Speaking after Arsenal put five unanswered goals past a relegation-threatened Bristol City on Sunday, Jonas Eidevall expressed that he was ‘really happy’ with how his side have progressed in terms of facing a low block.
The low block has become something of a nightmare for the Gunners throughout the course of the season, allowing teams perhaps not capable of going toe-to-toe with Arsenal to force a frustrating affair on the pitch.
But against Bristol City, Eidevall’s side coped well – as evidenced by their five well-worked goals. Knowing that Lauren Smith was likely to deploy a five-back, the Arsenal boss commented post-match that he opted for an attacking lineup with ‘two wide players, two pocket players and one central.’
Embed from Getty Images‘For me, I think we have had a clear change after the new year in dealing with low blocks, I am really happy with how we have progressed against low blocks.’
Versatility is arguably one of Arsenal’s strongest attributes, perhaps epitomised by Katie McCabe’s ability to play on the flanks in either an attacking or defensive role, and in the midfield. Eidevall was keen to stress that McCabe is not the only player capable of that, expressing that ‘now with Laura [Wienroither] returning as well, we have four full-backs who can play inside, can play outside, can play high and can play low – so it allows us to have that fluidity and play the way we want to.’
Wienroither made a late cameo appearance, earning her first minutes with the first team since rupturing her ACL against Bayern Munich last season. Speaking on her return, Eidevall smiled and said: ‘It was an emotional moment. There is so much work going on from her but also from her team mates and the staff, it’s so nice to see when the player is able to return to play and doing what they love to do most.’
