Jonas Eidevall said he “fully understands” the disappointment of Arsenal fans after two goals in 12 minutes did the damage in a loss against Chelsea that gave the Gunners a mountain to climb in a crunch game at the Emirates.
“I fully understand that people are disappointed when we don’t win football matches and we are also really disappointed,” he said, in response to some fans booing when the side conceded their second.
“We are really hurting; I’m hurting, the players are hurting. We want to do that better, so I fully understand that in that moment, just as you’re allowed to show emotions when we win, you’re allowed to show emotions when you lose. They invest everything, they travel, they support us, they give us absolutely everything. I totally understand their frustration when we don’t win football matches.”
If the mood among fans is anything to go by, it feels as if Eidevall’s future at Arsenal is hanging by a thread. Four games into the season, Arsenal have one win and already sit four points behind the champions, Chelsea, who have a game in hand.
Meanwhile, they suffered a bruising 5-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League after leading in midweek, off the back of a poor 0-0 draw with Everton. The loss of Vivianne Miedema to rivals Manchester City also hangs a dark cloud over the club.
For a team wanting to challenge for titles, this is all being viewed as just not good enough, a mock P45 at the match circulating among fans on social media.
Eidevall urged supporters to take heart from the players’ fighting spirit. “They should see the players and how incredibly hard they work. How much heart they have, how much character they have for the club. That, I hope, gives supporters belief,” he said.
Arsenal can be buoyed somewhat by their second-half performance, the players roared on by the anxious majority of the 45,860 fans present. But the damage had already been done, a lacklustre and chaotic start acting as a microcosm of their season so far.
Eidevall has repeated the line “pressure is not just a privilege, it’s a necessity” throughout the start of the new campaign but this kind of pressure is neither. Arsenal are on the back foot and then some, every game a cup final now as they limp forwards, buying time.
An unemployed Casey Stoney was sat in the stands with her family, a reminder of the quality on offer should the club’s hierarchy decide Eidevall’s time is up.
The Swede had spent a good portion of his pre-match interview with the BBC talking about the work they had been doing on defending set pieces, aware of the threat posed by Chelsea in this area. It was somewhat brutally ironic then that the visitors took the lead within four minutes via a corner, Mayra Ramírez, with her back to goal, scooping the ball over her head; it looped down and softly in.
Ramírez, swept away in celebration, stopped to face the Arsenal fans, arms crossed, head nodding while Sjoeke Nüsken slid between her legs to pose on her stomach with her face in her hands.
It was a celebration full of the swagger that mirrored Chelsea’s first-half performance. Their second goal was similarly impressive, Lauren James swinging away from the byline to send a cross to the back post where an unmarked Sandy Baltimore headed in.
The home team pulled one back before the break, Caitlin Foord mirroring a move she had made earlier in the half when having an effort deflected over. She wriggled past Lucy Bronze at the byline before curving the ball past Hannah Hampton and into the far corner from the tightest of angles.
Arsenal looked a much more coherent side in the second half, but the bar had been set low. The arrivals of Frida Maanum then Stina Blackstenius had an immediate impact, and Blackstenius hit the bar with five minutes of normal time remaining.
This was Chelsea’s game to lose though, the Blues happy to bank back against a team that has struggled to break down low blocks and would accrue only three shots on target among 20. What next for Eidevall and Arsenal? They host the Norwegian side Vålerenga back at the Emirates on Wednesday. There is not much of an opportunity for introspection, but they need to make the time.
