Eidevall on key leaders and influencers within the Arsenal Women camp by Michelle
Arsenal women’s 2022–23 season will be remembered as a season in which we saw their true colours of resilience, determination, and courage. Eidevall and his technical bench have managed to get something out of this Arsenal side that has been hit hard by injuries throughout the season. Although season-ending injuries to the likes of Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Kim Little, Leah Williamson, and Laura Wienroither are the ones that have been mostly highlighted, almost every Arsenal woman has missed one or two games due to injury.
Eidevall has kept tweaking his system, switching players’ positions to cover for the unavailable players, to get results. Switching positions and tweaking formation may seem to be the main reason that Arsenal won the continental cup, reached the Champions League semi-final, and are in a good position to finish in the top 3, but it’s not those two things alone. Jonas Eidevall hinted that his experienced players like Jen Bettie, Jodie Taylor (who was signed back in March as a free agent), and even Arsenal legend Kelly Smith, the latest addition to his technical bench, have been inspiring the other players through their leadership.
“I am happy to be more specific about what leadership means in these situations,” Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall said, in his pre-Brighton press conference.
“For me, when you have external factors like pressure to get results, you will look at players who might lose focus on what we are going to do as a team. Players with leadership and experience will be able to stick to the game plan, and they will often lead by example and by the way they communicate.
“Both Jen and Jodie are great examples of players like that. They have a really clear understanding of what the team needs to do, and they understand their own roles within that and they live it 100%. That is so important.”
On Kelly Smith, he said, “Kelly (Smith) combines everything we want to be. She had this great technique, vision, and game intelligence as a footballer. But she also played with her heart on her sleeve in every situation. She embodied, as a player, everything this team should have the vision to be.
“It is great to have her inside our environment and culture to try to shape that and not having a coach that is just about the tactical or the technical but can have a holistic view, and everyone that knows their Arsenal history knows she lived that day in and day out on the pitch.”
This season will be fondly remembered for many things, from Arsenal Women being the women’s team to attract the masses, leading to sold-out stadiums, to how they never gave up amidst an injury crisis that threatened to derail them. What a season to be proud of!
COYGW!
Michelle Maxwell
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