Our Arsenal Women have had an up and down season, with some great moments and some terrible ones too. We’ve given away games and come back, and won games that looked unwinnable, but considering how good a team we’ve got to work with, it does leave me to question why we aren’t competing for the highest honours.
So, who’s to blame? For me, it’s the manager, Jonas Eidevall. He clearly has a great working relationship with the women, and they seem to love him, but there’s been times this season where he’s been too slow to make the big decisions, and has underestimated some teams, giving them a chance to take points and it’s held us back.
We’ve played well in most of our big games, beating Chelsea 4-1, beating Manchester United two times in the same season for the first time ever, and we also walked away 2-1 winners against Manchester City. But it’s the games where you’d expect us to win that have been poor for me, and I think you have to blame that on how the manager plays his system and set up tactically.
Being knocked out of the Women’s Champions League was hard, and especially after we played such a great game, and in my opinion were robbed of a few goals. It also hurt getting knocked out of the Women’s FA Cup, by Manchester City, because for me, I really wanted to go for it in that, and because the WSL League title is now out of sight, it makes me wonder if Eidevall will. or should. still be around if we lose the Continental Cup on Sunday 31st March, against Chelsea.
Luckily, we look to have secured Champions League next season, but that’s mainly due to the fact Manchester United haven’t had a great season, and have lost heaps of points, but is that enough for him to keep his job? I’m not sure.
If Arsenal Women end the season in 3rd place, and with the Continental Cup, i wouldn’t want to be too rash and sack the manager, as that’s a decent season and next season we can start again. With a good pre-season and without a lot of the overload we saw last year, and without the Cup. it should be a better pre-season. This season doesn’t feel like a good season to me, and as we’re set to face Chelsea it does worry me, because they’re definitely a good side and will want to end this season, Emma Hayes’ last season, on a high note, and with as many honours as possible – they are still in all competitions and looking to go for the Quadruple..
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Sunday’s game, because it could be a deciding factor of what happens next season.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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I am not an expert on the wsl but watch enough to know in my opinion we will not win the league under Jonas Eidevall
Nice football but lack the killer Instinct
Have majority possession but lack the killer instinct
We have some great players but when it matters we seem to drop off
Hopefully we can give Emma one last beating before she heads off to the other side of the pond
Onwards and upwards
Ps
He should be moved on
IMO, Eidevall doesn’t know his best 11. He overbought in the summer. Buying Russo was a waste cos her style is limited & it unbalanced the attack forcing Mead to play on the wings. Blackstenhius, Mead, Lacasse & Miedema were enuf & are better goalscorers than Russo. I will give Eidevall one more season though cos the gals seem to respect him.
No, I don’t think his job is at risk.
He’s only recently signed a new contract so I don’t think he will go. If Viv Miedema was fit for the whole season we may well have won the WSL . Beating Chelsea in the Conti Cup? A tough ask but possible.
He has had to deal with a lot of injuries but on paper this squad should be dominating against most sides. There seems to be something wrong or something lacking. Hopefully it is similar to Arteta on the men’s side and he will get the team firing on all cylinders. We need a new keeper and a bit of cover but when healthy this is a really top squad. Next year will likely be the decider for him.
Jonas need to go if Arsenal Women wants to compete for the highest Titles again.. everything about this season is down to him, 100% his fault.
i understand fans being disappointed and changing the coach is an apparent solution, but the question in my mind is whether this season of mixed fortune is something we are stuck with or is it part of an upward development trend …. my opinion is the latter, i think by next season we will have come out of a time of injury and recovery, we will have learned to blend together better as a team, eg to make more incisive defence splitting passes, get more goal chances and score more… so to get rid of Jonas now is imho premature, even if we don t beat Chelsea on Sunday … i think our team is full of talented individuals and they will perform increasingly well in future
While I’ve not been an ardent follower of women football in general, from the little I have known, we’ve had significant injuries to deal with this season so I believe Eidevall should have some leeway. Moreover, I’m not sure losing a final (which is only one game) to a particularly strong and spirited Chelsea side should make him lose his job. Getting us there is already good enough.
If by this time next season things stay the same, then we should be considering a change in the dugout.
Mourinho…anyone?
I’m still not sure why he wanted to pay so much for Lessi Russo twelve months ago (as excellent player as she is, then got her for nothing, and then doesn’t play Stina alongside her. They should always play together and with Beth Mead, too. They are the ideal trio. Why play either Lessi or Stina individually and end up substituting one for the other. For one thing, it’s bad for their morale. Maybe I’m wrong; someone will tell me.
Best wishes, ladies, for Sunday; YOU CAN DO IT
No. If we lose Sunday sacking Jonas is not the answer.
Accepting, that apart from the Chelscumski defeat and with just Citeh away to play our performances against the “Big 3” leave us top of that little group.
The three losses to Liverpool, Spuds and West Ham have killed our WSL chances and the ridiculous UWCL preliminary qualifying tournament set the scene to the Liverpool loss. The nitty gritty has been the really poor performances v Spuds and W. Ham and I don’t believe they were down solely to manager/selection/tactics.