Arsenal women head coach Jonas Eidevall is targeting Champions League glory with the Gunners, insisting his side are good enough to ‘have a chance against any team in the world’.
Arsenal return to the Champions League this season after former boss Joe Montemurro, now at Juventus, oversaw an exceptional run of form in the latter stages of the campaign to claim the WSL’s third and final European place for 2021/22.
The Gunners begin only their second Champions League season since 2014 this week with a first qualifying round tie against Kazakhstan’s Okzhetpes and the new boss is aiming high.
“I think it’s what attracts people to the club in one way, to compete for the biggest trophy there is at the top level. It’s one of the reasons I came to Arsenal: that I want to see if we can win the Champions League with this club,” Eidevall is quoted as saying by The Guardian.
The Swede, who took Rosengard to the quarter-finals of last season’s competition, is well aware of the fierce level of competition. On paper, Arsenal may only be the third best team in England, but Eidevall has no doubts about the quality of the squad he has inherited.
“Nobody would say we are out of a chance against any opponent in the Champions League,” he said.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we will have a chance against any team in the world and we are going to do our best to grab that chance in any given game.”
Next stop Moscow and @UWCL qualifiers. COYG! pic.twitter.com/QxJswB6rWq
— Jonas Eidevall (@eidevall) August 16, 2021
Aside from being more lucrative for its competing clubs than ever before, the biggest thing about the Champions League this season is the revamp of the format. Where previously it was a straight knockout tournament from start to finish, a group stage has now been adopted, more closely mirroring the format long seen in the men’s edition.
Eidevall called it a ‘very exciting time’ for the Champions League and former Chelsea and Juventus striker Eniola Aluko explained to 90min during an exclusive interview in May just why it is important.
“The group stage is an incredible advancement,” Aluko explained. “I remember in my first year at Juventus, they were asking for it then because it’s so hard. Owners invest to build teams to be ready for the Champions League and you’re out before you’ve even got in it.
“You want at least a bit more experience in the Champions League to be able to be ready. I think the group stage is going to be great for the game and for teams to gain more experience of the Champions League.
“You’ll have at least six games to know what it takes before you’re knocked out rather than just straight knockout. [In the old format] it’s like being in a boxing match and being knocked out before you’ve even got your gloves on. I think it’s really important.”
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Major League Soccer and the Vancouver Whitecaps have released a statement in support of three academy players who were assaulted in an alleged racially motivated attack.
The Canadian team confirmed one player was in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery. A suspect has been arrested.
The Whitecaps have condemned the assault / Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
CBC report the 17-year-old was stabbed in Burnaby, in British Colombia, Canada, on Saturday.
The MLS’ statement read: “Major League Soccer is aware that three Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy players were violently assaulted in an allegedly racially motivated attack on the evening of Saturday, August 14.
“Our first priority is to continue to support the health, safety and well-being of our players and their families during this painful and upsetting time. We stand united in unequivocally condemning violence, discrimination, racism and hate in all of its destructive forms.
“Major League Soccer and the Whitecaps are working together to closely monitor the situation. We are all committed to supporting that anyone proven to be involved in this assault is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Enough is enough. We are heartbroken and sickened by the allegations and strongly condemn all forms of discrimination, racism, and hate,” added the Whitecaps statement.
“Such disgusting behaviour has absolutely no place in our community. We will do everything to support our players affected and urge the toughest punishment possible for those responsible.”
In a game that continues to evolve away from what happens with a ball at a player’s feet, shirt numbers are an eagerly anticipated part of a team’s season.
Whether that be waiting to see what number a new signing has taken, or seeing if a young talent has managed to shuffle down the pecking order, the squad numbers have moved away from the traditional 1-11 meaning and can tell us more about what is thought of certain players.
Players themselves like to have a say in it, too. And while it’s cool that they care, some care a little too much. And it’s created some strange yet iconic memories. Here are 30 of the strangest shirt number selections ever.
