Coach Eidavell announces ‘he is encouraged’ with Arsenal despite shock 3-2 result

Arsenal women boss Jonas Eidevall is still encouraged by the performance of his Gunners side despite the 3-2 loss to Manchester United ladies at the weekend.

Going into the fixture – the Gunners were heavy favourites to win against an up and coming United side – having won their previous 14 games – but things didnt work out like Eidevall would have liked.

United took the lead just before half time, courtesy of Ella Toone. but Frida Maanum levelled for the hosts immediately after the break.

The Gunners took the lead with 20 minutes to go after Laura Wienroither finished off Katie McCabe’s sublime cross. and Just when it looked like Arsenal may collect all three points, Millie Turner’s thumping header from Katie Zelem’s free-kick pulled the Reds level and Alessia Russo’s stoppage-time winner from yet another Zelem set piece would love the Gunners stunned.

However – Eidevall has opened up and admitted that he was encouraged by the performance of his side – he told the club website: “Iwas proud of the way that we turned the game around, Eidevall said after the match. I told them at half-time that I didn’t recognise us as a team out there in the first half, either in defence or in offence.

“I think we managed to turn the game around and we scored the two goals as a result of that.

Everything changes when you concede those two goals from the set pieces. But it doesn’t take away from the players that they managed to turn it around.  We have to look at how we can improve the defending on the set pieces, of course.  But the effort the players had on the pitch, the bravery that they had to change some things for the second half, that was brilliant.

“That gives me a lot of confidence that we are on the right track despite the result today.

He added: In defence, we were not compact enough. We had too much space between our different units.  So it looked like we were constantly one second too late.  And what you would typically relate this to is effort, because you think “can’t that player be closer?”. It’s actually our starting positions and us needing to be more compact.

It’s a similar problem in our offence – we became too disconnected. We thought one step ahead too soon and we started positioning too high up on the pitch. And that meant that we had to play the ball in to overcrowded spaces, and it was too compact around where we play the ball.

So by changing our positioning to be closer around the ball, we actually open up spaces, and it’s easier for us now to change the point of attack and build up or to get in either in front or behind their defending lines.

“So it’s very basic things that we changed at half time. But a lot of times that is the case in football.

Want the latest Arsenal fc Ladies news and gossip? Click here