Jonas Eidevall couldn’t have asked for a better start to his Arsenal career. Hired to replace the departing Joe Montemurro as manager in June, his time in the FA Women’s Super League began with a 3-2 home victory over reigning champions Chelsea. That was followed up by a resounding 4-0 win away to Reading, a 5-0 thrashing of Manchester City, and 4-0 and 3-0 wins over Aston Villa and Everton.
Context, as always, is crucial. Arsenal enjoyed a slight head start to their season, playing three Champions League games prior to the FA WSL opening round. By contrast, Chelsea are still in the development stages of a new three-back system, and Manchester City are suffering from a lack of pre-season games and an injury list that gets longer with each passing week.
Nonetheless, five wins from five, including two over their title rivals, is a mightily impressive way for Arsenal to begin their campaign. Last season, they took just one point from four games against Chelsea and City. This time around, they already have six points from these fixtures. The change in results is drastic, but tactically it appears more a case of evolution, not revolution.
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