da mrbet： Arsenal Women boss Jonas Eidevall says his team are at fault for not qualifying for the Champions League and refused to blame the competition format.
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Arsenal knocked out of UWCLMan Utd eliminated by PSGEidevalls says WSL must improveWHAT HAPPENED?
Arsenal were knocked out at the qualifying phase when they were beaten 4-2 on penalties by Paris FC. That, coupled with Manchester United's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the following round, means Chelsea are the only Women's Super League to make the group stage of the competition this season.
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United manager Marc Skinner slammed the competition's format as he argued that United and PSG should not have been paired against each other so early, saying: "We deserve to be at this level. There are teams that are going through that are not good enough."
However, Eidevall believes that it is up to English teams to improve to reach the same level as their French and German counterparts and pointed out that they could have ended up with no WSL teams in the competition at all.
WHAT THEY SAID
"We’re number four in Europe [in UEFA's coefficient rankings]. We can’t say that’s anyone else’s problem except our own. We need to improve. English teams have not done well enough in Europe," he told reporters.
He added: "The reality is that if Wolfsburg had beaten Barcelona in the Champions League final [last season], the WSL wouldn't have had a single direct qualifying spot for the group stage. Our league is ranked fourth in Europe and why is that? The English teams have done worse than the Spanish and the German and the French teams for the last five years. That is no one else's problem: that is our own.
"If I look at it from the Arsenal's perspective, being in the WSL is a very competitive league. Do I think there is a lot of themes in the WSL that could compete in the group stage in the Champions League? I do. I think the Conti Cup group that Man United have been drawn into might actually be tougher than some of the Champions League groups. But those who decide on the UEFA Women's Champions League, they need to grow the whole of women's football in Europe. They are not just taking the WSL into account."
Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Arsenal, who beat Aston Villa 2-1 last week, are in WSL action on Sunday as they visit Bristol City.