{"id":588031,"date":"2021-03-31T12:20:53","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T16:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=588031"},"modified":"2021-03-31T12:20:53","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T16:20:53","slug":"joe-montemurro-leave-arsenal-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/03\/31\/joe-montemurro-leave-arsenal-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Montemurro Will Leave Arsenal Women With His Head Held High"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joe Montemurro will be resigning from his position as\u00a0<\/span>Arsenal women<\/span><\/a>\u00a0head coach at the end of the season, as the club confirmed this in a statement released earlier today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Montemurro Has Had a Successful Spell With Arsenal Women<\/h2>\n

Joe Montemurro Has Overseen Fine Progress<\/h3>\n

The Australian has overseen some fine progress during a three-year spell with the Gunners, and the highlight arguably came in the form of a Women\u2019s Super League title in 2019 \u2013 the club\u2019s first in seven years.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement published on arsenal.com, he said<\/span><\/a>: \u201cMy three-and-a-half years at Arsenal have been a fantastic adventure, the highlight of my coaching career.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the best in the industry on and off the pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been the hardest professional decision of my life, as I absolutely love this job and this club, the club I have supported all my life. I\u2019m hugely grateful to the club for their unrelenting support during my time here and in understanding and respecting my decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a fantastic time here at Arsenal and I am proud of what we have achieved. I must thank all the fans, players, staff, and the club. This club has always been a leader in women\u2019s football and I will be cheering us on to the next level as I watch as a passionate and enduring fan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy focus now is helping the team to complete the season strongly and finishing as high as possible in the WSL, leaving the club in good shape for the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Montemurro Arrived From Melbourne City<\/span><\/h3>\n

Montemurro took charge of the Gunners in November 2017<\/span><\/a>\u00a0after leaving a role in his native Australia with Melbourne City.<\/span><\/p>\n

He arrived after leading the Victoria team to back-to-back W-League titles in the first two seasons of their existence and was tasked with bringing the good times back to North London.<\/span><\/p>\n

Between Arsenal\u2019s previous title and Montemurro\u2019s arrival, Liverpool (two), Chelsea and an emergent Manchester City side had all claimed top spot to leave the Gunners in their wake.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their dominance of the women\u2019s game appeared to be a distant memory, and while nobody could claim that Montemurro has turned Arsenal into an all-conquering force again, they appear to be in a better place now compared to when he took hold of the reins.<\/span><\/p>\n

A third-place finish came in Montemurro\u2019s first season in charge in the 2017\/18 campaign, before that aforementioned league title in 2018\/19.<\/span><\/p>\n

Montemurro Led Arsenal to a First League Title in Seven Years<\/h3>\n

Arsenal recaptured the glory days in that memorable season, winning 18 of their 20 league games with some superb free-flowing football.<\/span><\/p>\n

A young team was spearheaded by the brilliant\u00a0<\/span>Vivianne Miedema<\/span><\/a>, who broke a Women\u2019s Super League for the most goals in a season after just 13 games \u2013 netting 16 at that point before\u00a0<\/span>registering 22 for the season.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Beth Mead<\/span><\/a>\u00a0also impressed in a stellar campaign and\u00a0<\/span>topped the assists standings with 12<\/span><\/a>, while\u00a0<\/span>Leah Williamson<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Louise Quinn<\/span><\/a>\u00a0proved to be an impenetrable wall at the heart of Arsenal\u2019s defence that conceded only 13 goals all season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Montemurro\u2019s team were somewhat unlucky to be denied the chance to claim back-to-back titles in 2019\/20 with Covid-19 effectively handing the title to Chelsea on a points-per-game basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Miedema topped the goalscoring and assists charts\u00a0<\/span>with totals of 16 and eight respectively<\/span><\/a>, while goalkeeper\u00a0<\/span>Manuela Zinsberger<\/span><\/a>\u00a0was second in the\u00a0<\/span>clean sheet rankings with six.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

But they were denied Champions League qualification, with just the top two teams granted a place in Europe that season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Montemurro\u2019s Side Out of the Title Running This Season<\/h3>\n

A title push was expected this season, but that has not materialised largely due to a series of costly defeats and an extensive injury list.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back-to-back 2-1 and 3-0 losses to Manchester City and Chelsea in February ended any realistic aspirations of a title push and left the Gunners in a battle for a third-place finish and Champions League qualification with Manchester United.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being without the likes of\u00a0<\/span>Jordan Nobbs<\/span><\/a>, Jen Beattie, Jordan Nobbs,\u00a0<\/span>Kim Little<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Steph Catley<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Lisa Evans<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Lydia Williams<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>in various stages of the season<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has not helped their cause either.<\/span><\/p>\n

It left them with an uphill struggle to keep up with the\u00a0<\/span>relentless pace being set by Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the table.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

But despite all of this, Montemurro has enabled the Gunners to progress in a sustainable way and they remain within striking distance of the league\u2019s top three teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arsenal look like the favourites to claim third place by virtue of a game in hand and a superior goal difference compared to current incumbents,\u00a0<\/span>Manchester United<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The Definition of a Good Man\u2019<\/span><\/h3>\n

However, after looking away from the on-pitch statistics and league standings during Montemurro\u2019s tenure, it is a measure of the man when you see the outpouring of affection levelled towards the Australian.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Twitter, Williamson\u2019s simple but effective statement said it all:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u201cThe definition of a good man\u201d as she responded to a tweet from Arsenal Women\u2019s account.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is safe to say that you would struggle to find many people who would disagree.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>