Having suffered long-term injuries to key players Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema at the back end of 2022, Arsenal’s chances of success for the remainder of the campaign looked bleak.
Yet as the season reaches its climax, the Gunners remain in the hunt for a remarkable treble – hoping to add the Women’s Super League (WSL) title and Women’s Champions League trophy to the League Cup they lifted last month.
With five games to go, Arsenal are currently six points behind WSL leaders Manchester United but with a game in hand while they host VfL Wolfsburg in a Champions League Semi-Final Second-Leg next month with the tie finely poised at 2-2.
The hard-fought draw in Germany saw Jonas Eidevall’s side come from two-goals down, just days after being rocked by the news Leah Williamson would be ruled out for up to a year with an ACL injury sustained against Manchester United.
It was a performance of real character and determination, epitomising Eidevall’s positive approach in what has been a turbulent and trying season for his side.
“If you are a pessimist, […] you start thinking negative thoughts,” Eidevall told London Football Scene.
“Instead, you can think ‘next time we are going to score five goals because we are a good team. I am an optimist.”
That was the Arsenal boss’ thoughts immediately after being comfortably knocked out of the FA Cup at the Quarter-Final stage by Chelsea back in February.
A week later, his side outclassed the very same opponents to win the League Cup – Eidevall’s first trophy with the Gunners to end a significant period without silverware for the club.
It was a prime example of how the 40-year-old has built a resilience into his team to repeatedly triumph over adversity, by constantly refusing to focus on the negativity that circumstances and results may bring.
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The side have gone on to adapt well to the absences of Mead and Miedema, recording big wins over Reading and Tottenham as well as an excellent 2-1 victory over fellow title challengers Manchester City after initially only scoring twice in their opening four WSL games of 2023.
Part of the process has seen Eidevall trust his players’ abilities no matter what with Stina Blackstenius’ improved performances typifying this mantra – the 27-year-old repaying the faith shown in her following Mead and Miedema’s absence.
Blackstenius has grown into the role of Arsenal’s main goalscorer, scoring vital goals over the last month or so, with Eidevall likely to ask even more from her and others ordinarily on the squad peripherals, in the coming few weeks.
The recent loss against Manchester United, inconveniently scheduled ahead of the Gunners’ Champions League First Leg game against Wolfsburg, highlighted the patched-up nature of the side.
On top of the absences of Williamson, Mead and Miedema, Gunner’s captain Kim Little is set to miss the remainder of the season due to a hamstring injury while Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord were other notable names missing from the team sheet against Manchester United.
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Although Arsenal will have been buoyed by the return of Steph Catley and Lia Wälti for that game and Foord is expected back for the Champions League Second-Leg, it does feel very much like one step forward and two back on the injury front.
Regardless of what the rest of the campaign holds for Arsenal, Eidevall will be remaining positive until the very end: “I pride myself on that, to always look forward.
“It’s a difficult situation but that’s why I’m here, it’s my job to help the team find solutions.”