Grow up, Gianluigi / Marco Canoniero/Getty Images
Born in 1999, it made sense at first for a 16-year-old Donnarumma to wear 99 at Milan. It’s the year he was born, and he was a youngster, thus a high number is expected.
The question is, why did he not ditch that 99 as soon as he had established himself as the first choice? Donnarumma was number one by 2016 but decided not to take the shirt at Milan, leaving in 2021 as number 99. Weird.
It looks so wrong / Jasper Juinen/Getty Images
The man who has built a brand as CR7, it feels like a fever dream seeing Ronaldo holding aloft the number nine shirt at his Santiago Bernabeu presentation in 2009.
With Raul still at the club, Ronaldo had to wait before he could actually get his hands on the number seven he had become known for wearing at Manchester United. Still looks weird to this day.
Wrong on so many levels / Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Seeing Messi in anything but a Barcelona shirt is strange enough on the eye, so to add in the fact that he is now wearing number 30 for Paris Saint-Germain is even worse.
Nope, don’t give us that ‘it was his youth number’ argument. Rubbish. It’s Messi, lads. Lionel Messi. He can’t not be number ten.
New number needed / Pool/Getty Images
Breaking in rather unexpectedly during Jose Mourinho’s reign at Old Trafford, McTominay has since developed into one of United’s strongest assets.
The Scotland international has a bright future ahead of him and is new a regular under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. That’s exactly why him wearing 39 is so wrong; time to pick a proper number please, Scott.
Chelsea’s nine shirt is cursed / Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Chelsea have had a torrid time of it when giving people their number nine jersey.
Before the days of Alvaro Morata and Fernando Torres, they thought Steve Sidwell was the answer following his 2007 free transfer from Reading. Midfielder Sidwell. He left after a season.
Players picking numbers from the incorrect position might be one of the most frustrating aspects to the game.
Upon his 2017 return to Swansea, Bony elected to take the number two shirt to remind people that it was his second spell with the club. Infuriating. ‘Two’ should’ve come with a two-match ban for such obscenity.
Oar had a strange number early on in his career / Tony Feder/Getty Images
Making your international debut should be a memorable enough moment. But Oar made it unforgettable in 2010 when he came on wearing 121. Yes, three digits.
The 18-year-old came off the bench for Australia in a World Cup qualifier against Indonesia donning the unique number. He revealed years later that he was given the strange number for reasons surrounding registration rules, meaning he was registered in advance as the 121st player and thus had to wear it.
Johnson’s time at Stoke is very much Randy Orton in the 2020s; so careless that it’s gotten to a point where people just laugh with them.
The right back signed in 2015 and instead of taking a full back’s number or even a higher up one, he took on the responsibility of the number eight. Creative wizard.
He even had it put into the side of his head for the World Cup / Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Remembered best for his spell with Sunderland, Gyan was breaking boundaries at international level with Ghana.
Whenever he turned out for his nation, Gyan would without fail wear the number three shirt, despite being a forward. He took on the number from his older brother and has personal affiliation to it, and has also worn it several times at club level.
It’s time to let go / Pool/Getty Images
Think McTominay, but even more pertinent.
While the Scot is opinion-splitting, Rice is widely considered to be the face of West Ham and is nowadays the vice captain of the club. He’s made well over 100 appearances for the club – ditch the youth team number already. Please.
Unusual choice / David Ramos/Getty Images
Quite simply, Hooper was born in 1988, so he’s always donned the shirt wherever possible.
Never trust a striker that doesn’t want to wear the number nine.
No chance we’re telling Skrtel his number was silly… / Clive Rose/Getty Images
For a man that made over 300 appearances for Liverpool and became a fan favourite in his eight year spell, you’d have thought Skrtel would’ve donned a lower number.
The tough tackling centre back stuck with 37, though, due to his lucky number being three and his then girlfriend’s lucky number being number seven. A simple man, but admittedly a strange choice.
Sort it, Trent / Michael Regan/Getty Images
See previous criticisms of McTominay and Rice, ramped up even further.
