Arsenal were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in a pre-season friendly at Audi Field in Washington DC thanks to a second half goal from Sandy Baltimore. We spoke to Jonas Eidevall after the game, here are the full quotes (all the questions are from Arseblog News).
On whether Arsenal are working on a more patient model of playing out from the back…
Yes it is fair to say we have been doing that and working on that. I think we were quite good on that last Spring as well and it has been part of the team’s development. We have looked quite solid with that at times in pre-season but there are also times that we move the ball quite well. We still lack a bit of clarity on when to change the point of the attack and to recognise where the free player is. We lacked consistency in giving those passes and making those decisions, sometimes we did it really well and sometimes we took the wrong decisions and we need to learn from that.
On Beth Mead pulling out of the game just before kickoff and Lotte Wubben-Moy not being in the squad…
Those were both precautions, but when I summarise this trip there are a lot of positives but I think the clear negative for us is that we have poor player availability, we see that today as well. We come away from this trip disappointed that we haven’t been able to nurture more of the key relationships that we want to have this year. We need to get players back on the pitch because to have a fast start, we need those relationships.
I will give you an example, Mariona is very good when she comes on but she is a new player and the way she passes the ball, some of those passes are brilliant but we are still getting used to receiving those passes and making sure we make those runs. That requires a bit of time because football is a relational sport. There are a lot of positives but that was a clear negative and we need to work hard to get players back on the pitch.
On which position Mariona will play predominantly…
When I have seen Mariona at her best in the national team and for Barcelona has been coming off the left and having that freedom to move between the lines and find the pocket. I know last season she played quite a bit in the 9 position and she can manage those positions, which is good, but the main idea is that she plays as a wide forward and having that freedom and flexibility within our structure to move around from there.
On whether there will be further incomings or outgoings before the September 13 transfer deadline…
I don’t see any outgoings for us, I see players coming in only if it is the right player and the right opportunity, to put it like that, not just any player.
1.Zinsberger; 26.Wienroither, 6.Williamson (62.Reid ‘61), 7.Catley (5.Codina ‘61), 11.McCabe; 10.Little(c), 32.Cooney-Cross (13.Walti ‘71); 22.Kuhl (53.Lia ‘86), 16.Kafaji (12.Maanum ‘61), 19.Foord (8.Mariona ‘61), 23.Russo.
Gonna go on one of my long rants again and will probably get a lot more thumbs down reactions but I came away from this game very pissed off. Also, please don’t give me the ‘it’s just preseason excuse’. Some of the things I’m about to complain about have been longstanding issues that Jonas is yet to fix. 1. I cannot count the number of back passes we made today. It was extremely infuriating. I don’t know what the idea was with our buildup but patient shouldn’t translate into sloppy and ineffectial. So many times we got to the midfield… Read more »
Hard but fair.
In both comments you are right. I’m not the expert but I see never a team playing from side to side and from side to side …and backwards, that
much. Some things never change …so it seems.There are so many top players at Arsenal, that any other team should be on the nerves before playing but I don’t think they are. ‘If’ they play forward and attacking…those are the games that they are just brilliant. I love Arsenal and those players.
You shouldn’t get any thumbs down because you are absolutely fair in your synopsis. Don’t know where Leah and Kim are, still on the holiday they never get, perhaps? Katie Reid is a revelation. I would start her ahead of any of the other centre backs at the moment and as her confidence grows she will only get better. Both the new signings looked good but the remainder of the team need to get onto the same wavelength. Don’t even get started on the back passes and I had a rant about the latest suicidal unmove on another thread with… Read more »
90% agree with you and have been saying about KL a while now.
Russo decision making was very poor. Loved the look of Kafaji and think with Palova it’s a great combo.
Foord used to be so promising but now should not be a starter. Leah not been same since injury.
Just a minor point, is that I think it is a bit harsh on Kuhl when she’s playing out of position. My understanding is that she’s more of a central midfielder than wide right forward, which she was thrown into at the last moment.
Kathrine Kuhl loses duels whenever she plays. It’s not a position thing, it’s a mindset thing. Even when she plays in her favoured position for us, Everton, Demark, she loses duels. Her physicality is so poor and it’s a shame cos there are few players more technically gifted. Her ability to receive and turn, quick feet, and short passing are great but it won’t matter if you cough up possession as soon as you’re pressed.
She needs a wake up call badly.
Hasegawa had the same problem, and she decided to work on her physical condition and took the gym very seriously. She herself said that she was losing balls easily, and today you can see that she has improved and stood out last season.
I would be very surprised if she isn’t aware of this weakness in her game. Watching her reactions she seemed unsurprised and didn’t look discouraged when she lost a physical battle. Presumably the coaches have told her she needs to improve and instructed her to take more physical battles in order accelerate the learning process. Taking physical battles with Chelsea players is sort of the equivalent of jumping into the deep end in order to learn to swim.
don’t know if she have any adviser or not! talent alone can’t cut it, if that’s what she believe/relied on. even if she do move on and go to another team, this physicality issue will still be present… why not put on some hard work in the gym and on the training ground to complement your Natural gift?? guess! she still think everything will just fall on her laps.
Honest! but fair… but let me chip in this quickly, What’s also wrong with Katie McCabe??? she looks more interested in simulations than play football presently.
