Good morning, Arsenal Women aficionados!
Is it, though?
Arsenal Women surprisingly crashed out of the Women’s Champions League qualifying rounds after losing to Paris FC on penalties. The shocking result came after Jonas Eidevall team fought back from two goals down to force the extra time and then once again to bring the tie to penalties, where errors from Alessia Russo and Frida Maanum signalled the very premature end of our European campaign.
What now?
It is a massive blow for the players, the coach, his staff and the whole club, and it might be a season-defining moment, a sucker punch we might never recover from. I don’t mean to be dramatic here, but I’ve seen a few teams unable to pick themselves up after a devastating elimination from a European competition, very much like teams and players struggling to recover from a loss in a major final or the elimination from an international tournament.
The most pertinent example that springs to my mind is Thierry Henry’s annus horribilis in 2006, when he lost the Champions League and the World Cup finals in quick succession and struggled to re-focus on the upcoming season, but there are many other examples like that.
The eyes will now turn to Jonas Eidevall to see how the coach will convince the players that not is all lost, that there is very much to play for and that this could still be a successful season. The former Rosengard coach must find the right words to heal the damage done last night and motivate his players to go again, knowing that the beautiful European nights are gone, and that the valiant effort made last season, with the squad unbearably thin and seemingly not equipped to catch Manchester City to grab the final European spot, was vain. Players usually cannot wait to play the next match, after a defeat, but in this case they will have to wait three long weeks – and another international break – before they kick a football again and try to give a sense of meaning to this season.
We will still be competing for three trophies, but missing out on the Champions League after having come so close to playing the final will prove difficult to ignore or overcome.
Jonas Eidevall spoke of an unexpected tactical challenge presented by Paris FC, who played in a more aggressive manner when out of possession, and I surely cannot argue with that, but the most evident issue within our team was the lack of communication and coordination – something everyone should have expected, given the lack of preparation for this mini-tournament.
In Linköping, against Paris FC, we had four starters who played the third-place playoff at the World Cup, less than three weeks ago, while Alessia Russo, who played in the final, the next day, and Lina Hurtig, who played in the third-place playoff, came on as a substitute shortly before the hour mark.
That’s six players who had virtually no time off between the World Cup and the Champions League qualifiers (plus Lotte Wubben-Moy, although she didn’t play in Australia and New Zealand), which explains why the team looked a bit heavy-legged and lacked sharpness during this mini-tournament.
Although I see why FIFA and UEFA are being blamed for the insane schedule and the infuriating lack of attention to the players’ welfare, I do question Jonas Eidvall’s choices in the build-up of this crucial games and why he decided to pick such a strong lineup against both Linköping and Paris FC: why both Lotte Wubben-Moy and Amanda Ilestedt ahead of Jen Beattie? Why benching Katie McCabe instead of starting her ahead of the Aussies? Why not using Victoria Pelova from the first minute?
I know how easy it is, in hindsight, but we ended up paying a very high price on a gamble that backfired and I feel that Jonas Eidevall wanted to force past this mini-tournament by fielding a team of experienced but very leggy players, then build the match fitness in preparation for the more “serious” second round qualifier against on of the big teams.
Paris FC players started their preparation camp on July, 17th and played four friendly matches before taking on Krvybas, with only two players being away during the World Cup, while we welcomed back our international players on August, 29th only. That’s a huge difference in terms of match fitness, sharpness and overall readiness for the game, which I feel we were made to pay for and even if one could argue that having so many internationals is a sign of our strength, using them sensibly is far more important. As happy as I was to see Beth Mead back in the team-sheet, she should have been nowhere near the pitch at this stage of his recovery, and the same can be said of Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Alessia Russo, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Stina Blackstenius, Amanda Ilestedt and Lina Hurtig, who didn’t have any time to rest, physically and mentally.