Alexander-Arnold is now a Champions League and a Premier League winner. There is zero need to be wearing number 66, Trent. Please do the beautiful game a favour and choose a normal number.
Everton’s number five didn’t stick around for long / Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Eto’o choosing to wear the number five at Everton summarises his time at Goodison Park, which felt like a fever dream on the whole in 2014/15.
Signed in the summer, picked a weird number, bagged a few goals and was gone by January. Perhaps the most Everton story imaginable.
Bendtner is a peculiar entity / Getty Images/Getty Images
Spoiler; this isn’t the last time you’ll see Bendtner in the list.
The man that continually made football a laugh through the 2010s, Bendtner chose to wear the number three upon signing for Wolfsburg in 2014. Because of course he did. Nobody was even questioning him at this point.
The perfect Crespo replacement / Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
It’s hardly surprising that a man with the nickname ‘the cannibal’ ended up choosing a properly bonkers number for his shot at the big time.
Upon arriving to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2006, defender Boulahrouz selected the number nine jersey, following Hernan Crespo’s departure. Hell of an upgrade.
The Zidane we didn’t know we needed / Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Liverpool cult hero Baros is remembered for dropping the Champions League trophy and denting it in 2005, but also finishing as the club’s top scorer that season.
He did all that while donning the number five on his back for the club, as a striker. A midfield Zinedine Zidane got away with it, Baros did not.
Balotelli has worn 45 for most of his career / Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Football’s favourite loose cannon of the 2010s, Balotelli’s justification for wearing number 45 is honestly bulletproof.
As a youth at Inter, he chose the number because four and five add up to make nine. And after finding a run of form with it, he never let go of it again. More than just a pyrotechnics expert.
Riordan didn’t last long as number 01 / Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Following a deadline day return to Hibernian in 2008, Riordan – a striker by trade – was issued the ’01’ shirt. Y’know, that common number there’s a queue for.
The number ten shirt had already been taken, so instead of just picking another rather normal number, Hibs agreed to inverse the ten. He finally got his ten shirt the following season.
Dempsey has a thing for the number two / Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
While Bony had rather meaningful reasoning behind his short use of number two as a striker, Dempsey has never.
Yet still, the American forward has insisted on wearing it just about everywhere he’s been, both in the States and in England. Sure, he’s bagged goals in it, but at what cost?
Bixente Lizarazu had two spells with Bayern / Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Upon his 2005 return to Bayern Munich, Lizarazu opted to take the shirt number 69, which at a glance, is rather funny. We’ll let you figure it out.
But his reasoning for choosing such an odd number was due to a connection with it – let us finish. Lizarazu was born in 1969, but also stands at 1.69m tall and weighed 69kg.
Expert thinking from Wenger / Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Gallas’ request to have an important squad number upon signing for Arsenal in 2006 was a reasonable one considering his abilities and the role he would play.
The decision for him to get the number ten – previously held by Dennis Bergkamp – wasn’t so reasonable. Gallas didn’t want number three and Arsene Wenger didn’t want to burden a forward with Bergkamp comparisons, thus the defender took it on.
A strange spell / Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images
Perhaps the best part about a car crash two seasons with Barnet after another football hiatus was Davids’ strange shirt number demands.
Upon agreeing to become player coach in 2012, the Dutch midfielder elected himself the number one jersey. The goalkeeper number. Nothing but respect.
Lupatelli wore number ten / Grazia Neri/Getty Images
While Davids was wearing the number one, there was a goalkeeper wearing the number ten shirt in Italy in the early 2000s.
On loan from Roma, Lupatelli wore the attacker’s number at Chievo Verona because of a bet he had made with friends. For that, we can only applaud the absurdity.
Osvaldo Ardiles wore number one at the 1982 World Cup / Getty Images/Getty Images
The blueprint for Davids’ lower tier English football madness, Ardiles was doing it on the grandest stage of them all.
