Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat to Hacken in Sweden in the first leg of their UWCL playoff round on Wednesday evening. Jonas Eidevall spoke to the press post-match, the first three questions are from Arseblog News.
On Arsenal not taking their chances and whether it is a worrying trend…
It is always worrying in football when you are not efficient with your goal scoring opportunities and I think if we zoom out a little and look objectively, that is the right analysis that we create a lot of goal scoring opportunities. It is a combination today of good goalkeeping and finishing that is on very thin margins, we hit the cross bar twice, we force their goalkeeper to make some really good saves. It is a combination of those two things. I am certain if we continue to create we will score goals.
On Hacken catching Arsenal with switches of play behind the full-backs…
It was very clear that it was an area they tried to be opportunistic with, almost hitting passes blind into that space behind our full-backs on the diagonal. Yeah, it was a pattern, it happened three times in the game and we need to defend that situation better.
On Leah Williamson not starting the game…
That was more a physical decision due to events that happened in the week.
On bringing Maanum on for Kafaji at half-time…
That was a tactical decision, both in attack and defence it was a tactical decision.
On putting the result behind them ahead of Manchester City on Sunday…
This game here is half-time, there is nothing decided tonight. We take this game back to London in front of our home fans. But now we need to park this game, we need to refresh and recover and look forward to the game against Man City, so we need to be mentally strong. When we leave this stadium tonight, this game here is no longer to think about, we think about Man City and then we can think about Hacken again.
1.Zinsberger, 2.Fox (26.Wienroither ‘70), 3.Wubben-Moy (6.Williamson ‘70), 5.L.Codina, 11.McCabe; 10.Little(c), 32.Cooney-Cross; 9.Mead (19.Foord ‘70), 16.Kafaji (12.Maanum HT), 8.Mariona; 23.Russo (25.Blackstenius ‘70).
Unused: 13.Walti, 14.van Domselaar, 22.Kuhl, 40.Williams, 56.Godfrey, 60.Harbert, 62.Reid.
Sack Jonas and his entire crew NOW!!!
Agreed. He needs to go. No tactical skills. We can do so much better and have a great squad but a clueless manager
Well that wasn’t much good, as John Barnes said 90 minutes of sheer hell. Pedestrian would describe the first half, glacier like going forward and leaden footed in defense. Just unconvincing across the whole team. From leaving their shooting boots at home to being continually caught out at the back, defensive wobbylyness put down to rustiness in pre season has actually been taken into the first few games. They had two golden chances and should have scored both tbh. We of course should have scored but as what’s becoming the norm we don’t, (interesting to see xg on our games).… Read more »
I thought Kimmie was sprightly and played very well, I thought lotte played like a carthorse but she’s been out for some time. I was disappointed with the way mccabe and medo played.
If the point of football was to hit the crossbar, we would be a brill team.
What I don’t get, and this may be lack of knowledge on my part, is why we don’t train against stacked defensive areas or low blocks, because in the matches, we either can’t get through them, or we rush our shots.
“We create a lot of goal scoring opportunities”
I really don’t think we did. We were gifted one (Kafaji), created another good one (Mead) and a couple of half-chances. After having the ball for probably 80 minutes, that’s really poor.
A classic Eidevall defeat. Controlled the game but the best chance created belongs to the opposing team.
I’m not sure you can say that when our best finisher had a point blank head saved.
Their’s was the best chance because they scored it! Good saves and hitting the woodwork happen in football but you cannot completely dominate possession in games, as we do, and only create a handful of chances and then complain that their goalkeeper saved our best one!
This feels like the old thing with Wenger tbh – dominate, create lots of chances, but concede one or two on the break.
Which is actually not often true of games where Eidevall has been beaten. That’s what makes this somewhat different: I think Arsenal had more good chances than Häcken. It wasn’t a case of not creating, it was a question of converting.
The quality of the one or two chances that the opponent creates is superior to any of the many chances Arsenal create in these Eidevall defeats.
