Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum said the Gunners squad have returned to club duty since the October international break with a “new energy”.
Arsenal have had a very turbulent start to their 2024/25 Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, leading to the sudden resignation of Jonas Eidevall after winning only one of their opening four games. His side had also been humbled by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Interim replacement Renee Slegers signed off before the international break with back-to-back wins over Valerenga in Europe and West Ham United in the WSL, before a spirited performance against Manchester United on Sunday disappointingly only yielded a draw due to conceding a late equaliser.
Speaking exclusively with 90min at the Sobha Realty Training Centre last week, Maanum reveals how the team had intended to reap the rewards of the well-timed international break.
“It definitely came at the right time,” she explains. “It was an intense few weeks before and going into a different environment is something that is really positive sometimes. And this time, it was good for us as a group and as individuals and allowed us to get back with new energy.”
During her time away from north London, Maanum flourished on the international stage. She scored four goals in the space of an hour in Norway’s 9-0 win over Albania, part of a 14-0 aggregate victory that puts the 1995 World Cup winners one step closer to Euro 2025 qualification.
“It was really nice [to represent my country again],” she reflected. “We played two good games and personally I scored some goals, which is nice.”
Renee Slegers is set to remain temporarily in charge at Arsenal until at least the start of December, despite reports that Nick Cushing has been the club’s ‘primary target’ to succeed Eidevall.
Maanum has nothing but praise for the “really great” coach and shed light on the challenges coming into the “really hard role” that Slegers, Eidevall’s former assistant, has taken on.
“These things happen in football and it’s quite normal, but for her to come into that week before national camp was quite intense,” she said.
“She’s been a great person to have around the team and she’s been supporting us and we’ve tried to support her in the best way. We are really happy to have her as our coach right now.”
When Slegers first took charge, it was only two days before Arsenal were due to face Valerenga in the Champions League. With such upheaval that week, winning 4-1 was commendable to say the least.
Maanum says she “loves” the European tournament and made clear that’s where the club “belong”.
When asked what Arsenal’s aim is moving forward, she explained: “We need to focus on each game and for us, it’s important to take three points in every game.”
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