Jonas Eidevall gives verdict on whether Arsenal vs Chelsea will decide WSL title
Jonas Eidevall doesn't believe Arsenal are in must-win territory when they host WSL title rivals Chelsea.
The Gunners are chasing down Emma Hayes' league leaders, who they face at a packed out Emirates Stadium on Sunday lunchtime. The heavyweight clash marks the first time the top two have met this season, after four matches in league and cup last year.
Just three points separate the two London rivals going into the weekend, with Chelsea knowing a win will put clear daylight between themselves and the chasing pack. But Eidevall is firmly focused on what his team can control, rather than worrying about the outcome could leave Arsenal's title hopes.
Last season they ended up 11 points behind champions Chelsea in the final standings, after drawing at home and losing away at Kingsmeadow. But when asked if his side couldn't afford to slip-up this weekend, Eidevall gave a candid response.
"All you need to focus on is the performance," said Eidevall. "That always has to be our focus.
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"It's after an international break, so we need to connect and find our principles as well. Our focus needs to be on playing well and if we can do that we have a good chance of winning.
"The performance is what you can control. I think that is always the case when you prepare the team. We don't have 100 per cent control on the future, we don't know what is going to happen in the rest of the (league) games. But we do have control of playing as well as possible, that will give us the best chance of winning."
The mouth-watering fixture could also see Arsenal break the WSL attendance record for the second time already this season. October's 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool on the opening day of the season saw 54,115 fans come through the turnstiles, smashing the previous figure also set by the Gunners.
As it stands over 57,000 tickets have already been sold for the visit of Chelsea, with a feverish atmosphere expected. And Eidevall says it shows just how far the game has grown in his two years at the Gunners.
"We have to push and make it a sell-out," he said. "The atmosphere created by the supporter group, like the Arsenal red and white supporters club, that is what drives us to go into this stage.
"We are 2,000 tickets short of this being a sell-out. So let's push, you don't want to miss this game. When I came here two years ago against Chelsea we were talking about less than 10,000 people at the Emirates, now we are talking about a sell-out. That is tremendous growth."
Arsenal face a huge week, with two North London derbies against Spurs both home and away, following the Chelsea showdown. But Eidevall's side are the in-form team in the WSL, having won their last six league games on the bounce, plus two wins in the Conti Cup.
Emma Hayes and Jonas Eidevall will only go head-to-head twice more in the WSL before Hayes leaves for the USWNTThis saw the Swedish boss claim November's Manager of the Month award. And although Eidevall was happy to take the accolade on behalf of his team, he laughed off suggestions that it would give Chelsea greater motivation for this Sunday's game.
"The credit should go to the wider staff group and the players," added Eidevall. "It's nice to get recognition for that.
"The reason we are here though is to win things for Arsenal, that is our main focus. I don't think she (Emma Hayes) cares a dime about that! I think she is the same as me and only cares about the team and the team's result."
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