Jonas Eidevall has a plan for Arsenal Women’s strength in defence
A few weeks ago, we noted that Jonas Eidevall was poised to unleash a new defensive partnership at central defense, after Rafaelle’s departure and Leah Williamson’s ACL injury. Eidevall will move from a Leah Williamson-Rafaelle defensive set pairing to the Laia Codina-Amanda Ilestedt defensive pairing.
The new Arsenal women’s defensive pairing has the potential to be the best defensive set-up. I don’t say so because of the two new arrivals’ bright showcasing at the Women’s World Cup; Codina is a World Cup-winning defender, while Ilestedt played a key role (alongside Stina Blackstenius and Lina Hurtig) in helping Sweden finish third with her brilliant defending and goals.
However, I know they’ll form the best defence, and I judge that from Eidevall’s “verdict” about his new defenders. When Ilestedt was unveiled as a Gunner, Eidevall admitted, “I’m delighted that Amanda has joined us here at Arsenal. She brings extensive international experience, and I believe she has a great mix of presence and technical ability, making her an ideal fit for our squad. I enjoyed working with Amanda during our time in Sweden and am looking forward to coaching her here at Arsenal, too.”
As for Codina, Eidevall said, “Laia is a world-class defender, and I’m delighted to be working with her here at Arsenal. She has a great mix of technical ability and physical presence, and we believe this will allow her to adapt to our style here quickly. She has considerable experience of playing at the highest level and winning trophies, so I’m confident that she will be an excellent addition to our squad moving forward” All players have now returned to London Colney, for pre-season training, preparing for Arsenal’s away clash with Linkoping on 6th September 2023 – so we may see some of our new Gunners on the pitch then. Otherwise, our Gunners first WSL match of the season is on 1st October, when Arsenal welcome Liverpool to Emirates Stadium – a match for which over 35,000 tickets have already been sold!
How excited are you to see our Gunners back on the pitch?!
