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LONDON — The damaging week for Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall continues. Two goals in the first 16 minutes of their London derby clash with Chelsea has piled even more pressure on the manager, who has now suffered a second loss in just four days. He is hanging by a thread to remain at the helm of the London club after Chelsea’s 2-1 victory at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners were coming off the back of a dismal 5-2 defeat to Bayern Munich midweek in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and everything was on their side to secure only their second win of the season. Chelsea had never won at the Emirates before, and this was new manager Sonia Bompastor’s biggest test at the helm of the Blues. Arsenal — desperate to recover from their midweek defeat — were hurt and therefore dangerous.
However, that was far from the story of the afternoon. Arsenal struggled and were overcome by a calm and composed Blues side. With only five points in four games, four points behind the Women’s Super League holders who have a game in hand, Eidevall finds himself in torrid waters.
“I gave absolutely everything today in preparation for this game,” he said when asked if he feels his job as manager is secure.”
“You can see the players gave absolutely everything on the pitch. That’s the part you can control as a coach. That’s what you can control and ask for from the players as well. It’s just focusing on the next match and I just need to focus on the things I can control.”
It was a fast start from Chelsea, scoring twice in the first 16 minutes. The Swedish manager had not squashed Arsenal’s midweek demons as the two goals Arsenal conceded early were products of disorganised and fearful defending. The haphazard attempted clearances in the box before Mayra Ramírez‘s stunning overhead kick in the fourth minute were an early sign that the sloppy defending that caused their destruction against the Bavarian team was still at large.
The backline simply disappeared for the second goal, with no one tracking Sandy Baltimore. The players had begun ball-watching, leaving large open spaces and players unmarked as the defenders hurried to crowd Guro Reiten in the box.
It was clear that Arsenal were still reeling from their humbling by Bayern Munich. With only one training session since their return on Thursday, there was little time to dwell. Eidevall insisted ahead of the Chelsea fixture that he could not respond to critics as he was unaware of what was being criticised following a string of disappointing performances.
The 5-2 defeat to Bayern — their biggest loss since 2017 — started a barrage of fan outcries for Eidevall and the club to part ways. Some fans made their distaste known, booing after the goals and at full-time. Some even took it as far as filling out a fake P45 letter and bringing it to the Emirates to show where they stand.
“They should see the players and how incredibly hard they work. How much heart they have, how much character they have for the club,” Eidevall said in response to fans.
“That I hope gives supporters belief. I fully understand that people are disappointed when we don’t win football matches and we are also really disappointed.
“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.”
Arsenal managed to claw back a goal just before half-time through Caitlin Foord, but it was not until the final 15 minutes of the game that they really began to threaten the final third. Substitute Stina Blackstenius rattled the woodwork in the 85th minute, looking for a leveller that could have given Eidevall a bit of breathing room.
The Gunners’ struggles in front of goal have persisted since the start of the season. Against Chelsea, the Gunners had four shots on target, with 16 off target, whereas Chelsea had six on target, with four off.
Their opening-day clash with Manchester City was an early sign of promise, drawing 2-2 at home. However, their lacklustre 1-0 win over Leicester City and a disheartening goalless draw with Everton became a poor start to the season. In fact, it is the first time in 10 years that Arsenal have failed to win three successive home games.
Their embarrassing loss to Bayern was the biggest cause for concern and was simply not good enough for a team brimming with international talent and world-class finishers competing at Europe’s highest level.
The decision over who takes responsibility for the losses, the players or the manager, has caused discourse online, too. However, once a manager has been in charge for as long as Eidevall, it is hard to argue thatthey should not accept blame when games go pear-shaped, and the same errors are not being fixed.
Eidevall has built this team around how he wants to play. The players he signed and players he let go of — most notably WSL top scorer Vivianne Miedema, who moved to Manchester City — were all part of an intricate plan to win their first title since 2019. But the plan has not worked. Instead of striding to an early charge in the league and the Champions League, Arsenal have appear to have gone backwards.
Confused and disappointed looks faced Eidevall as he spoke to the team in the post-match huddle. Solemn expressions and defeated body language spoke louder than his words.
It was a stark contrast to Bompastor’s emphatic fist bump as she made her way to the Chelsea fans. The new manager — in front of her predecessor Emma Hayes who was in attendance — passed her biggest test and recorded the club’s first win at the N5 stadium.
For Arsenal, it is now a thin thread keeping Eidevall in post. With players disconnected from the philosophy and fans losing favour, his tenure has an expiry date. How long he remains as manager will likely be decided by how well the Gunners can rebound before next week’s international break.