Jonas Eidevall has only been in charge of the Arsenal womens team since Joe Montemurro moved to Juventus in the summer, but he immediately motivated his team to new heights. They have remained unbeaten in the WSL since beating Champions Chelsea in the opening game of the season, but there have been signs of cracks appearing in their armour recently.
The FA cup Final embarrassment to Chelsea which ended in a 3-0 reverse which actually flattered the Gunners, was swiftly followed by a 4-0 defeat in midweek to Barcelona, so it was no surprise they were feeling the nerves in yesterday’s clash with Leicester. They did come away with the 3 points with a 4-0 win but were helped by a red card for the Foxes before half-time, and they did not seem quite as invincible as usual.
Eidevall said after the game: “I told the players I was satisfied with the highs in the game – I think they were really good.
“But I think we had too many lows in the game as well, we made some easy mistakes to give Leicester a few opportunities in the game as well, so I think we need to have higher standards.
“[The mistakes were defensively] or in possession, giving the ball away too easily.”
The good news is that our challengers Chelsea suffered a shock defeat at Reading on Saturday, so we are four points clear at the top of the WSL, but will need to get back to their previous levels if they are going to remain at the top.
There are a few ‘easier’ ganes ahead before they start facing the big guns again, so hopefully they can get back on track quickly…
I like that attitude from a coach, isn’t just happy with the 3 points but also wants to see performances that a re solid and that the team can build upon.