Arsenal coach Jonas Eidevall was full of praise for January signing Victoria Pelova. The forward arrived from Ajax in January and has already provided five assists and a goal.
However, it is also the physical intensity and work rate of the player that has caught Jonas Eidevall’s eye, both since and before her arrival in North London.
“One of the things that became evident for me when we played Ajax in the Champions League (qualifier) and we saw her playing live was how physical she was,” Eidevall told Arseblog News. “I liked that combination from her as a player.
“She has adapted very well coming into the team. She is versatile and can play a number of different positions. She is not only neat on the ball to create but her off the ball movement and defensive contribution.”
New: Victoria Concordia Crescit: Pelova’s Five Star Performance v Spurs Analysed https://t.co/rA4GwI05hU #arsenal #afc pic.twitter.com/cDlKBx1smR
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Eidevall says that Pelova’s off the ball work rate is, in itself, a valuable creative tool and an exemplar for his team, who he believes are defined by their commitment to every situation in a game.
“One thing I picked out for the team after the game was the second goal. We lose the ball high on our left side and she chases back with a 60 metre sprint to win a throw-in. We play that throw-in to her feet and she switches the ball to Foord to score.
“It’s that combination that she has individually, that she chased the ball for 60 metres, then she picked out that situation to switch the ball.
“It’s also a mentality to bring to the team, she shows that is an important moment. That can be the difference between winning and losing matches. When you look at situations like that that is defining for this team, that is why we can beat any team.”
Jonas Eidevall was also very happy with the application and focus of his team in Saturday’s 5-1 win away at Spurs, sandwiched as it was between the two legs of their UWCL tie against Bayern Munich, where tomorrow the Gunners will try to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Emirates Stadium.
“Momentum is important, it is important to be consistent in your performances. It is not easy to play in Europe and to perform at the weekends. It is not for everyone to do that but everyone wants to do that.
“It is what everyone aims for. We learn about those things all the time in how we can improve our processes and I was very pleased. It wasn’t easy, it was a tight schedule a pitch that was not perfect playing away against a physical Tottenham side. The players did so well to focus on what we could control and win comfortably.”
Woohoo! Instantly successful signing, no adaptation period required. Has looked like an Arsenal Women player from day one. She seems popular with the rest of the squad, too.
Well done to her and talent recruitment.
Reminiscent of a certain dvd
I think she is a little bit DVD (but without the combative streak – she’s determined rather than aggressive), a little bit Kim Little (but less likely to score) and a little bit Lia Walti.