to secure the signing of Swedish international Rosa Kafaji. The young playmaker rose to prominence for her brilliance with BK Häcken, particularly excelling in the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Champions League. Her standout performance against Real Madrid became a much-discussed highlight.

For many, given her technical ability and knack for influencing games, the hope was that, if she hit the ground running at the Emirates, she could become the perfect heir to Vivianne Miedema, who departed for Manchester City last summer.

Unfortunately, several months into her Arsenal career, Kafaji has yet to cement her place in the team.

Under coach Jonas Eidevall, her game time was limited, and things don’t appear to have improved significantly under his replacement, head coach Renee Slegers.

Here’s a breakdown of her minutes in red and white so far:

– 19 vs Leicester – 12 vs Bayern Munich – 0 vs Chelsea – 0 vs Valerenga – 33 vs West Ham (scored) – 4 vs Manchester United – 12 vs Brighton – 12 vs Spurs – 3 vs Juventus – 0 vs Aston Villa – 23 vs Valerenga – 0 vs Liverpool – 1 vs Bayern Munich – 19 vs Crystal Palace – 3 vs Chelsea – 3 vs Manchester City – 0 vs Manchester City – 0 vs Liverpool – 0 vs Real Madrid

UWCL Qualifiers: – 21 vs Rangers – 0 vs Rosenborg – 45 vs Häcken(subbed off at halftime) – 2 vs Häcken

She has started just three matches: against Häcken (hooked at halftime), Brighton in the Subway Cup quarter-finals (90 minutes), and Bristol City in the FA Cup (90 minutes).

Rosa Kafaji

After being denied minutes in the Arsenal vs Real Madrid UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final clash, Kafaji appeared to have reached her limit. She expressed her frustrations through an Instagram post, though it was swiftly deleted.

For her fans, the argument is clear: Kafaji hasn’t been given a fair chance. But is it right for her to use social media to criticise the Arsenal Women’s technical staff?

I believe it’s unfair. Beyond these accusations, it seems the club are being cautious with her development. They don’t want to throw her into the deep end too soon. One might argue that Kyra Cooney-Cross was in a similar situation when she first joined. She didn’t get much game time initially, but now, the Matildas star is one of the first names on Arsenal Women’s team sheet.

Perhaps Kafaji needs to trust that the Arsenal technical bench ultimately knows what’s best for her. With patience, her opportunities will surely come. At 21 years old Kafaji has a big future ahead of her – does she just need to be patient and work hard for her opportunity to come, rather than lashing out on social media?

What do you think Gooners?

Michelle M

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