With the start of the 2024/25 WSL season just around the corner, Jonas Eidevall has looked ahead to Sunday's opener against Manchester City and beyond.
"Without progress, I don't think it's possible to deliver major trophies," said our head coach in his pre-match press conference. "So while that has to be our goal as an end product, our focus has to be on the daily tasks of training the best you can today, preparing in the best way possible for the Manchester City game and playing that game the best way possible.
"We can't let our minds already rush to May and think about finals and league tables, because that will never lead to success. So our mindset needs to be about daily progress. It needs to be about long-term programs and if we're doing that, that's also going to lead to trophies. That's my big belief."
With over 40,000 tickets sold and counting for our return to Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Eidevall noted that the team recognises the responsibility that comes with that honour.
"We talked about that today and said that this is the first women's team that will come to Emirates Stadium and have that as their main home. That's credit to a lot of players and staff here now, but it's also credit to all the history and all the players and staff here before us.
"It really feels like that when we zoom out, it's a groundbreaking moment, and it's a privilege. But with that privilege also comes a responsibility. Now we need to do something really great with that opportunity that has been presented to us, and we need to do that together with our supporters. Sunday is the start of that."
"Sometimes people say pressure is a privilege. I go one step further and I say pressure, for me, is a necessity in order to reach high performance. I'm grateful that we have pressure on us because I truly believe that is going to form the foundation to get the best out of individuals, but also as a team.
"I want us as a team to feel like that. We need to make the most out of every day that we are together and time is a scarcity in football. It's scarcity during the season. The scarcity between seasons. You need to feel the need to make the most out of every opportunity that presents itself. That's the mindset we should have as a team."
Kicking off the season with a clash against familiar rivals Manchester City, who missed out on the title last season on purely goal difference, will be a challenge but one the team is galvanised for.
"I think there have been so many exciting games during my years here against Manchester City. Every game, apart from the first one, has been decided by very thin margins. They have been exciting games to be involved in. I think they’ve been exciting games to watch, both as a supporter and as a neutral spectator. So yeah, why not? It’s a great way to start the season."
"If only games against the presumable top teams [were important], then we would’ve won the league last season because we took nine points against the top three. If I’m not wrong, I think the other top teams only took four points. Every game is important and you get three points, so that's no different on Sunday."
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