Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has paid tribute to the club and the fans as Arsenal Women play in front of a sold out Emirates Stadium on Monday for the first ever time.
The Gunners become the first British team to sell out a club’s principle stadium in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Wolfsburg on Monday, with the tie poised at 2-2 from the first leg.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall paid tribute to everyone that has made this feat possible in his pre-match press conference. “It is a huge occasion for us as a team and as a club and it is a huge compliment, not only to people here who have been directly involved in selling tickets and generating the interest but this is built on people who were here before this team, on players, coaches and people at the club for putting this together.
“For people like you in the room, who have been working and reporting and putting the spotlight in the right places. It is astonishing that it is happening and we will try our very best to repay the faith that is put into us but to enjoy the moment, of course.”
We’re just getting started.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS ❤️ pic.twitter.com/f91vv8o3A0
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) April 30, 2023
The Gunners coach also says the club will not rest on their laurels and work to make this a more regular occurrence. “I don’t see this as an end point, for me this has always been the natural progression. The club has always had a plan and we have so many people who are doing the best we can to advertise it. The players are doing their best to advertise it with the way that we are playing.
“For me, it is about consistency and how we maintain it. I hope we look back on this in history that we see it as one of the starting points where this became a regular occurrence. We have taken every opportunity since I have been here to go to the Emirates. That has always been the preference to go there.
“First to say that the more we play there, the more it feels like home but also to say, it gives us the platform and foundation to spread our game to more people. That is so important and we see the benefits of that now.”
Eidevall also paid tribute to the supporters who have backed the team this season, with Meadow Park regularly sold out in front of a more engaged, vocal crowd.
“Our fans have been nothing short of brilliant this season. At times when it has been tough result wise, they have never gone quiet. They have always been there supporting us, they have been absolutely magnificent. If they can be just as magnificent tomorrow, that is going to be a big boost for us.
“One of the biggest differences when I compare our fans from this season to last season is they have an even stronger supportive side for us. We have loud fans, we have fans that sing and they pride themselves on out-singing the opposing fans.
“That’s important to me, it’s important to the team that we have fans that really come behind us and really show what it means to them because it means a lot to us also, and together we can create that. I like passion on the pitch, I like passion off the pitch as well. So I’m very happy to play in front of loud fans.”
Cheers, Jonas.We will be making you proud again tomorrow night.