Arsenal fell to a hefty 3-1 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Friday evening, in a match that was overshadowed by a farcical thirty minute delay to proceedings as a result of a kit clash.
Both sides donned their home kits – and as a result, both sides were wearing white socks as they headed into the tunnel pre-match. A hunt for socks ensued, with an Arsenal official reportedly left to purchase alternative socks from Chelsea’s club store.
Pulling on the socks of your opposition club in a London derby, and one that would have a huge bearing on the title race, was far from ideal preparation for Eidevall’s side – but the Scandinavian manager played down the impact it may have had on their loss.
Embed from Getty Images‘It was a clash of colour which obviously came to mine and the players’, but also the other team’s attention very, very late,’ Eidevall told reporters post-match.
‘We have to adapt and that was definitely a first for that to happen, and we had to do the best with the situation but that was exactly the same for the other team as well. I’m not going to make any excuses, it’s the same for both teams.’
‘It was when we were going to leave the dressing room to go out to the tunnel, so it was a very late call and notice but like I said, it is what it is. We just had to adapt, and it’s the same for both teams.’
Instead, Eidevall took the opportunity to reflect on his side’s performance, highlighting a weak organisational structure as ‘one of the things that I am most disappointed in with our performance, how much we allowed Chelsea to play within our organisation but of course that’s their plan when they’re playing Lauren James as a 9.’
‘I do think we dealt with that very, very poorly – especially in the first half. Why is that? That’s always the coach. That’s always the coach that needs to prepare his or her players better for that.’
‘It’s not good enough from our side to turn over the ball that many times in those moments.’
