Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall claims "pressure is a necessity" ahead of Chelsea clash; Gunners play third game in seven days while Chelsea get extra day of rest after beating Real Madrid; Sonia Bompastor claims her side feel "great" ahead of the meeting at the Emirates Stadium
Saturday 12 October 2024 13:44, UK
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has stated pressure is a "necessity" in football as his side look to secure just their second win of the Women's Super League season against Chelsea.
It has been an action packed week for the Gunners, who were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with bottom-of-the-league Everton last weekend before suffering a resounding 5-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Women's Champions League three days later.
Eidevall's side currently sit in sixth place within the WSL standings and now face the daunting prospect of hosting last season's champions, who are currently unbeaten, at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite pressure now mounting, Eidevall is eager to use the outside noise around his side's struggles as added motivation heading into the clash.
"It's hard for me to say anything to critics, as I don't know what they are criticising," he said.
"The most pressure comes from ourselves. I set high standards for myself and I will be the harshest critic. Pressure is not only a privilege, it's a necessity.
"You need to be able to handle and deal with pressure so that it gets the best version out of you. It's part of the game."
The unbeaten run for Chelsea this season stretches across just the three games they have played so far.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have featured in eight fixtures across all competitions, which included four outings in the WCL to qualify for the group stages.
"They haven't played as many games," Eidevall added. "We can see that she [Sonia Bompastor] has a clear trademark. They look like a really good football team.
"The sample size is small but if you look broadly from the playing style perspective, they've been happier to remain compact."
Chelsea were in action in midweek but have had an extra day of rest since beating Real Madrid on Tuesday.
The Blues were also scheduled to play last Sunday but saw their WSL fixture against Manchester United postponed due to player welfare concerns, while Arsenal played and shared the points with Everton.
"We played a lot of games compared to other clubs so far in the season," Eidevall added.
"We know it's going to be high competition but if we want to be successful, we need to go game-by-game. We need to develop as a team.
"Every game that is ahead of us is a must-win. Nothing else should please us."
Arsenal will need to dig deep in their third outing in just seven days, which is a stark contrast to Chelsea, who are feeling "great" ahead of the fixture, according to Bompastor.
She said: "We are feeling great. We had the last training session this afternoon. We really enjoyed it and the team is in a really good dynamic.
"We played on Tuesday and had a good result. We were able to manage the week the way we wanted to. We are ready for tomorrow. That is the most important for us.
"They have a really good squad with a lot of quality and talent. We are expecting a tough game but we are prepared for that. It's time to go."
