Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall says that his side must be effective with and without the ball when they face Manchester City at The Academy Stadium on Sunday.
The Gunners won the reverse fixture 5-0 in a slightly bizarre game which saw them enjoy just 35% of the possession.
While Arsenal were effective in the moments that they had the ball in that game, head coach Eidevall says that his side must again be equally as impressive without the ball if they are to collect another three points from Manchester City this weekend.
“I think what’s important when you play a team like Manchester City is being good in and out of possession,” Eidevall told FAWSL Full-Time in his pre-match press conference. “It is always very hard to predict beforehand how much of the ball that you will have in the different phases. It is not going to be part of our DNA to say ‘lets give City the initiative and let them have the ball’.
“I think that the game will be about control both in possession and out of possession. Both teams strive to have a lot of control and the team that does the best job of this is the team that wins the game.”
Arsenal go into the match having lost their last three games in all competitions. While The Gunners are in a tough moment, Eidevall went on to say that there is still a good vibe in the squad.
He said “I wouldn’t say that I have experienced any problem with the spirit of the team. We know what we need to do better and we know where we need to develop and I feel that we are overcommitted to carrying on with that. That is the only way I know and it is the only way to go forward. The new players have been great additions to the squad as well.”
Arsenal’s Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture at Manchester City kicks-off at 6.45pm on Sunday evening.
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