Beth Mead: Arsenal star in 'form of her life' because she isn't afraid to fail
- Published
Beth Mead has scored 10 goals in 17 games for Arsenal and England this season
Arsenal forward Beth Mead's response to being left out of the Team GB Olympic squad has been emphatic but did anyone predict just how good she would become?
It is six months since England international Mead was overlooked by Hege Riise and in that time she has scored 10 goals and provided 15 assists in 17 games for club and country this season.
She has come a long way since Riise's assessment in February that her "form hasn't been that great".
From netting a hat-trick at Wembley in a World Cup qualifier for England, to having a hand in all three goals in Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton - things could not be going better for Mead on the pitch.
But how good has she really been?
Former England forward Sue Smith says Mead is in "the form of her life" and Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall and Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman "can't drop her".
"She's been absolutely fantastic. You can see she has that bit between her teeth," Smith told BBC Sport. "She has the determination and obviously the quality.
"Sometimes you need that setback to give you an extra bit to push you on. She has taken her game to the next level. I think she is in the form of her life. At the moment everything she does is at a high level.
"I played against her when she was at Sunderland. She was always one of those players that we knew we had to stop. You could see she had the potential to be very, very good.
"We've seen it in glimpses before but at the moment every time I watch her, I could pick her as player of the match."
How does Mead's stats compare to her team-mates?
Beth Mead's stats in the WSL this season
After just five games in the WSL, Mead has already matched her tally of goals and assists from the 2019-20 season.
Her goals per game average of 0.75 is the highest it has ever been during her time at Arsenal.
Beth Mead's goal contributions in the Women's Super League since joining Arsenal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Season | Games | Goals | Assists |
2016-17 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
2017-18 | 17 | 8 | 1 |
2018-19 | 19 | 7 | 12 |
2019-20 | 14 | 3 | 3 |
2020-21 | 21 | 4 | 9 |
2021-22 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
She also has the highest shot success rate - putting away an average of 25% of her efforts across 90 minutes.
And she is ranked the best among her Arsenal team-mates in chances created and successful crosses from open play.
Only star striker Vivianne Miedema and captain Kim Little have scored more goals than Mead, while versatile wing-back Katie McCabe has the same number of goal contributions but has achieved it in fewer minutes this season.
Where Beth Mead's individual stats rank in comparison to her Arsenal team-mates in the WSL this season
'You will fail more times than you succeed'
England 4-0 Northern Ireland: Beth Mead scores hat-trick as Lionesses seal Wembley win
Smith said Mead had taken her game "to the next level" and Eidevall, who replaced former manager Joe Montemurro in the summer, believes it is "small margins" that she has tweaked to improve.
"I remember one of the first training sessions that we had. There was a transitional opportunity and she went on a one-on-one situation in the penalty area and she passed it back. I told her that I never wanted to see that again.
"She is so good in a one versus one and has a good finish, so when she gets into those situations she needs to try and try over and over again.
"That means taking these positions where sometimes she will fail. When you try to finish and take on players, you will fail much more times than you succeed.
"But the only times you probably remember of Beth Mead this season are the times that she succeeds. That's the nice thing about being an offensive player.
"It requires the self-confidence in order to fail and to try it exactly the same way again."
And does Eidevall believe she is in the form of her life?
"Maybe Beth Mead is in very good form but more essentially, she is a great football player. Sometimes when we talk about players being in form, does that also mean she will drop out of form?
"I think Beth is just using her qualities as a player and believing in them. As long as she continues to do that she will keep developing and being in form. That's 100% within her control. I hope she feels that as well."
Music for after dark: Peaky Blinder's Cillian Murphy curates his perfect playlist
Macclesfield FC's Neil Danns is angry! Tony Bellew finds out what is annoying Neil Danns
