Arsenal fell to a disappointing and surprising opening day defeat to Liverpool at Emirates Stadium in front of a record WSL crowd. Jonas Eidevall spoke to the press post-match. The first two questions are from Arseblog News.
On whether he started with a back three because it could exploit Liverpool’s weaknesses or whether it was driven by Noelle Maritz not being available at right-back…
A combination of players we had available and the formation that we thought could best manage the threats and weaknesses of the opposition.
On Liverpool forcing Arsenal into hopeful crosses and whether he was disappointed Arsenal didn’t create more threat…
Yes, especially in the second half. In the first half there was a quite good variation, I didn’t like our quality in the final third there but we created some good situations which we could have got a better outcome from. In the second half we struggled to generate any real momentum because the game becomes a stoppage game, there are a lot of set pieces and with the time it takes, we always play against a set defence. We weren’t successful in stacking situations upon each other and trying to disorganise them and generate the necessary momentum. That was a disappointing bit. On the goal, they catch us higher up but apart from that I don’t think they changed that much during the game and it was just a similar picture during the game.
On the team selection…
I selected 20 players to be in the match day squad, they were all available to play. We took that upon the strengths and weaknesses of Liverpool. I counted on Saturday we made out 10th training session with every player in the last four months. That is not great but that is where we are at. We need time to invest in relationships but we need to perform better than we did today. And we can’t use that as an excuse because it is what it is. We need to understand that every day on the training pitch counts. Are we performing at the level we want right now? No, we’re not. There’s no hiding from that. We need to be better and develop and we don’t have a lot of time to do that.
On losing so close to their Champions League exit…
It’s big. The Champions League exit or not, it’s really disappointing to lose a game, especially at home, especially with having 54,000 fans that turn up and give incredible support. It’s really disappointing.
On the record WSL crowd…
The disappointment is that we couldn’t reward them with a better performance or result. How they supported the team all the way to the final whistle was incredible. I want to thank everyone, and I want to say sorry that we didn’t perform better, please give us more chances, come back and we will do better.
On whether the pressure to win is bigger in front of a bigger crowd…
There’s no one putting pressure on me to get results than myself. I want to win so badly. Every time. There’s nothing that changes that. No matter how many people are interested. My expectations on myself and my willingness to win is so high and it doesn’t change that. Not at all.
1.Zinsberger; 3.Wubben-Moy (28.Ilestedt ‘63), 5.Beattie, 7.Catley; 24.Lacasse (21.Pelova ‘63), 15.McCabe; 13.Walti (32.Cooney-Cross ‘85), 10.Little(c), 12.Maanum (17.Hurtig ‘63) 19.Foord; 23.Russo (23.Russo ‘72).
Unused: 14.D’Angelo, 16.Maritz, 22.Kuhl, 27.Codina.
Big crowd, bad result, plenty of excuses. Pressure’s on in the league after big investment and not qualifying for the cl. Make or break time for Jonas in the coming months.
Incredibly poor. Our wing backs looked like they didn’t have a clue, it made us narrow in attack playing into Liverpool’s hands, and it became so crowded in the middle we fondly have space to do anything. Probably the worst women’s performance I have seen.
Was going to ask for everyones’ heads on a stick post match but realistically after a world cup and international break stoppages a result like this was always on the cards. Chelsea lost to Liverpool opening day of the season last year and still went on to win it so not yet time to go to panic stations. However, this back five with a winger looked like it made us worse in all phases of the game so hopefully we get rid of it.
Very disappointing. Only one or two come out with any credit. There was no cohesion or attacking play. We were second to every single ball and why McCabe came out for the second half is beyond belief. She was awful. Must have had some contract on her mind. Also concerned about Zinsberger and her decisions.The rest of the WSL must be in stitches and Man Utd won’t be worried
I generally like Katie but it appears that her new contract went to her head today.
Firstly I hold her responsible for the goal since as our nominated right back she shouldn’t be allowing an opposition player to stand in our penalty area unmarked.
Secondly, watching the ball trickle out of play, she boots the ball into the crowd and wonders why she got booked! She picks up enough yellow cards through being competitive so we cannot afford for players to pick up cards for stupidity like that!
Terrible performance. Caitlin Ford’s attempted Marseille turn after a long passage of scrappy, sloppy play exemplified the poor on field decision making. Thoughts from today: – Basic skills need improving. Too many bad passes and giving the ball away, too slow in possession, too many missed tackles and the high press is well and truly broken. Really bad decision making and lack of composure on the field. – Looks like the lack of reinforcements on the right hand side will come back to hurt us big time. We desperately need Mead and Maritz back. – Arsenal cannot break down a… Read more »
*Foord
Out of the champs league already and losing first league game, he is under pressure already, never taken to the guy and never will. He’s lucky having that plum job and his excuses can only keep him there for so long
He’ll again be telling management after this one that he doesn’t have the right players.
No he wasn’t, he said they need to do better. He did ask for a bit of patience though because due to the world cup they have only managed to have 10 training sessions together in the last four months. That’s nowhere near enough, can you imagine the state of the mens team if that was all they had?
