Arsenal have a tough week ahead with back-to-back games against Manchester City but head coach Jonas Eidevall is confident in his team’s ability to get off to a good start by winning their FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup semi-final tie at the LV Bet Stadium this evening.
The Gunners have won the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup more times than anyone else but this evening, they take on the competition’s second-most successful club and the current trophy holders.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Arsenal boss Eidevall said that he is expecting a very interesting contest against The Cityzens.
“For me, Manchester City are a top team, I think they’re performing very well,” Eidevall said. “We’re also a top team, so it will be a very interesting match-up to see.
“I think they’ve been playing well and you can see that their underlying numbers are really strong as well but then it’s different to playing in the Conti Cup group stage or in the Champions League group stage, it’s a total different level of competition.”
There is a lot at stake for The Gunners in their two matches against Manchester City ahead of the international break. In addition to the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup semi-final tie, the pair also meet in the Barclays Women’s Super League at the weekend. Both sides are equal on points in the league table with Arsenal edging out The Cityzens on goal difference.
When asked which game is more important for the team to win, Eidevall said that the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup semi-final is the immediate priority in terms of potentially reaching a final and setting the team up for the weekend’s fixture.
“It’s more important for us to win the game to qualify to play for the final,” Eidevall said. “It would be great for us, but of course, we want to play as good as possible, so we have a good feeling going up to Manchester on Saturday.”
Arsenal failed to add a striker to their squad during the January transfer window and their numbers are a little light. Eidevall went on to say that the players should be able to handle less squad rotation and having to play more minutes.
He said “When you have less numbers, it means you will do less rotation because you have less players to choose from. From that sense, it might be easier for me than it is for Gareth (Taylor) because he has more players to choose from, I have less, but it obviously means that I have more players that will need to play more minutes in these matches. I think we’re at the stage both as a team and as individuals as well that we can handle it.”
Eidevall also spoke about how the team have conceded more goals from set-pieces than open play. He knows the importance of getting the balance and positioning right in his team.
“Set-pieces are such an important area for us long-term,” Eidevall said. “It’s a really important area not only for us in offence but also in defence.
“It’s about finding the balance. Limit the supply where possible but also have a really good strategy in positioning so you can deal with the situation when it occurs. I think you see that also in the way we play; very few goals we concede are in open play, it’s probably one of the fewest of any team in this country.”
Arsenal’s FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup semi-final tie against Manchester City kicks-off at 7.15pm. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.
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