Jonas Eidevall 'would have liked to have played [Brighton] in January'

The Gunners take on Brighton on Wednesday evening in search of a win to help them gain a Champions League place. They are not the only team with something to play for, with Brighton needing to confirm their survival in the league. 

The last time the clubs met was in September last year when Arsenal beat 10-man Brighton 4-0 courtesy of a Beth Mead brace and goals from Kim Little and Stina Blackstenius. 

Although the same season, the Seagulls have faced a large difference within their management team since this game. Their manager at the time, Hope Powell, left at the end of October, and since then they have had two different managers as well as an interim.

Their current manager, Melissa Phillips joined in April and has managed to find the team their form. They have gained seven points out of a possible twelve with Phillips in charge.

Jonas Eidevall was asked about whether he would have liked to have played this fixture earlier in the season.

"First of all we would have liked to have played this fixture in January - of course we would have liked that, but it is what it is."

"With this league you never know where someone is going to put the games and with late broadcast picks and everything. I'll put that aside for now, but I definitely think that is a conversation to have for the future to make this league more professional and fair."

Brighton are currently sat at ninth on the table, five points off bottom place as well as a game in hand.

"This game is a really tough challenge for us. It's an away game against a tough opponent. We can't have our minds in any other place other than this game."

Although Brighton will be looking to confirm their place in the WSL, this game is crucial for the Gunners who are fighting for a Champions League place following their departure from the competition to Wolfsburg in the semi-final.

"We also have a lot to play for. I don't mind (what they are playing for), we should be fully motivated. I also expect my opponents to be fully motivated."

As mentioned, Brighton have experienced a lot of change within their managerial and coaching staff this season. Jonas looked at what it is that the team do well now under their new manager, and what they are going to need to look out for. 

"Scoring goals hasn't been their problem for the whole season. I think we've seen that, even before Christmas. They have some great individual players that can contribute with assists and goals. They have a really good squad of attacking players so we have to be cautious. We have to defend really well against them and that's going to be one of the keys for the game tomorrow."

Club legend, Kelly Smith, has recently joined the coaching staff for the side. She is regarded one of the most prolific strikers of her time or the whole of the women's game with four league titles and five FA Cups under her belt at the club.

Jonas spoke on his admiration for Kelly and what she brings to the squad. 

"Kelly (Smith) combines everything we want to be. She had this great technique, vision and game intelligence as a footballer. But she also played with her heart on her sleeve in every situation."

"It is great to have her inside out environment and culture to try and shape that and also not having a coach that is just about the tactical or technical, but one that can have a holistic view. Everyone that knows their Arsenal history knows she lived that day in and day out on the pitch."

Dutch midfielder, Victoria Pelova, signed for Arsenal at the start of the year from Ajax. She has clearly impressed Jonas during her time at the club and today he approached the question around whether or not she has a long-term position within the club.

"You want Pelova on the ball so where you put her in the team has to be in a role where you involve her a lot. You could tell against Leicester how comfortable she is with the ball, how comfortable she is in 1v1 situations and the good weight she has on her passes."

"Then, depending on how we play, if that is from a wider position where she is dropping in and coming more central or whether she is starting from a central position, she can do both. It is probably going to be like it was with Frida (Maanum)."

When Pelova joined the club in January, she was described by Jonas as one of the most exciting young players in the game. She took the place of Jordan Nobbs who moved to Aston Villa. 

"We will see in the coming periods where Victoria's strengths will really flourish into one position. That is why it is so interesting working with players to see where you can work out those details. We can all see the talent and the qualities she has and now it is to see where we can really put that into as much efficiency for the team as possible."

Frida Maanum is another player who has played consistently well throughout the season, with 13 goals across all competitions. Jonas explained his conversations with Frida and how proud he is of her performances this season. 

"She has been incredible. Frida is a real success story this year. She started not playing so much, I remember when she came on in the away game at Ajax the energy and the determination she played with."

"We had a conversation after this and I told her, 'if you keep going like this, you are going to play, it will be impossible not to play you'. When I see this in a player I want to play that player all the time."

"She proved that right from Lyon away onwards. She put a lot of hardwork in, it is great to see a young player come in and grow as an athlete and a person."

• Match Information

Arsenal face Brighton on Wednesday 10th May at Broadfield Stadium, with a kick-off time of 19:30.