So they need a bit of time to gel, like the mens tram did! And hopefully it will come together sooner rather than later!
You seem to have a selective memory and he does have some credit in the bank. He did coach the team to the semi-final of the WCL last season which included the 5-1 demolition of Lyon away and the demolition of Chelsea in the Conti Cup.
For some it’s easier to blame the coach for everything!
Exactly 💯 He’s had to deal with ridiculous level of injury to key players…. in particular Leah and the loss of Rafa was always going to take its toll. Defence has been appalling of late. It’s cost us dearly.
The best comment I’ve read – of course it was an average performance & the team selection didn’t work out well, but he has a lot of “credit in the bank” as you put it. The Lyon and Chelsea wins were both sensational! I would have played KK instead of Frida, and Stina instead of Alessia – who is still settling into the squad. P0elova clearly should have started too. Liverpool beat Chelsea in the first game of last season, so its onwards and upwards – and we for sure have a brilliant squad for 2023/24, plus Beth Mead is… Read more »
He’s had big players out, with long term injuries for the best part of a year. Give the guy a break, at least until he has a fit squad to work with
Exactly, the ladies team equivalent of losing Saka, Ode, Saliba, Gabriel and Jesus for a season.
But buying Rashford and others?
The players have to take their share of the blame. 11 quality players there and a very strong bench, they should won that at a canter.
But hey Liverpool did the same to Chelsea in the opening match last season so what do I know!
He needs the sack. ASAP.
Considering the financial backing he’s had, I’ve been consistently disappointed with Eidevall.
Best sack him then and replace him with ??? ….
Freddie Ljungberg if he is interested.
From the very start you had talk about how he treated players at FCR. He froze players he didn’t want out of the club. Even though he’s been backed to the hilt with money to bring in the likes of Russo and CC not to mention all those players getting new bigger contracts and what do we get? Out of the UWCL and starting off with a loss to Villa, not a real title rival but a good team. If this wasn’t his last season I’d want him gone. If we lose to United next then what excuses does Jonas… Read more »
What game did you watch then? I thought the other team were Liverpool! It would have been easier to take if it was Villa they are a good side now! Not sure we can take your critic seriously if you don’t even know which team we were playing against!
It makes it worse that we lost to Liverpool who should finish mid. My bad but yeah, I’m worried about the Villa game after today.
So am I TBH!
the conditions running up to this game weren’t the best and I do understand the value of having great relationships and for me it’s more about the way we lost than the actually loss. As long as there’s an attempt of building on something, any kind of identity that will take time I don’t mind the us loosing games even though it sucks. But having a manager for almost three years and still have no identity, that gives me nothing to hold on to. The sloppiness, lack of chances created and decision making is all down to not having a… Read more »
Thank you. This puts into words what I was feeling and why the performance did not sit well with me. There have been a lot of injuries and there has been a lack of time together pre-season but only two new players in the starting 11. Everyone else has been at the club for more than a couple of seasons (all of Jonas’s time at the club?). There should be a philosophy, a set way to play that those players know. Fitting in 2 new players should not cause all other relationships to flounder and result in the performance we… Read more »
1st October, 68 years to the day since my first Arsenal match (which we won 1-0). At the moment I am non-plussed as to why very good individuals become such a poor team.
Took my 5 Year old to her first game to see us lose 0-1. Her favourite bit was gunnersaurus and the half time pens and as we approached 90 minutes she said “this is boring can we go home”. I was proud: her breakdown was spot on!
Let’s hope she’s making a comment on arseblog news in 68 years time!
My comment seems to have disappeared. Just wanted to celebrate the fact that 1st October is 68 years to the day since my first Arsenal match. (Not much else to celebrate…)
Happy anniversary! 🙂
Took three things from this game. The whole team looked tired and under-prepared. No real surprise given the lead up to this match. Evident we do need a dedicated right back as a bench warmer. Jonas says we have others that can play in that position but where was Katie our impro right back for their goal? If Noelle or Laura were on the field the Liverpool player would not have been completely unmarked ready to sweep the ball into the net! Either play all of the home games at the Emirates so they get used to the place or… Read more »
The broken up pre-season cost us today I feel, most played like they were still on the beach. She can keep all the clean sheets & high passing % in the world & nothing will ever convince me that Manu should be our #1, hopefully we can get Mary in in January
I concur. Manu looked shakey today. We have a decent alternative already but Jonas needs to give her a run of games. He keeps on about Manu’s short game but many of the goals we conceeded last season, and we have started the same this season is that we fanny around with the ball for far too long around our own penalty area. Sabrina, on the other hand, would collect the ball and quickly throw it out to Caitlin or Cloe and we are on the attack again. If we can grab Mary on a freebee for next season that… Read more »
Ha: And soon Eidevall will be telling management that he really needs Kerr to have a good team.
Not much the strikers can do if they are not given the ball. Lessi hardly featured in the first half and Stina didn’t get any service either when she came on. It seemed like now we have lots of strong headers of the ball we just settle for corners and hope we can convert a few but the delivery of those was appalling!
