A truly chaotic season has come to an end for Arsenal, but they have managed to maintain their presence among England’s elite by almost certainly qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
The aim at the start of the campaign was to challenge for the Women’s Super League title, but five major injuries (Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Leah Williamson and Laura Wienroither — all anterior cruciate ligaments — and Kim Little, hamstring) disrupted those ambitions.
Their response to adversity has been strong, however. They won the Conti Cup final after going 1-0 down early on, got within minutes of a Champions League final having battled back against both Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg, and got their Champions League qualification hopes back on track in similar circumstances against Manchester City.
It’s tempting to ponder whether Arsenal would have gone even further with all their players fit and available. Yet, it has been clear where head coach Jonas Eidevall’s mind has been for the past few weeks.
“I think first we need to try to qualify for the competition next season,” he said when the point was raised after the Champions League semi-final exit to Wolfsburg. “It is a tough WSL and we are in a tough situation. We have to get our feet and heads back after this…
