Smilla Holmberg has revealed how Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius has helped her settle into life in England following her January transfer from Sweden. The 19 year old fullback made her debut for the Gunners shortly after arriving at the club and credits her Swedish compatriots Blackstenius and Frida Maanum for making the transition smooth during what is her first experience living abroad.

Holmberg admitted she was extremely nervous about moving to a different country with a different culture and language. However, having teammates who speak Swedish has made the adjustment far easier than expected, with Blackstenius going above and beyond to make the teenager feel welcome at Arsenal.

Blackstenius Drives Holmberg to Training Every Day

The Arsenal striker has taken Holmberg under her wing since her arrival, providing practical support alongside emotional encouragement. “Stina, especially, has been great with everything. We knew each other a little bit before, but we get on so well now,” Holmberg explained. “She picks me up and drives me home every day and helps me with the big and small things. Stina’s amazing.”

This level of care from Blackstenius highlights the strong culture within the Arsenal women’s squad under Renee Slegers. The Swedish forward has become far more than just a teammate, acting as a mentor and friend during what could have been an isolating period for Holmberg.

Blackstenius Always Been Role Model for Young Defender

Holmberg confessed that Blackstenius has long been an inspiration for her, particularly highlighting the striker’s winning goal in last year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final against Barcelona. “I’ve always supported Arsenal. I was so impressed by how they played,” the teenager admitted. “It was very cool that Stina scored the winner, and her development here at Arsenal has honestly inspired me. She’s always been a role model for me.”

Holmberg expressed gratitude at now being part of the same squad as her role model, calling the Champions League victory a special moment that showed the quality within the Arsenal group.

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The IFAB have announced a new batch of rules to be implemented at the beginning of 2026-27 aimed at improving the flow of matches and preventing delays. The main points discussed in the IFAB announcement are throw-ins and goal kicks, time limited substitutions, off field treatment and assessment, VAR protocol developments, and changes in the Laws of the Game.

What is particularly interesting is the WSL will be trialing the goalkeeper timeout rule. The protocol details are not yet known, but the women’s game has been gaming those goalkeeper timeouts since 2010. It is a clear way to reset and adjust a team tactically, with many managers using injuries as opportunities to deliver instructions.

Player Must Leave Field for One Minute

Here is the main rule to be implemented from the start of the 2026-27 season: “Where a player receives on field assessment for an injury, or their injury causes play to be stopped, the player will be required to leave the field of play and remain off it for one minute running clock once play has restarted.”

So, in the case of a goalkeeper timeout, will they be forced to go out for one minute after treatment? Law 3 is clear: “A match is played by two teams, each with a maximum of eleven players; one must be the goalkeeper.” If the goalkeeper is forced to sit out for one minute, the team with ten players will have to nominate one outfield player to play in goal for that whole minute, wearing a goalkeeper shirt.

Potential Unintended Consequences

The other option is to keep the goalkeeper on the pitch and have a nominated outfield player stay out for one minute. It means less disruption, and as soon as the goalkeeper goes down, the team already know who they are taking out and can adapt to play with ten players.

Overall, it is a positive idea, but without proper implementation, it could penalize teams when genuine injuries happen. The practice needs to be stopped without penalizing legitimate injury cases.

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Arsenal Women’s WSL game away at Brighton has been rearranged for Wednesday, May 6, at 19:45 GMT at Broadfield Stadium in Crawley. This follows the original game, falling victim to torrential rain last month, which left the pitch waterlogged and unplayable.

The fixture rearrangement gives Arsenal some breathing room in their packed schedule, but could present further complications depending on their Champions League progress. If the Gunners progress past Chelsea in the quarter finals, they will face a scheduling headache as Champions League semi finals are still played at weekends.

Potential Scheduling Problem Ahead

This would require WSL games away at Aston Villa and at home to Everton to be rearranged as well. However, Arsenal will cross that bridge if and when they come to it, as they first need to overcome Chelsea in what promises to be a massive European tie.

The May 6 date gives Arsenal a clear opportunity to fulfill the fixture without any immediate clashes. Renee Slegers will be hoping her side can maintain their push for Champions League qualification through the league, as they currently sit fourth in the table.

Blackstenius Pulls Out of Sweden Squad

Meanwhile, Stina Blackstenius has pulled out of the Sweden squad and returned home for family reasons, according to the Swedish FA. The Arsenal striker will now remain in London during the international break rather than representing her country.

Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord played for Australia in their Asian Cup opener against Philippines, which they won 1-0 thanks to a Sam Kerr goal. Kyra Cooney-Cross was not involved as she continues to build fitness after her recent injury problems.

The Matildas’ next group game is against Iran at 09:00 UK time on Thursday. All Asian Cup games are free to view on YouTube in the UK, which is brilliant news for supporters wanting to watch their Arsenal stars in action.

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