Chelsea have been the dominant English side in the women’s game in recent years, but Arsenal’s Jonas Eidevall is yet to see them pick up any silverware. “I think I’ve tried to escape those moments,” the manager says as he prepares for the Continental Cup final meeting of the teams on Sunday.
“It’s not about any revenge for me, it’s about what we want to try and create together and the memories we want to create together. That’s what we focus on. Chelsea have been doing it very, very well in the last couple of seasons; very impressive winning that much, but we need to focus on what we can do and do our best to win the game.”
Chelsea’s last campaign without a trophy came in 2018-19, which was also when Arsenal most recently won one. On Sunday, the two London rivals meet at Selhurst Park in front of what is expected to be a record crowd, with 24,000 tickets issued, one week on from their last meeting, when goals from Sophie Ingle and Sam Kerr ensured Arsenal’s elimination from the FA Cup.
Chelsea are firm favourites again, with Arsenal having failed to win against them in the five games (two draws and three defeats) since a 3-2 victory at home in Eidevall’s first WSL game in charge.
It would be easy to get lost in the narrative that Arsenal are without their forwards Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, failed to add suitable back-up in January and that Chelsea are an unstoppable machine. However, Emma Hayes has also had to deal with injuries to key players in the shape of Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby, their absences rupturing the team’s dynamism up top. The centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan, recruited from Lyon in the summer, has yet to look consistently comfortable partnering Millie Bright.
Chelsea have not looked as infallible as in recent years, far from it, and that Manchester United top the WSL table, a point clear of the defending champions albeit having played a game more, speaks to a far from perfect campaign. Why then, despite the challenges faced by both sides, has one flagged and one flourished?
Hayes says: “I can only talk about us because I always say one of the big advantages when you have a manager with a team for a long period of time, with a culture and playing style and playing principle and everything else that is so well defined … it makes it a lot easier when you’ve got new players coming in or you’ve had established players that have developed over time.
“But there is no secret to our success, it’s just grind and hard work and application and humility when you have to be. This dressing room works as hard as it’s ever done, whether it’s on the details in the lead up to the game, in the classroom and on the grass, in restarts, in transition, in attacking, in defending. The team are hungry to always improve. If you can influence that, you have a chance of competing.”
Chelsea are able to respond to situations without recourse to Hayes or her staff, the assistant, Denise Reddy, and the goalkeeping coach, Stuart Searle. Hayes says: “As I’ve mentioned many times, the quality of the people in my dressing room means you have a great chance of doing that.
“There was a moment last week, I think we were winning 2-0, and my team were on the far side and they were having a huddle. I could see all my leaders. I knew every one of them was in complete control of how we were going to manage that last part of the game.
“To the outsider that might look in and think: ‘Well, they’re not going over to their bench to get instructions.’ In my world I’m like: ‘Look how much work we’ve done to get into a place where I’m completely confident that what’s going on in that circle, they don’t require mine, nor Denise’s, nor Stuart’s help.’
“But that is the sweat and the hard work that has been done to get to that point, all the things you guys don’t see and one of the reasons why we’ve competed so well for so long.”
Hayes’s search for players who battle and fight for the team, who do not give up and can find ways out of trouble themselves, has been as important to her recruitment strategy as the search for top-class talent. It should perhaps have been no surprise that Hayes reportedly attempted to poach Katie McCabe from Arsenal in the January window, a versatile player known for her spirit.
Arsenal do not look like a team that believe they can and will win, like a team that thrive off underdog status after players are ruled out, like a team that believe luck will go their way, or like a team that can weather any in-game storm.
That is what needs to change if Arsenal are to get the better of Chelsea again.
