Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has urged his team to be brave and play to win against Chelsea in the WSL tomorrow. The teams, in 1st and 2nd in the table, face up in front of an expected crowd of 45,000 on Sunday lunchtime.
The Gunners have only won one of their last seven league games against Chelsea, at the Emirates Stadium last September. When confronted with that record, Jonas Eidevall joked, “A lot of those games were before my time, right?”
Eidevall drew on the theme of togetherness, the overall title of the project that has seen the Emirates Stadium exterior design transformed, and urged his players to play without fear against Chelsea.
“When we look at the team, the togetherness is the foundation to achieve something,” Eidevall explained. “Because when you feel togetherness, you feel safety and you feel somebody will have your back.
“If you try and you are not successful, somebody will have your back. When you create that togetherness, you get teams that play without fear, who are brave and front-footed and want to seize opportunities and play to win rather than not to lose.
“For me, that is the transformation I would like to see this team going through. You are right, many of our players have been involved in all of these seven games. That does not mean the eighth game has to be the same way.
“That is what impresses me most with individuals and teams, to be able to change and develop. To go from one situation and change it into another. For us, this is an opportunity to change that. You can’t change history but you can change the future.”
New: Arsenal v Chelsea Women Preview https://t.co/SLmxlLJGQb #arsenal #afc pic.twitter.com/en4SUYxrin
— arseblognews (@arseblognews) January 14, 2023
Eidevall said that togetherness is formed on the training ground as much as it is in games and paid tribute to the club and their backing of the women’s team in more practical circumstances.
“You see all the time, the togetherness in this club. Maybe you don’t see it but in the way that we prepare, before we played Lyon we had pitches here (at London Colney) that could not be used because of the snowfall.
“In minutes, the club managed to arrange for us to train at the Emirates so that we could prepare there. We see these small things and that builds togetherness.
“It’s about enjoying that too. We have gone from some one-off occasions to now saying this is the third WSL game in a row where we have over 40,000 people here.”
Arsenal trail Chelsea by three points at the top of the table but have a game in hand over Emma Hayes’ side. Eidevall acknowledged the importance of the head-to-head results but pointed out that they are not always defining.
“Last year, we played Chelsea twice and we took four points off them, they took one point off us and we didn’t win the trophy. It shows that you can be the better in the head-to-head and still not win.
“Of course it helps and of course we want to win. But last season we saw the team that took the fewest points from the head-to-heads won the trophy. The answer is that every game is important if you want to win the league.”
On another note seems Chelski have nicked Mudryk at the last minute..unbelievable
What’s unbelievable is how we fucked about quibbling over add on percentages, rather than just fucking cough up and get the deal done.
Chelsea have come in, paid what Shakhtar wanted all along, turned the kid’s head and got themselves an absolute world class player.
We never ever fucking learn.
Thought he was nailed on for us to be honest, but with desperate pieces of crap like Chavski who are obviously immune to FFP lurking around nothing is ever secure.
Clubs get around FFP with sponsorships through the back door.
FFP is a white elephant. Wise up, mate.
I wonder who else we might look at for a more reasonable price? For the stupid money scumbag donesk want we could surely get two or three decent players? We need a striker, winger and defensive midfielder!!! Any ideas as to who to get though!!!
Please keep the men’s players (whoever they are?!) off our blog!
Please keep the men’s players (whoever they are?!) off our blog!
What a creepy comment. Arsenal men and women belong to the fans and are part of the same family. Im sure everyone here is wishing the women well today. I’ll be behind both teams. If people want to talk about the arsenal related elephant in the room here because there isn’t anywhere else feasible to discuss it, thats also ok with me.
But there is! A whole blog about the men’s team and another regarding transfers in and out. This section is specifically for discussing the women’s team so this thread is way off topic!
The anxiety of having the NLD and playing Chelsea on the same day is too much. Giving what’s at stake for both sides…
Good to see Jordan Nobbs help Villa crush the spu*s
Sorry but leave me alone. Tomorrow there’s just one important game, against the Spuds. COYG
commenting “sorry but leave me alone” on an article you voluntarily clicked on is so goddamn funny
Disagree 100% – the only game that matters is our Women vs Chelsea.
Please leave me alone and get out of here.
Oh how rude of me. Of course I hope tomorrow will be a succesful for both the Arsenal teams.
With all due respect truj, you actively chose to open the article, knowing absolutely full well it was an article about the women’s side.
You put yourself in this situation, purely to ask to be left alone, which lets be honest is quite a strange thing for a rational person to do.
Thanks for being so polite and respectful! 😁
I can only assume this is sarcasm, but I’m an optimist in life so I’m just going reply with no problem at all
We are all for the Arsenal, but being a troll I have to say that you can go on a stadium tour for 27 £ or just for 6£ tomorrow.
The gulf in investment between the two sides isn’t the discussion here – the point is that you’re essentially victimising yourself by saying “leave me alone” – you chose to read the article mate
You must be so lonely.
Come on, ladies. Let’s do this!
Would be a big achievement if we managed to compete with Chelsea after losing Mead and Miedema. Regardless of the result, if we put on a good performance I will be happy.
So this means my eyes will be on two games today. Not good for my heart I tell you