Impetus’ Morganna King reports from Arsenal training today and attended head coach Jonas Eidevall‘s media conference today which looked ahead to their WSL season opener against Liverpool which will take place in front of more than 50,000 fans at The Emirates (29/9/23).
Above: Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall speaks to the media today. Photo: Morganna King for Impetus.
Arsenal Women trained today at London Colney for matchday minus one ahead of their opening fixture against Liverpool in the Women’s Super League. Currently, they have sold over 50,000 tickets and are set to break attendance records once again.
“I think attracting large audiences to the Emirates Stadium is certainly a massively important bit to that. I think It’s part of the club’s longer-term plans in moving more and more games to the Emirates Stadium,” head coach Jonas Eidevall observed. “What we want for the sustainability and the growth of the game is the consistency of selling out big stadiums”.
Katie McCabe’s contract extension was announced today after she has already spent eight years at the club, joining in December 2015. She currently has made 193 appearances for the club, scoring 51 goals along the way.
When asked about this Eidevall commented: “She had an amazing season last season. She shows her versatility, but even more importantly, she shows her quality as a football player and I think when she gets the right line between playing with the right amount of aggression and the right amount of cleverness, I think she’s a world-class player and I think she can start to get the balance right more often than not.”
In terms of squad fitness; Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead, and Lina Hurtig are all back in full training with the rest of the group. While Noelle Maritz “picked up a slight knock” during her international playtime for Switzerland, it’s unclear yet whether she will be available for selection on Sunday but she will continue to be assessed.
Mindset is a big part of Arsenal Football Club. It’s no secret that last season Arsenal Women struggled with injuries, many of them being Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries. “You can always choose even if it’s a challenge or things go against you. You can choose to be the victim and blame for it or you can choose to take responsibility and find solutions for those. And I think that’s an important part for when you’re a leader, you have to accept what has happened,” Eidevall stated.
English striker Alessia Russo, Spanish defender Laia Codina, and Australian midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross were some of Arsenal’s big signings this summer. When asked how they’re settling into the club Eidevall answered: “It’s always going to be a little bit of time of settlement. That is all very natural because you have to find a new city to live in, you’ve got to form new relationships on the pitch, you’ve got to adapt to a new club with its culture. Some of that stuff comes quick, sometimes it takes a little bit.”
Arsenal are set to have an action-packed WSL season as they set their standards high. Jonas Eidevall expects it to be “the most competitive WSL season that has ever been.”
Morganna King’s photo gallery from Arsenal training
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