Arsenal must learn from Ajax draw to progress in Amsterdam, warns Eidevall
Jonas Eidevall has called on Arsenal to learn from their poor performance in the 2-2 draw with Ajax in Champions League qualifying last week, insisting that is the only way the team can grow.
“If you experience situations together and you learn from it, that’s when you mature as a team,” Eidevall said on the eve of the return leg at the De Toekomst stadium in Amsterdam on Wednesday night, with the winner booking a place in the Champions League group stage.
“That’s what I’m striving for, for us to become a mature team that can deal with a lot of situations and scenarios. I was not happy with the performance or the result against Ajax but we need to experience those things. As an experience, for us, there were things we can learn from and every time we learn we can mature and become better.”
Arsenal came from behind against Ajax at Borehamwood last Tuesday and took the lead through a Kim Little penalty before conceding a second goal in the 83rd minute, scored by the forward Romée Leuchter, to heap pressure on themselves ahead of the away leg. “They played with a lot of confidence when we played them last week but I’m under no illusion: this will be a hard game,” Eidevall said. “We will need to be very good. Away games in Europe are tough.”
Little, Arsenal’s captain, said her team “need to do more and need to be better”, adding that theye have “switched off ” from the wider implications of what being knocked out of Europe’s elite competition could mean, both financially and in regards to the the Women’s Super League potentially losing its third qualifying Champions League spot.
“We know we have the capabilities to progress to the next stage and if we take care of that we will progress,” she said. “So, first and foremost that’s what we as players look at. For me, it adds excitement and pressure, you have this group stage now, a similar format to the men’s, and it’s such a great competition to be a part of and we want to do everything we can to progress to that group stage.”