11 December 2023 , 10:35
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Jonas Eidevall believes Arsenal kept the ball as well as Barcelona during their 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea in the WSL.
The Gunners joined their London neighbours at the top of the table, after goals from Beth Mead, Amanda Ilestedt and two from Alessia Russo.
Chelsea had temporarily threatened in the early stages when Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd drilled home a low equaliser in the 13th minute. But the away end joy was short lived, with the game played at a frantic pace, Arsenal took charge in midfield with Victoria Pelova and Lia Walti playing through Emma Hayes' team almost at will.
The hosts scored two in just over a minute through Ilestedt and Russo and never looked back. Chelsea are still top of the league on goal difference, but the result was a clear statement from the Gunners that they are contenders for the title.
It was the first time Chelsea had lost since the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, in April last season. And Eidevall said his team produced a performance of a similar level to the Catalan giants.
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“What I was really pleased about," he said. "Especially in the first half, was that we had a good mixture of creating goalscoring opportunities but also being able to put our foot on the ball. It’s a totally different game to manage in their half.
"The way we managed the ball against Chelsea, I don’t think I’ve seen a team apart from Barcelona do it that well over such long spells in the game. One of the lessons (from previous games) was how do we go into a game not only to not be surprised by the intensity of the opponent, but trying to surprise them with (our) intensity.
"That has been our training culture and was the most important part. How do we get our training culture to a point where we can apply our principles on an intensity level high enough so we feel prepped going into a game and that everybody feels that responsibility."
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Eidevall also praised Pelova for helping his team win the midfield battle. The Dutch playmaker, who signed for Arsenal back in January, was instrumental in the opening goal, swivelling coolly in the box before playing in Mead.
"Look at the first goal and look at Pelova’s run in that transition moment. You tell me that run is not an investment for a team that wants to win a football match.
"That’s the whole difference that means we end up getting Beth Mead on the ball and she can show her skill, composure and great finishing to score. But to have a central midfielder able to invest that run is why Pelova has been so great for us in the autumn."