Arsenal needs to recover from a midweek defeat by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League as they shift focus to a London derby against Chelsea at Emirates Stadium. Manager Jonas Eidevall addressed the media ahead of the match in N5.
Starting with an update on his team’s fitness ahead of the Chelsea match, Eidevall mentioned that Laura Wienroiter is likely to be sidelined for “a couple more weeks.” He also confirmed that the rest of the squad will remain the same. Additionally, Eidevall stated that Lina Hurtig is “very close” to being included in the matchday squad.
Arsenal ‘really disappointed’ in Champions League thrashing
Arsenal suffered a historic loss on Wednesday in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, falling 5-2 to Bayern Munich on matchday one. This marked the first time Arsenal has conceded five goals since 2017.
Reflecting on the loss to Bayern Munich, Eidevall said, “We obviously are really disappointed with how we acted in the last 15-20 minutes of the game. I think the last two goals we conceded shouldn’t happen. They shouldn’t look like that, and that, of course, leaves us with a bitter feeling, but that’s a tough learning point for us to take. we need to do that in order to get to where we want to be, and we need to look forward to the game tomorrow.”
Although Arsenal started their Barclays WSL campaign with only four points from a possible nine, Eidevall emphasized that the team remains focused on progressing in the league.
He expanded, “We want to be competing all the way in the league and there is no way you can tell me that the start to the league doesn’t allow us to do that. We’re in a position to do that.”
Continuing to discuss the Champions League defeat, Eidevall expressed: “Yes, we’re disappointed with the start to the group stage in the Champions League, and yes, our ambition is to go through and go to the quarter-finals stage. There are five games left in that group stage, and we need to put our focus on what we have in front of us. We still have all the possibilities open to us. But as I said, we need to learn, we need to progress, and of course, we need to perform every single time we play.”
Criticism is a ‘necessity’ for high performances, says Eidevall
When asked about the criticism he and the team have faced following the heavy loss in Munich, Eidevall acknowledged, “I don’t mind that that’s part of the game and part of the privilege in representing this football club.”
He continued, “I think the most pressure comes from ourselves; I believe it’s a necessity. If you’re going to find high performances in football, and if you want to be competing in all four competitions, you need to be able to handle and deal with pressure and making sure that pressure gets the best version out of you.”
Gunners ‘focussed’ ahead of Chelsea test
As Arsenal looks to respond strongly this Saturday, Eidevall emphasized that the team feels “dedicated and focused.”
He continued, “We are thinking about everything we are going to do here for the game tomorrow. It’s a very, very dedicated and focused playing group that’s going to put all the energy on the pitch tomorrow.”
Analyzing what Arsenal can anticipate from Chelsea on Saturday, Eidevall stated “I think if you just look very broadly from a playing style perspective, they’ve been a little bit happier in the games I’ve seen so far to remain compact and not going up and press aggressively so much as Chelsea did last season, and also been maybe a little bit less direct in their attacking play.”
Arsenal will be keen to recover from recent struggles as they host Chelsea in the Barclays Women’s Super League this Saturday at Emirates Stadium. The match is set to kick off at 13:45 BST and will be available for live viewing on BBC One.
Never Miss a Match! Download our app and keep up with daily football news and updates wherever you are.
Install App