I have said KL coming to the end of her time as a starter for us, so no argument from me. However, VP is Kim’s successor. Such a blow that she is injured. Kim (34) is no longer is a goal threat, either but we need her for stability and football IQ and she’s still better than anyone except Wälti in the deep mf position. KCC has to step up and get the starts. That brings me to thoughts I have had about the squad. Over the last few seasons we have brought in some players whose quality is unquestionably… Read more »
Beginning to believe Wally is irreplacable. Hope she can play until her mid-thirties! There were glimpses when the newbies were involved of what is possible but reading Jonas’ interview notes suggest he wants us to spend more time pfaffing around at the back. If that is the case the expansive attacking minded players we have brought in don’t fit either. I still think we should give more responsibility to the players to use their undoubted skills rather than this one track play from the back and keep passing back mentality we have at the moment. When you have world class… Read more »
Wally is irreplaceable for us, yes. Luckily, I do think she will be able to play until she is 35, at least, because her style is less explosive and less physical than Little’s. She’s also the kind of player that you can bring on towards the end of a match to keep everything steady and hold on to a narrow win.
As for letting gifted players use their own judgement more, you are preaching to the choir.
This game had a weird feel to it. It seems every player interviewed mentions the extreme heat 5 or 6 times and Eidevall is repetitive about the “player availability” negative point. If they didn’t want to play these games in extreme heat then maybe don’t plan to play them in Washington DC summertime during the sunny hours of the day? That said Mariona didn’t seem bothered by any of this. Just watched her minutes again and she is clearly a level above the other 21 players on the pitch.
It was very, very hot but that was part of the idea to play here. The players need to be in top condition from the get go so having them suffer a bit was all a part of the conditioning of pre season. The conditions were a feature not a bug. The main idea is still fitness.
I remember the men’s team did something similar with extreme heat conditioning in preseason so makes sense. I wonder though if they might not do things differently next time given the problems with player availability in this game. Might it not increase the chances of all players being fit and available if the conditions were less extreme?
Then the players would be short of fitness for the CL qualifiers. It’s for the physical training coaches to manage the players through preseason conditioning while keeping them fit. Maybe Jonas trying to put them on blast.
Yes very possibly. I do wonder whether Jonas hinted at that in his answer.
Based on the game you would have thought that Bompastor had been in charge of Chelsea for 3 years and it was Eidevall’s first season. Chelsea looked sharper until the changes took effect 60 odd minutes in. They pressed pretty well which for the most part the Arsenal backline struggled with. Moving the ball through the thirds was also a struggle, which I think is why there was a high number of passes going backwards, Chelsea did a good job of smothering us, we lost the ball a fair amount. We didn’t have any solutions until the game wore on… Read more »
No matter who plays there will be no title till JE is gone
I think both teams looked pretty much exactly the same. Both created a couple of openings but not much more, both nearly got caught playing out from the back a few times.
Jonas was not gonna show Bompastor his hand.
When the games count, Jonus almost always uses a high press for periods. I do not recall seeing any of that in this game.
This is what I noticed, I found it very strange, it’s not the Arsenal we are used to seeing, even the substitutions were late, I hope this is a plan for the season.
Some harsh comments here, but not really unfair. Disappointed with KCC and Caitlyn, and I fear that Laura may be one of those players who is never quite the same after serious injury. How we need Emily back! Although succession planning is needed in midfield, I thought Lia looked class once again. With Chelsea’s starting lineup, the pessimistic England supporter in me felt quite hopeful as I believe Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze’s best days are behind them – and then they could bring on Périsset, Björn and Charles who for me were definite upgrades. Hoping for better things in… Read more »
Chelsea are loaded with talent—all the big teams are now compared to, say, even five years ago. Chelsea didn’t have Kerr, James, Macario or Fischel on the field–some serious attacking talent. Arsenal were without Mead, Stina, Pelova, others. ManCity is loaded.The second 11 of these teams would all start for the lower eight teams in the league, surely. I’ll be watching to see how the midfields of the big three—can’t quite include ManU at this point, I don’t think–fare against one another.
This is the WSL trying to copy Arteta and Pep is not required. We look our best when playing fast. The majority of opponents are frankly rubbish and don’t need a softly softly approach
No bonus points for % possession! I like the interview with the two new signings talking about a riskier approach and having confidence in their own talent. Sometimes the play won’t come off but if you don’t try it definitely won’t! From yesterday’s game they were a breath of fresh air and I hope they don’t get sucked in to this playing 60 minutes of each match in your own penalty area mentality.
With Jonas focused so much on player availability is he calling out the players that dropped out for not toughing through this game? Wouldn’t surprise me given how awkward he is with the players
Awkward huh? Name the players who have left that have called him out for this “awkwardness?” ……………. I’ll wait………….
I’m waiting for Miedema to give her opinion on Jonas. In the right interview setting Dutch people can be brutally honest
I’m missing an offensive counterattack, like last season, they’re very static, and I want to try to understand this ball to the goalkeeper who is like a stationary post without knowing what to do, Jonas had 3 years to already have a style of play, and he’s still doing this?
Yes it is concerning that reading between the lines he doesn’t feel that we play from the back (well) enough when he has quality players up the other end of the pitch who rarely see the ball. I’ve said for what seems like ages if you are being pressed hoof it upfield and let Lessi or Stina chase it. Press beaten! Stop fannying about so we end up with 5 from each team in our box from open play when we had possession over the half way line.