I don’t think you can group this defeat in the same as Spurs last season, for example. Beth had a point blank header saved. That’s a high quality chance. Frida had a point blank header hit the crossbar. That’s a high quality chance.
I understand and share a lot of the frustration and concern, but I do think it’s worth viewing this game as being a different story to last season’s defeats.
Agreed. Just hope, like with Wenger, they hold on too long when it’s actually time to go.
Difference is Wenger had a successul history behind him but a couple of Conti Cups is hardly a legacy to go down in all time history.
No real answers for mediocrity and dull unimaginative football
I am often criticised for being overly harsh on Jonas and the squad at times but I don’t know if it’s just others having ridiculously low standards for this team. There’s no way we are still having to deal with this in year 4 of his reign. No way. I was already worried when I read his prematch presser and he kept hammering on this tie being a 180mins tie and anything here would be half time. It sounded defeatist to me and I needed him to have a more ruthless approach. Alas, the game turned out to be like… Read more »
You sum it all up!
Dreadful tactics played out by below par individuals
I still live in utter amazement of JE getting a new contract
It was an average performance and we got punished for it. But we’re barely into the season and people are acting like we’ve lost the tournament already. Bit of perspective please.
Perhaps our problem is it happens every season. Perform well against top sides but put an average side in front of us with a thou shall not pass attitude and we have no idea what to do. Sure the start of a new season but you wouldn’t know it!
Blah, blah, blah, blah. Same rubbish on and off the pitch.
Déjà vu all over again. One small point, people have to stop blaming our inability to score on good goalkeeping. The standard of goalkeeping in women’s football has improved greatly and you now have to expect that there will be several excellent saves in every match.
Well that was disappointing. Only saw the second half and we were too laboured and most of the time too narrow in our attack and when we did get dangerous balls in from out wide nobody was on the back post to finish off. Also the set pieces weren’t particularly inspiring. The only difference between the start of last season and this is we are creating more chances, yes not saying much I know.. As for all the usual cries of sack him etc it’s just tedious and pointless. If he doesn’t win the league / come very close to… Read more »
As long as this Jonas guy remains we will win nothing. I said this same line last season. Arsenal potential is far more than the results he is bringing.
All comments in every article are basically the same. And they are harsh but right. Some things never change as I said before . I live abroad, I’m not a analyst but if you see the bench of Arsenal…gosh..I have goosebumps. I love these players and Arsenal …if they play forward and attacking and fast. Every few games they play this way. Just one remark to Zinsberger…why is she waiting until the opponent is back in position before she plays the ball out? And then just to her player in front? And don’t bother to bring Stina in, she never… Read more »
We played Häcken right into there hands. Packed everything central and our wings is non-existent. Everytime we loose the ball two Häcken-players bursting through our defence way to easy. Yes, we could have scored a couple of goals but Häcken had their chances to. Where is my pacy winger? We are the only team in Europe without a proper winger who can take on players. Even Barca have speed on the wings. Our squad in general are way to slow with heavy legs, when we are facing good counterattacking teams like Häcken with a lot of power and pace we… Read more »
One of the downsides of a forward like Caldontey is that by drifting infield you lose that width. McCabe should have been overlapping all the time but too few players (Mead especially) were being brave and trying to beat people. I thought Foord & Weinrother did much better on the other flank.
Frida too
How he is still in this job I’ll never now. With all the talent he has at his disposal he should have achieved a lot more. Get him out!
How hot is the hot seat under Jonas this season? Has to be fairly warm. Team lacked energy last night. City goes out and wins 5-0 and Viv gets a goal. Just a bad feel right now.
Seriously, let’s get this done now so a new manager has time to get this team playing to their full potential.
It seems like everyone is against Arsenal getting through to the WCL qualifying group, it’s amazing. I don’t know why there’s so much hate. It’s Arsenal women’s against the world. This group has to be very resilient.
The observation and comments on social media, people do not measure their words and do not seek to know the history of this club and especially the women’s team, it is sad, I hope that Mariona and Laia are with intact mental health.