Jonas Eidevall spoke to the media this morning ahead of Arsenal’s upcoming fixture with Liverpool in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

Arsenal’s last outing against Matt Beard’s Reds saw them fall to a disappointing 1-0 defeat in front of a record-breaking crowd at Emirates Stadium. This time the Gunners travel to Merseyside to face Liverpool in the reverse fixture at Prenton Park.

Looking to continue their title charge, Eidevall said his side will be ‘focussing on themselves’ heading in to Sunday’s clash with the Reds.

“Liverpool is a very capable team, I think they obviously didn’t have the strongest performance in their last game against Man City and they’re probably going to be up to correct that against us.

They’re aggressive in their pressing. They go player for player and you need to deal with that and deal with that intensity as well. Which is a challenge, but we’re up for it.”

Matt Beard’s side have showcased impressive feats throughout their Barclays Women’s Super League campaign thus far- claiming victory over two of the top four sides in both Eidevall’s Arsenal, as well as fellow top-four competitors in Manchester United. As the season progresses, Eidevall reflected on how he believes the quality in match up continues to skyrocket across the league.

He said, “This WSL is the strongest and most competitive that it’s ever been, and Liverpool is a part of that. Amongst other clubs, they’re investing in their facilities, they’re investing in their player squad. Of course, that also gets them development on the pitch.”

It was difficult to find a dry eye in the house on Wednesday evening, as Leah Williamson made her return to football after 280 days away from the game due to rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in April of last year. Williamson returned as if she hadn’t missed a beat, assisting Beth Mead in what was a stellar snapshot of what is to come for Arsenal during the second half of the season.

Eidevall reflected on Williamson’s return to the pitch with pride, expressing that “it was really nice to see her step on the field again.”

“I think it’s tricky coming on as a central defender sometimes, you need to get into the rhythm with it. But, I think it was a nice game to come in to because we saw a lot of the ball so it was a lot of decision making. The pass to Beth Mead’s goal was almost as good as the finish.”

Eidevall spoke in greater depth of how Williamson’s assist for Mead’s goal proves a delightful snapshot into what may lay ahead as both players make their return to full fitness.

“It’s two world class players. When you see a moment like that in the Reading game, of course when you’re coming back from an injury it’s about being consistent and being able to do that on a consistent level day in and day out

Both getting Beth and Leah back, it’s great additions for us and it gives us great potential for the season coming up.”

As Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema made their respective returns to the pitch, Eidevall was able to sample their welcomes with staggered integration in terms of match minutes. Speaking on how a situation differs for that of a defender, Eidevall expressed how Williamson’s return may prove more tricky in terms of fluidity.

“Sometimes we might have to adapt to our reality. There is very few teams that reintegrate goalkeepers by playing them 30 minutes, then 45 minutes, then 60 minutes. I think that’s one model of how you can integrate a player, but there are other models as well. We need to find one that matches the reality and the situations that we are in, and still first and foremost, making sure she returns in a safe way, but also to perform as good as possible.”

Arsenal travel to Prenton Park this Sunday as they face Liverpool in the upcoming weekend of the Barclays Women’s Super League. The fixture kicks off at 4:30pm and can be viewed on SkySports.