The Arsenal Women boss Jonas Eidevall is preparing to take on the Champions Chelsea tomorrow in the Womens FA Cup having not won any of their three WSL games so far this year, but the first one was a draw against Chelsea when we dominated the game until the Blues scored an equaliser in added time to grab a point.
But since then, Eidevall believes the fixture congestion has been especially tough on Arsenal compared to other WSL sides. He told Arsenal.com: “For me, I look at the difference between performances and results, so I know we haven’t won in the league in 2023, but the two games against Chelsea at home and West Ham away [both draws] were two good performances.
“I felt that when it happened and I felt it after when I reviewed it and saw it in the stats as well, but then the City game in the league is a poor performance and it’s a poor result from us.
“Of course, it has its reason why it is that. We didn’t perform to the levels that we can and I take responsibility for that, but we also have to say that the playing schedule that we went into playing on a late Sunday against West Ham, playing midweek and then Saturday at lunchtime is a really tough playing schedule and I can’t see any other women’s club team in England being asked to play in a playing schedule like that for the whole season.
“I know people will probably say that I’m complaining about it, but at the same point when we played Tottenham away last season, I said that when the playing schedule gets that congested, there is going to be a disadvantage for the team that is forced to play those games and it can’t be Arsenal all the time that gets into those situations.
“Over seasons it has to be divided across more clubs rather than just Arsenal being asked to play in schedules like that.”
He does have a point, in that before the international break, Arsenal played 5 games in all competitions in 16 days, while Chelsea only played 4, so obviously fatigue and tiredness are bound to come into it, but surely all successful teams have periods like that. The problem Jonas has is that he has a reduced squad at the moment but he will just have to cope with it….
Michelle Maxwell
WATCH – Jonas Eidevall interviewed ahead of big Chelsea clash.
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