Alessia Russo's improvements, Beth Mead's importance & seven things we learned from Arsenal's pre-season U.S. tour

It's no secret that there were a few people who scoffed at the idea of Alessia Russo becoming a 20-goal striker when Eidevall declared it possible last season. The England striker only scored 12 in the league last year, but that was off the back of a total lack of pre-season. She helped her country reach the Women's World Cup final on August 20, had a short break and then, 17 days after the Lionesses' defeat to Spain in Sydney, was back on the pitch for the Gunners' first European qualifier.

That number should increase this season simply based on proper preparations for the campaign, but also because of the work she and her coaches are doing. The fruits of that labour were evident against the Spirit when she scored two equally brilliant goals, and even if she was less potent in defeat to Chelsea, there were still flashes as Arsenal put the pressure on for an equaliser.

"I think she's a very composed finisher. Now it's about, as a striker, getting enough of those goal-scoring opportunities," Eidevall told DAZN on Sunday. "If you've seen her game in the past, I think she's been quite a drifting forward. She's been out a lot on the flanks, working balls. I know Sarina [Wiegman] has worked with her in that in England and I'm working with her in that at Arsenal to be in more central positions, be more often in what we call the 'goal zone', and she manages to do that more often and that leads to her being involved in more goal-scoring opportunities and that, combined with her finishing ability, obviously results in scoring more goals as well."

This U.S. tour was a real opportunity for Manuela Zinsberger. The Austria international has been Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper for the past five seasons, but that status is under greater threat than ever before going into the new campaign, following the signing of Daphne van Domselaar.

The Dutchwoman didn't play Stateside as she is still getting back to full fitness, with her expected to be available for the first European qualifier against Rangers, so Zinsberger had two big chances to remind Eidevall of her quality. Unfortunately for her, she struggled to make a huge statement in either game, consistently failing to convince when dealing with crosses into the box in particular.

Though Zinsberger is a great shot-stopper, a quality that was on show on this tour, she needs to showcase her strengths in other areas if she wants to remain Arsenal's No.1 moving forward because Van Domselaar is more than impressive there, too.

After returning from her devastating ACL injury in January, Leah Williamson had an inconsistent few months for club and country, owing to the nine months she spent on the sidelines. Getting up to speed in the middle of a campaign is never easy, with the England captain not getting the run-up that pre-season gives a player, and many who have suffered the same significant knee injury say it takes several months to feel like yourself again, too.

This pre-season will do Williamson the world of good, then. That was evident even in these two games. In the first, she looked shaky and struggled with the pace of the Washington Spirit attack, committing a number of errors before being taken off at half-time. In the second, she was so much more composed, rarely put a foot wrong and just looked significantly more up to speed.

Williamson is an absolutely massive player for this Arsenal team and if they are to be successful, they will need her to be playing at the high level she is capable of. This pre-season tour, with its demanding conditions, should help her move more quickly towards returning to those heights.

Arsenal have made two terrific signings in attack this summer, in Mariona Caldentey and Rosa Kafaji. The former won the quadruple at Barcelona last season and is a proven quantity at the highest level, a Women's World Cup winner who will shine on the left for the Gunners. Kafaji, meanwhile, is still only 21 years old but has really staked a claim for the No.10 position on this U.S. tour.

However, with Cloe Lacasse departing for the Utah Royals, this team is extremely light on the right of attack. That's the position Beth Mead has nailed down for the last few years and maintains a stranglehold on. When she is unavailable though, as she was for the game against Chelsea on Sunday, there is no natural and obvious replacement.

Academy starlets Freya Godfrey and Vivienne Lia were both granted an opportunity there on this tour, while Kathrine Kuhl, more naturally a central midfielder despite her versatility, filled in for Mead when she had to pull out in the warm-up before the clash with the Blues. None are going to compete for minutes with the England star there, however.

Players like Mariona, Caitlin Foord and Katie McCabe can do a job on the right if needed, but Arsenal will certainly lose some balance if Mead is absent for more than a game or two in this upcoming season, unless Eidevall is able to identify another signing to add depth before the transfer window closes.

There was arguably no greater winner from Arsenal's U.S. tour than Kafaji, who only joined the club three days before they flew across the Atlantic. Despite spending just a few days with her new team before taking to the pitch against the Washington Spirit, the 21-year-old looked like she'd been in this group for years, her instinctive assist for Russo's second goal of the day giving fans reason to get excited about a potentially fruitful partnership in attack.

Everything that has marked Kafaji out as one of the most talented young players around was on show in the U.S., be it her creativity, her remarkable skill or her energy off the ball. Her qualities are what Arsenal missed on a consistent basis in those advanced midfield areas last season, with Kim Little certainly able to bring those to the table but often lining up in a deeper role. Off the back of this trip, it's hard not to feel like Kafaji got the edge in the race to be the Gunners' No.10 and, in there, she can be a real difference-maker.

If Kafaji was the outright winner of Arsenal's U.S. tour, Katie Reid finished a close second. As a starter against the Washington Spirit and with a significant half an hour off the bench against Chelsea, the 17-year-old was absolutely superb, putting forth her case for more first-team action in the upcoming season.

While some of the experienced players around her looked shaky in that first outing, Reid brought stability to the defence, while her fearless approach to battling with Chelsea striker Mayra Ramirez in the second match was admirable. The Colombia star is a nightmare for most centre-backs in the game, but Reid didn't shy away from the challenge and did not let her opponent overwhelm her at all.

Arsenal are a little light in the centre-back position at the moment. They have Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina competing for the two spots, but Amanda Ilestedt's pregnancy means that is it for specialists in that area for now, with left-back Steph Catley next up on the depth chart. There's an opportunity, then, for Reid to fight for minutes, and her performances in the U.S. have suggested she is ready for that challenge.

For all the positives that have come out of this U.S. tour, there are still a few things that Eidevall will want to work on before that Champions League qualifier against Rangers next Wednesday. Arsenal have one more friendly between now and then, against Championship side Southampton on Saturday, and it's likely that a strong XI will be fielded because there are still relationships that the coach wants to build as the new season approaches.

Not as much work could be put into those in the U.S. because not everyone was available. Mead and Wubben-Moy missed the Chelsea game, Van Domselaar and Emily Fox didn't play at all, while the likes of Mariona, Codina and Lia Walti were only able to feature as second-half substitutes in the last match.

"We come away from this trip disappointed that we haven’t been able to nurture more of the key relationships that we want to have this year," Eidevall said. "We need to get players back on the pitch because to have a fast start, we need those relationships."

His emphasis on a fast start is important. Arsenal have Champions League qualifiers to navigate next week, they start the WSL season against Manchester City and face Chelsea in their fourth league outing. They'll hope to have games in the second round of UWCL qualifying to contend with either side of that clash with City, too. These next six weeks are massive for the Gunners' season, so they need things to click as soon as possible if they are to be set up for a successful campaign.