Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall says that he is pleased with how his side have performed this season but he wants another big performance against Aston Villa this weekend.
The Gunners have ended their trophy drought by winning the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup this season while they were also UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finalists for the first time in more than a decade.
When speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s game against Aston Villa, Eidevall said that he is happy with how his side have performed this season but they need to remember that there is one more game to go.
“I’ve been very proud of the group and for their performances but there is one performance left and we are not jumping ahead to anything,” Eidevall said. “We need to be very good in order to finish the way that we want against a very tough opponent in Aston Villa. They’ve been excellent this season and that’s where we need to put our focus.
“Even if we have put in a lot of strong performances this season, we can’t feel entitled to do that on Saturday, we need to do it all again. We need to prepare, focus and bring energy and once we have done that, I hope that it can be a season to be proud of.”
Latest opponents Aston Villa have secured a fifth-place finish in this season’s Barclays Women’s Super League. The target for The Villans will now be to push towards the top four but Eidevall doesn’t see things that way.
He said “I don’t really agree with talking about a big three, big four or big five. I don’t really see it like that, we are in a league where everyone is trying to grow, everyone is trying to be better.
“It’s not going to be about protecting a position that you may hold now, it is all about looking forward; where do we need to be in two years, three years or five years’ time and we need to work so hard, efficient and smart to get there. The clubs that do that best will be on top; there’s no guarantee at all that any of the top four clubs will be in there if you are not doing things right.
“It’s a very exciting time for women’s football, there has been a lot of investment but there’s more to come and the competition will be very high. It’s about embracing that, doing your best with it and the future will be bright as well.”
Arsenal’s fixture against Aston Villa at the LV Bet Stadium kicks-off at 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon. The match has been declared a sell-out.
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