New York City manager Nick Cushing in pole position to take the Arsenal women’s team head coach position after resignation of Jonas Eidevall.
Swedish man Jonas Eidevall resigned after a bad start to the season that saw them fail to qualify for the Champions League group stages and also sit 6th in the WSL league table. A feat that was unacceptable for a club of Arsenal’s stature. He ended a three year stay with the club which saw them rise to improbable heights but had to leave the club upon mounting pressure. The Gunners management are searching for a replacement while assistant manager Renee Slegers was named interim coach. Nick Cushing is leading the race for the position according to BBC Sport.
EIDEVALL’S DEPARTURE
When he took over the club in 2021 from Joe Montemurro, he was assigned the task of taking the club back to the top tier competition. He swiftly achieved that as he beat both Man City and Chelsea in his first month of in charge. However as years progressed his performance level got lower as inconsistencies grew higher. During his tenure Eidevall ended Arsenal’s three year trophy drought with winning two continental cups beating Chelsea and reaching the Champions League semi final.
Anyway inconsistency loomed all over the place during these years. The team selection was confusing at times and a few players complained about the playing style. He changes the starting eleven 73 times since the start of last season which was only overtaken by Emma Hayes at Chelsea. This particular stat actually shows his doubts in team selection. This was also aided with problems like congested fixture list and injury problems. The repeated changes to the team made players confused about the position they played the game plan. This was not the only problem. Creative players like Beth Mead, Kim Little and Mariona Caldantey often failed to fit into the system.
Creative midfielder Cloe Lecasse who only played a single season at Arsenal said this to TSN: “At the end of the day, you want to get minutes, you want to score goals, you want to be able to be creative and be the type of player that you are. I think my type of characteristics were being a little bit limited and a little bit restricted at Arsenal, which didn’t allow me to bring out my best characteristics.”
After mounting pressure and inconsistency Eidevall took the hard decision to leave the club by mutual consent. Somewhat like leaving before you are kicked out.
NICK CUSHING AS NEW ARSENAL MANAGER?
Nick Cushing is currently the head coach of MLS side New York City having been promoted to that role. Cushing led the team through a series of competitive seasons in the league. Before moving to America, Cushing had a seven year stint with the Manchester City women. During his tenure between 2013-2020, the Englishman built a reputation as the best coach in women’s football. He led the Cityzens to the FA Women’s Super League title in 2016, two FA Cups and four continental titles. His ability to cultivate talent and implement a dynamic, possession-based style of play brought him significant recognition in the sport.
Cushing is known for his ability to produce talents and develop players. He also focuses on creating a cohesive culture inside the team which was lacking under Jonas Eidevall. Under the Swedish man the dressing room got divided as years passed. He is also known for his ability to strategically adapt during matches. You all know what Pep Guardiola did for Manchester City in the past few years, and I think Nick Cushing has done an equally relevant job with the women’s side. Anyway at this moment to put all the fragments back together at Arsenal you need someone like him. It will be a daunting task to bring back the culture into the dressing room. There are a lot of talented player within the squad with a leader like Leah Williamson. It is upto the next manager to bring the Gunners back to where they deserved to be.
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