Eidevall on ‘our best performance of the season’

Jonas Eidevall was delighted with our performance during our 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim on Thursday night.

Not only did we press effectively and defend in numbers, we were also fluid in attack and controlled the game throughout.

We spoke to our head coach after the final whistle - and this is what he said:

on the importance of getting our first group stage victory…

I think it was very important. Of course we want to win all the games when we play in Europe, and we know we might end up in a situation where we could be even on points with Hoffenheim for the last game, so then we know that [internal] goal difference is very important as well. So 4-0 was a great result for us tonight.

on the tough start to the game…

I think in the first 5-10 minutes, Hoffenheim played with a great intensity, and we needed to get exactly the right positions both in defence and offence. Once we got that, we were great at playing out from their pressure. We were great in pressing when we got the detail right. I think all in all, it’s our best performance so far this season.

on Vivianne Miedema and Tobin Heath’s partnership…

For me I also see two players that worked extremely hard for the team in defence today. The way they work, how structured they are, it’s great. Even if they are very very creative players, they are also operating in spaces and situations where they are very reliable to the other teammates, or where to look and where to find the passes, so a really great team performance.  

on Kim Little last-ditch tackle in the 92nd minute and whether it sums up his philosophy…

I think actions like that, that’s a vote for the team that we want to be. That just gives me goosebumps to see, and I mean the more of those actions we do, the more clear the image becomes of what team we want to be, and I love seeing that. I purely love it!

on Leah Williamson and how she stepped up…

I think you’re right on point. Leah Williamson has been very, very good during this whole window between the international breaks, and she’s playing on such a high level, both in defence and in offence. So she really shows she’s a world class player.

on his first 12 games in charge at Arsenal…

I think we have to say the results have been good, and that the players have worked really focussed and hard. The same with the staff. We just can’t get complacent, we can’t think that we are done with the development. The Barcelona game showed us that we still have a lot to develop. We are practicing well here now since that game, and we have made two good performances against Everton and now Hoffenheim. But we are not finished, we need to keep going, we haven’t won anything yet. We need to be humble and stay with our feet on the ground, and we need to be ready to go against Brighton, when we return in the FA Cup semi-final.