As Arsenal Women gear up for their FA Cup match against Watford, manager Jonas Eidevall provides key injury updates and shares his perspective on the development of young players facing their parent club.
Arsenal Women are set for an FA Cup encounter against Watford at Meadow Park, where they will sport the all-white ‘No More Red’ kit.
As the match approaches, manager Jonas Eidevall provided a comprehensive injury update, essential for the team’s strategy.
Leah Williamson‘s recovery is progressing well, as Eidevall noted, “Leah is going very well and shouldn’t be too far off from returning to play. She’s been basically returning to full training here now so that’s very pleasing, so she needs a little bit more of that, but after that I think we can introduce her to game minutes as well.”
Regarding Laura Wienroither, Eidevall said, “Laura Wienroither is a little bit further back and she’s still waiting to return to football training, but once that will go she will also start to progress.”
The update also included Kim Little and Lina Hurtig.
Eidevall said, “We have Kim Little who had a foot injury and we’re still managing that one. We will need to see once we get closer to the games on her availability, and then we have Lina Hurtig who has troubles with her back that have been keeping her away from training. That’s something we need to keep monitoring and keep working with, but will take a little bit longer as it stands.”
The match against Watford brings a unique angle, as Arsenal‘s youth players on dual registration with Watford, including Michelle Agyemang and Laila Harbert, will be playing against their parent club.
Eidevall expressed his thoughts on this situation, “No, it wasn’t [an easy decision to make]. I think it’s two mindsets going against each other.
“One, it’s a competitive game and my first thought when it’s a competitive game is you should do everything in your power to get every inch on your side to do that, because otherwise you wouldn’t respect the opposition for it.
“I think that would be the worst mistake you can ever do, going into a competitive game.
“Then comes the other part, saying that these are three players that I believe can be first-team players for Arsenal Women in the future. The sole reason we have them on loan at Watford is to get first-team experience.”
He further elaborated, “If I then look at it from their perspective, to be able to play in an FA Cup [match] at a sold-out Boreham Wood, that’s probably as good of an experience as it can be and if I denied them that experience, do I also deny them their potential development?
“If I start thinking about those two things short-term or long-term, I said one of the few times in my career, I’m willing to give up a competitive advantage to invest in the future for Arsenal Women.
“So short-term, I’m not happy about that decision because they’re three really good players that can cause us problems, but long-term, given that I really see the potential in them in being first-team players, I think it’s the right decision because it’s going to develop them the most.”
Arsenal‘s last clash with Watford in 2017 ended in a 6-0 victory in the Conti Cup featuring goals from Jodie Taylor, Danielle Carter, Emma Mitchell, Dominique Janssen, and Danielle van de Donk.