Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall says that both himself and his players have learnt a lot from December’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley.
The Gunners were a shadow of themselves as they went down 3-0 under the famous arch. The pair renew their domestic cup rivalry this afternoon when they contest a semi-final tie at the LV Bet Stadium in Boreham Wood.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Arsenal boss Eidevall said that his side learnt so many important lessons from their Wembley defeat.
“We learnt from that game,” Eidevall said. “Some parts of that we showed when we played them last time (at Kingsmeadow). I learnt a lot about how to prepare the team and what to focus on. We all learnt that the result is an uncontrollable thing in football and if you win or lose the game but the way that you play the game is 100% in your control.
“It is the worst feeling when you go out and try to perform and you can’t recognise that it’s your team or yourself playing the game. We learnt a lot from that and we are looking forward to the game.”
Games between Arsenal and Chelsea are usually ones that can’t be missed and Eidevall went on to say that he is hoping for another great contest this afternoon.
“I said after the last game against Chelsea that even though it was 0-0, it was still a great advertisement for the league and English women’s football,” The Gunners boss admitted. “I hope that it will be the case again this afternoon and that it will be even more special.
“Chelsea are a really challenging and exciting opponent to play against and we are really looking forward to it.”
The Vitality Women’s FA Cup semi-final tie between Arsenal and Chelsea kicks-off at 12.30pm.