Cooney cross is excellent at delivering corners, start her next game
Manu has never filled me with confidence, she’s always got a shaky moment in her & you can see how errors & spillages she makes gets to the CBs & makes them nervy. We seemed to lack conviction today, was surprised when I saw the line up & didn’t see Vicky starting & Katie at RB was just a super strange one. Oh well, pick ourselves up for United on Friday night now, wouldn’t say it’s must win but definitely need to get something, especially with Chelsea playing City
It is a must win! You cannot drop points at home to mid-tablers and win the WSL there are simply not enough games to allow that.
All WSL clubs have had a broken pre-season. That’s not a valid excuse. But I do agree it’s time D’Angelo got the starting spot. Not like she could do worse.
Not a valid excuse? Okay then, we had 2 CL games on a plastic pitch virtually days after a World Cup, had a 3 day training camp at Adidas HQ, gave the players 10 days off then they went on international duty again & came back Wednesday, meanwhile other teams in the league have had 3/4 pre season friendlies on grass with no foreign training camps & seemingly no extra periods sunning themselves in Greece but yeah, not a valid excuse
Really disappointing not to see Victoria Pelova start. Also felt we needed McCabe further forward
I’m so disappointed in the result today. We’ve clung to the fact that going out of the UWCL so damn early would let us focus solely on the league and what happens? Our first game is a loss and our best player on the pitch was Jen Beattie? Jen Beattie. That’s shocking. That’s not the standard given the players in our squad now. Not all of them are dead on their feet with an ‘overloaded’ excuse. LWM might have been at the WC but never played a game so really she should have been one of our best players. If… Read more »
Didn’t look like Lacasse had any coaching on positioning beforehand. Kept asking bench for guidance during the game.
She probably hasn’t given the number of training sessions they’ve had.
The team under Eidevall has tended to perform better when they are in some sort of crisis or in an underdog role so maybe these last results could instigate that siege mentality again? At some point though they will have to be able to deliver performances without this crutch.
Given the quality of United and Chelsea they have to get their act together fast. Those teams had very few bad games last season and we had a lot of good excuses for our losses with the players out injured when we fell away. This is an immediate impediment.
The Champions League exit was unacceptable given we could’ve won it last year. We need an almighty reaction.
Some of the players were out at a party last night… there’s your reaction to the loss.
Gonna be another long rant so bear with me as I address a few things. 1. I feel like we have subconsciously cultivated a culture of mediocrity and acceptance of too many bad results at Arsenal and sadly, I think the fans have played a big role in that. I am very well aware that supporters should help their team through bad moments but it should balanced. Too often, we have too many moments where we coddle and pamper these elite athletes. Too many ‘Shame about the result. You did your best’ comments when players should be feeling the heat… Read more »
Good analysis! Also Maanum and Wailti are too comfortable in their positions. Maanum is not creative enough to play behind our main striker. She’s not a good passer of the ball and takes too many unnecessary shots instead of passing to someone who’s in a better position to score.
Lotte should just be a backup and that’s it.
Wailti is good when we’re in complete control and dominant but struggles when teams are physical and high press.
I was at the game and unfortunately the girls just didn’t turn up. The frustration is that liverpool were beyond average, it’s not like they taught us a lesson and were all over us.
Jonas has run out excuses.
After a few hours, are my thoughts any more coherent? Firstly, I was (to put it quite mildly) surprised at the lineup. Vicky had a great game against England and Amanda was in most people’s team of the World Cup. At first sight it looked like we had a centre-back pairing of Jen and Lotte, something I never wanted to see again after that delayed FA Cup final two or three years ago! Once we kicked off I said to my neighbour “we don’t seem to have a right back”. Cloé was being quite effective in an advanced right-wing position… Read more »
Perfect synopsis! Katie was our right back and played everywhere but! If she was in position Liverpool would not have scored because their player would not have been completely unmarked. As you say it seems that everyone wanted to be on the left leaving Cloe alone on the right to do everything from attack to defence. Why was that not pointed out to the players during what seemed like hours of stoppage time? We’ve just brought in two exceptional central defenders and then play Lotte and Jen. Why? Sabrina needs a run of games to give the defence some confidence… Read more »
Really disappointing not to see Pelova start
At least the girls were running a little in the open air.
When I saw this result, I thought there goes the title. Now here me out. The WSL is about the big four and a half. The half being Villa. Those teams will absolutely take points of each other but really should win nearly all there other games. It’s not taking points vs these teams that will decide the title. Last season Chelsea lost away to Liverpool and only won the title by two points. That loss yesterday really creates an uphill struggle. A real shot in the foot.
That’s the big problem Arsenal have now. I think Friday’s game against United isn’t make or break for the season, a draw and a win at home should be good enough against them. Just not to lose both games. It’s the next game against Villa that has me really worried if we don’t do well on Friday. Terrible start to the season continues. Next games are United, Villa, Bristol, and then City. We need 3 wins out of that to stand a chance at the league title imho. And I’m not sure we’ll score the way this team has been… Read more »
I wouldn’t worry too much as some of the new players are still finding their feet. Don’t forget Liverpool beat Chelsea in the first game last season but Chelsea still went on to win the league.