Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall admitted that he was pleased to see his side adapt their game to overcome a disciplined and well-organised HB Køge side at Meadow Park this evening.
The Gunners were made to work hard for a 3-0 victory with the visitors keeping in touch with Eidevall’s side until the final few minutes.
When speaking in the post-match press conference, the Arsenal boss admitted that HB Køge made it difficult for his side but he was pleased to see his players adapt their game.
“They kept the game where they wanted it in the first half because they were really compact in their 5-4-1 formation and they were aggressive when trying to win the ball on the counter attack,” Eidevall said.
“It is not easy to play against a team that is so disciplined and that works so hard in defence, that’s why I was so pleased with the performance in the away game because we didn’t give them any counter attacks at all. What I was pleased about today is that we changed that during the game, we positioned ourselves a little bit smarter and moved the ball better which created far less of those opportunities for them.
“At 1-0, they created a good opportunity in the second half which Lydia (Williams) saved so you can never relax. It was really nice for Lotte (Wubben-Moy) to score the second goal.”
Arsenal ended the game with a 90% pass completion rate, their highest of their four UEFA Women’s Champions League games so far. Eidevall said that his side’s effective movement of the ball helped them grow during the game.
He said “I think we improved a lot during the game by doing that (successful movement of the ball), it is not easy. It is sometimes easy when you start the game well and you progress from that moment. It is so important as a team when you don’t start the game in such a good way that you are still able to improve in the game, develop during the game, that is really important if you want to win a lot of football matches. That is what I am really pleased with.”
Arsenal will now turn their attentions to their trip to Manchester United in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League on Sunday.
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