Mead still not ready
I understand that Jonas Eidevall couldn’t field a full starting XI of unproven, inexperienced players, but I feel that he rushed too many players in at the same time, which made us slow and leggy. With a core of players who didn’t travel to the other side of the planet and who could train regularly ahead of the season, Jonas Eidevall should have rotated a bit more, integrated a few more youngsters and allow those players who went as far as the semifinals to be eased in, instead of being asked to go at it again.
As mentioned before, he had Manu Zinsberger, Kim Little, Jen Beattie and Gio Queiroz available all summer, then Sabrina D’Angelo, Cloé Lacasse and Katie McCabe who were eliminated at the group stage and Lia Wälti, Noëlle Maritz, Frida Maanum and Kathrine Kühl, who suffered defeats in the round of 16, all in early August.
These, when the mini-tournament started, were expected to be the freshest (or least tired) players available to the coach, but Gio didn’t set a foot on the pitch at all, Jen Beattie played 38 minutes across two games and Kathrine Kühl only nine, while Caitlin Foord played 150 minutes and Amanda Ilestedt 180 over the mini-tournament.
If I am being honest, I don’t truly understand why Jonas Eidevall asked so much to Caitlin Foord and so little to Lina Hurtig, who didn’t start any of the two matches, or Cloé Lacasse, who played half of the minutes compared to the Australian. I don’t see why he felt the need to bring Steph Catley in and kept her on the pitch for 111 minutes, and why he didn’t manage these players the same way he managed Stina Blackstenius and Alessia Russo – who started one game apiece and played one hour before being subbed out.
What is done is done, anyway, and the only way is forward. Not playing in Europe could be a blessing in disguise, and I know how big of a stretch this is, because it will ease the schedule craziness and allow Jonas Eidevall more time to prepare every game. You have to find some consolation in such a bad day and having a more human fixture list could truly make a big difference, this season.
Given the price we paid for the congested calendar last year, with major injuries hitting several key players, I am happy to know that our players could look after themselves this season and get some rest between games and travels – which I hope will reduce the injuries and increase their sharpness.
On the other hand, Jonas Eidevall will be under increasing pressure to mount a challenge in the league and make the most of the incredible squad he was given, because it was built to challenge on both the WSL and the UWCL and now has only one primary target, one competition that will take all the focus and resources.
Going forward, Jonas Eidevall will have an incredible amount of talent to pick from, once a week, without any scheduling issues or cumulated fatigue from European travelling; going forward, Jonas Eidevall will have the privilege to select from Beth Mead, Cloé Lacasse, Vivianne Miedema, Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord and Lina Hurtig to face their next league opponent, knowing that the next game will be one week away. Going forward, Jonas Eidevall will have no place to hide because he will be in the ideal position to bring the title back to Meadow Park and break Chelsea domination in the Super League.
The team is now in Germany for a summer camp and the number one mission will be to bring the belief back, pick up the pieces and start a rebuilding process aimed at being in the best possible shape ahead of the Super League opener, on October 1st, against Liverpool. Vivienne Miedema returning to full training will surely help, in that regard, but Jonas Eidevall words will be crucial to boost the team’s morale and self-confidence, or looking back this loss to Paris FC will be see and the beginning of the end for the whole season.
We will talk again after the game against Liverpool, unless something special happens before the transfers’ window shuts down, on Thursday night. I doubt the club will pursue Mary Earps’ signature with no European football on offer, but there might be a few outgoings in case some players become unsettled by the lack of Champions League nights, and Jonas Eidevall confirmed that the club is still in the market for a right-back.
Very much like the players, we as supporters need to pick ourselves up before the season starts. There is still much to play for – it’s only the beginning after all!
Speak to you soon!
Italian living in Switzerland, Gooner since mid-nineties, when the Gunners defeated my hometown team, in Copenhagen. I started my own blog and podcast (www.clockenditalia.com) after after some experiences with Italian websites and football magazines. Covering Arsenal Women with the occasional rant about the boys.
No comments yet.