With numbers being allocated in alphabetical order, the Argentine ended up stuck wearing the number one shirt typically reserved for the goalkeeper. Bizarre policy.
Zerouali wearing a normal number 11 for Morocco / Touchline/Getty Images
The late Zerouali was known best for his stint with Aberdeen between 1999 and 2002, becoming a hero for his abilities, but also his shirt antics.
Mad shirt numbers aren’t usually seen in British football, so the Moroccan picking number ‘0’ was entirely unheard of, and only lasted a season before it became outlawed. He passed away in 2004.
Kone wears two in Turkey / VI-Images/Getty Images
Seriously, what is it with strikers and the number two? It may as well be the new number nine shirt at this rate.
Kone wore the number 22 on a few occasions before picking up the number two at Levante. He then continued wearing it upon signing for Wigan in 2012, and picked it up again in 2017 when heading to Turkish side Sivasspor.
Twice the number, twice the player / Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Before he had chosen to wear number three at Wolfsburg, Bendtner had already baffled football at Arsenal by switching from 26 to 52.
The Dane cited that the number had special meaning to him personally, while there were also rumours of him wanting to double his number to resemble him being twice the player. Either way, it didn’t work out.
Jorge Campos’ nine shirt / Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
The game’s resident unhinged goalkeeper, Jorge Campos played football with every cheat code in use. And in flamboyant, custom kits.
When not saving shots, he was dribbling outside of his area and being used as his side’s auxiliary striker. And he was good. So good that he actually wore the number nine shirt throughout his career due to him pulling double duty.
Even had it on the shorts / Claudio Villa/ Grazia Neri/Getty Images
The single most genius concept we have ever seen in the beautiful game. Forget your Messi and your Pele, this is football.
Having signed for Inter in 1996 and initially getting the number nine shirt, a reshuffle saw Inter give the nine to Ronaldo and number ten to Roberto Baggio. As Zamorano didn’t want to not be number nine, he chose 18 and had a plus sign put in the middle to make nine. Incredible.
Tottenham have renewed their interest in Chelsea centre-back Kurt Zouma, a player who is valued at £25m by the Blues and has already been the subject of recent interest from West Ham.
Zouma’s Chelsea future grew uncertain in the second half of last season when Thomas Tuchel restored faith in Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, both of whom had previously fallen out of favour under former manager Frank Lampard.
Zouma has since also fallen behind homegrown talent Trevoh Chalobah in the pecking order and was an unused substitute for Chelsea’s opening game of the Premier League season on Saturday.
Chelsea had initially hoped to use Zouma as a makeweight in an approach to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla. But while a deal on Kounde’s side appeared close, Zouma himself was not keen on the idea and made it clear to the club hierarchy that he prefers to stay in London.
A potential switch to West Ham later fell through when the Hammers considered Chelsea’s asking price too steep. An initial fee of £20m was mooted, but 90min understands that the Stamford Bridge club are standing firm on their valuation of £25m.
Sky Sports has now reported that Zouma, who first arrived in English football in 2015, has made his way back onto Tottenham’s transfer radar having been linked with the Blues’ London rivals earlier this summer and a year ago, and is among a ‘number’ of defenders they are considering.
The Frenchman’s aforementioned preference to remain in London could help Spurs in their pursuit if they are willing to meet the asking price in a way that West Ham have not been.
Chelsea had hoped to use Zouma as a makeweight to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla / Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images
Spurs have already brought in Argentine centre-back Cristian Romero on an initial loan from Atalanta this summer, but Toby Alderweireld has been sold and Juan Foyth has turned last season’s loan at Villarreal into a permanent transfer.
Romero made his debut as a late substitute against Manchester City on Sunday and is widely expected to be a regular starter once fully fit and up to speed. Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Joe Rodon and the versatile Japhet Tanganga are the other options available as things stand, although Sanchez’s future is uncertain.
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Milan will be making their long-awaited return to the Champions League this season after finishing second in Serie A last time out.
