Trailing both Chelsea and Manchester City in third position on the Barclays Women’s Super League standings only four matches left to play this season ,Jonas Eidevall attended his Friday morning press conference ahead of his side’s match against Leicester City with a positive mindset. 

“I think it’s about the mentality to always do your best, to never give up, that is one thing. My Assistant Coach Aaron [D’Antino] is from Australia. He showed me the video of the Australian short skater in the Winter Olympics [Steven Bradbury] that was last in the final, and then everyone slips, and he is going first over the line. 

The thing is, are you ready if someone else slip, are you ready then, or have you already given up because you did not think that was going to happen. I think that is a mindset thing, and that is why it is so important to always do your best. You cannot really control what other teams do, there is a lot of internal factors that you cannot control either, but what you can control is your own actions. In business, they call that to have return on luck, to make sure you position yourself if you get in that moment will your return be a lot, and that is what I think we need to work with. 

Secondly, I think for all we are trying to build, this is also really important in being the first chapter of the new season. Also, when we speak about being consistent, we speak about being the team that we want to be”. 

The Arsenal manager also provided a positive update on whether several players – including the likes of Frida Maanum – would be available to return to the match day squad for Sunday’s match at Emirates Stadium.

“Yeah, there has been good progress, so I can see quite a few players (Kyra Cooney-Cross and Laia Codina returning to the squad), but we still have two more training sessions to go. But, I thought for the game against Bristol (City), we had quite a depleted squad going into that game, and it looks like a more healthy and competitive situation going into the game here now against Leicester”. 

Discussing the anticipated return of Frida Maanum, after the Norwegian international collapsed in a worrying off-the-ball incident during the 1-0 FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup victory over Chelsea at the end of last month, Eidevall provided a meaningful update on the midfielder.

“We have two more training sessions here now, and as I have said previously on Frida, she is gradually monitored to return to play protocol, and everything is going fine at the moment. But we need to keep and stick to that protocol, and that process, and then, of course we hope that she can be available for selection on Sunday”.

Addressing Sunday’s opponents in a match expected to be played in front of a crowd of at least 40,000 at the Emirates Stadium, Eidevall was full of praise in his assessment of facing the fantastic Foxes. 

“I think Leicester has a really high-quality squad. I think they have recruited very strongly, and their whole forward trio with Deanne Rose, [Lena] Petermann and [Jutta] Rantala all very very good players. But also seeing both [Saori]Takarada and [Yuka] Momiki in midfield are also very highly quality international players. 

So, it is not as easy with any top team we are playing that you can only focus on one or two players, and if I am surprised by Rantala, no I am not. I have seen her playing in Sweden for many years, and I know she has a lot of quality. On her finishing, she has always been a very dangerous offensive player, and it is nice to see that she has been able to do the transition so good from the Swedish League here to the WSL, and really making her mark here in the league as well”. 

Friday’s morning press conference was not only centric to the match but also centered around a conversation regarding the awe-inspiring influence of Alessia Russo and Stina Blackstenius as an attacking pair throughout Arsenal’s 5-0 victory over Bristol City, and the potential of seeing them reunited again in the final third against Leicester. 

“I thought they were playing well together, as well as the whole team were playing well together against Bristol, and we know that is a partnership that gives us some really good advantages. We have other partnerships in the nine and ten position that will give us other things, and that is a good thing that this squad has that we can choose, depending on the opponent, what fits the best. 

But in the game against Bristol, if we speak about that, we could really see how much Stina did a lot of work in the quiet so to speak. But you see almost all goalscoring opportunities that we create is Stina creating space in front of the backline with her running, with her positioning, and that is just such an important part sometimes in football- especially when you are playing against a low block. And I think that worked very very well, not only for Alessia but for the wide forwards, having Stina to create a lot of space in front of the backline for them so that they could exploit in second phases”. 

Away from on-field matters, Eidevall addressed the current contract situations involving several of his players, including talismanic forward Vivianne Miedema. Whilst addressing the matter, the Arsenal boss also spoke on the potential return of the Dutch striker before the end of the season. 

“Viv has been progressing really well lately, and I think she is not far off from being able to return to the squad, which obviously helps a lot with the probability in order to play minutes for us. Viv, together with others with expiring contracts, first off, there is work behind closed doors, and when we have something to communicate, well that we will do- but also in regards to the other players”.

With the potential of a welcoming return for everyone – especially Frida Maanum – you can be sure that the Emirates Stadium will be an unforgettable location to be at on Sunday.

Arsenal return to N5 as the Gunners gear up to host Leicester City in the Barclays Women’s Super League this Sunday at 14:00 GMT.