They have endured a tricky summer, though, with several high-profile names departing. To add insult to injury, the Rossoneri have often been left frustrated when trying to sign replacements.
What does all this mean for their prospects in the 2021/22 season? 90min analysed everything Milan to find out.
Kessie is Milan’s key man now / Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
Following Gianluigi Donnarumma’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain, Franck Kessie is now the star attraction in Milan.
He has slowly grown in importance during his four years at the club and is now one of the most complete midfielders in Serie A. Last campaign was his best yet, with the Ivorian converting 11 penalties to register double-digits seasonal goals for the first time in his career.
Kessie gets through a commendable amount of defensive work too. If he has another impressive season the big clubs will likely come calling.
Tonali joined Milan permanently this summer after initially joining on loan / Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images
Sandro Tonali attracted interest from pretty much every major European club last summer, so Milan did very well to seal his signature.
Despite being born in 2000, the defensive midfielder already has three and a half seasons of senior football under his belt. His maiden campaign at Milan was promising but he will be disappointed to have not registered a single Serie A assist.
This time around Tonali should be afforded even more playing time. The 2021/22 season could be the year in which he finally fulfils his sky-high potential.
Monday 23 August – 19:45 – Sampdoria (A) Sunday 29 August – 19:45 – Cagliari (H) Sunday 12 September – 14:00 – Lazio (H) Sunday 19 September – TBC – Juventus (A) Wednesday 22 September – TBC – Venezia (H) Sunday 26 September – TBC – Spezia (A) Sunday 3 October – TBC – Atalanta (A) Sunday 17 October – TBC – Verona (H) Sunday 24 October – TBC – Bologna (A) Wednesday 27 October – TBC – Torino (H) Sunday 31 October – TBC – Roma (A) Sunday 7 November – TBC – Inter (H) Sunday 21 November – TBC – Fiorentina (A) Sunday 28 November – TBC – Sassuolo (H) Wednesday 1 December – TBC – Genoa (A) Sunday 5 December – TBC – Salernitana (H) Sunday 12 December – TBC – Udinese (A) Sunday 19 December – TBC – Napoli (H) Wednesday 22 December – TBC – Empoli (A) Thursday 6 January – TBC – Roma (H) Sunday 9 January – TBC – Venezia (A) Sunday 16 January – TBC – Spezia (H) Sunday 23 January – TBC – Juventus (H) Sunday 6 February – TBC – Inter (A) Sunday 13 February – TBC – Sampdoria (H) Sunday 20 February – TBC – Salernitana (A) Sunday 27 February – TBC – Udinese (H) Sunday 6 March – TBC – Napoli (A) Sunday 13 March – TBC – Empoli (H) Sunday 20 March – TBC – Cagliari (A) Sunday 3 April – TBC – Bologna (H) Sunday 10 April – TBC – Torino (A) Saturday 16 April – TBC – Genoa (H) Sunday 24 April – TBC – Lazio (A) Sunday 1 May – TBC – Fiorentina (H) Sunday 8 May – TBC – Verona (A) Sunday 15 May – TBC – Atalanta (H) Sunday 22 May – TBC – Sassuolo (A)
Home: Keeping it simple.
Away: C.R.E.A.M
Third: TBC
Stefano Pioli should oversee another successful campaign / Soccrates Images/Getty Images
The high-profile exit of Donnarumma was a real blow for Milan this summer, as were the departures of Diogo Dalot and Hakan Calhanoglu. However, they have operated smartly and patiently in the transfer market to replace them.
A bigger issue is likely to be their reliance on an incredibly old Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His 15 goals were extremely important last season and Ante Rebic will need to produce consistently at the start of the season while Ibrahimovic works his way back from injury.
With several other teams in the top four race getting weaker over the summer, Milan should still have enough to comfortably maintain their Champions League status next season. A title push is probably a bridge too far, though.
A cup run is a real possibility, but their starting XI is likely not strong enough to pull up any trees in Europe this time around.
Top-four finish, Champions League round of 16 and Coppa Italia final
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