Renée Slegers was back in front of the media for her pre-OH Leuven press conference on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Sobha Realty Training Centre ahead of our trip to Belgium for Wednesday’s UEFA Women’s Champions League encounter, here’s everything our head coach had to say on the following subjects…
on how important it is to keep our good December run going:
Very important, five games this block in different competitions, now we’re going to tomorrow. It’s an important one for us. It’s the last one in the Champions League and we go for the three points. It’s not within our hands [to finish in the top four], but we will try to chase those top four positions. But Leuven will also go for something, so it’s going to be an interesting game. All games will be played at the same time, so scenarios can change in an instant. But of course, we’re happy with the last three games and look forward to tomorrow.
on if we’re not thinking about the table ahead of the game:
No, we’ll start the game with wanting to go to win the game. But then, of course, from half-time onwards and second half, we’ll know more about the standings in the other games and what’s still possible and if we need goals or something else. Then from there we go. But at the start of the game, we’ll just start playing the Arsenal way and perform at our best and go for the three points.
on it being a big game for Leuven as well:
Yes it will be. They are in the knockout spots at the moment. But I think the next team is on four points. If they win, they’ll have to go for points as well. Like I just said, we have a starting point, but then anything can change during the game for both teams
on if she’s played against Leuven before:
Not against Leuven, but I’ve played in the stadium for the Dutch national team. It’s a nice place. Sell-out tomorrow, I think it’s a record for them. I think we have a lot of supporters travelling as well, so it will be a good atmosphere. It’s a nice set-up.
on what their main threats are:
They’re interesting because they are very disciplined in everything they do. They defend in certain areas, but they also have the ability to change things in-game. They can go higher, they can go lower. They have quite some depth in the squad, so they can make changes that will change the game for them. So there are a lot of different scenarios for the game tomorrow. You see, in the Champions League, it’s just a small data set, but the first half has looked different from the second half so far, and only those five games, maybe four games, apart from the Barcelona game, which plays out differently. But it’s going to be an interesting game with a lot of different scenarios, like we just said, and a team that can change in-game as well.
on how important it’s been to move the ball quickly and play with more confidence:
It’s part of us. I think when we’re at our best we move really well. I think it’s also about the way the opposition team’s set up in this block so far. I think xG is a metric that looks different for different sources. So for my xG source, it wasn’t the highest of the league so far. Possession, that’s different, I agree that was the highest so far. It’s important for us to be really good on the ball. We were happy with the way we moved and the way we found spaces against Everton and getting players in good positions. They did that really well on the pitch. Moving the ball with detail and speed is important to be able to manipulate spaces and suffocate the position. So that’s definitely part of our DNA, but we’re also looking to be clinical for moments when we win the ball or be faster in our attacks when opportunities are given. But yes, the Everton game played out that way because they dropped off and dropped low early. But I was really happy with the way the players moved on the pitch.
on Mariona’s role in midfield and if she can play deeper as well as higher:
If you look at Mariona and the reports we get back after every game, regardless of the position she plays in, she’s so important for us with her progressive passing and setting up opportunities for the team. So whatever the role she plays for the team, she’s able to do that for us. She plays mostly on the left for Spain, plays into midfield sometimes as well for Spain nowadays, came to Arsenal, and played a lot on the left. Then we had a situation last year when we had a couple of injuries on the sixes and then she did really well. We created a lot from having her in lower spaces to be able to progress the ball and then join later. She’s really good in the 10 as well. So she’s played three different roles for us. But at the end of the day, wherever she is, she contributes to the team from an attacking perspective, and I think that’s really impressive that wherever she is, she’s going to play that role for the team.
on how much having two 10s helps reduce Russo’s workload outside the box:
We have a squad of 24. Of course, not everyone available with a couple of long-term injuries, but we have a big squad with a lot of different qualities. It’s always a puzzle for us to put it together the best way possible with the players that we have and the qualities that they bring. How do they connect with each other? What does opposition look like? What does the schedule look like? There’s a lot of things going into it. I think with these three games that we’ve played so far, the challenge was quite similar with mid-to-low blocks to be broken down. Then we look at how do we set up and what qualities do we need in what areas of the pitch. I think we’ve done that well. The players have done that well so far this block. Of course, everything is about getting the ball into the box. Then most of the time, when Alessia plays, she will be there. When we do that well, the set-up and progressing and getting into the box, then of course we create more opportunities for our forwards. I think the team has done that really well so far in the block.
on what being braver means in possession:
It’s about our intent. It’s about, in the right areas, taking your player on. But it’s also about what do we do behind the ball to give the players in front as much opportunity to get numbers in the box etc. So there’s a lot of things to it. But it’s also when things are tight, which spaces have been small the last three games, then we have to be brave in our actions, with our combinations, with our forward intent, with the one-on-one intent, because we know that we are really good. We have been fantastic in our counter-pressure as well. So we have the trust that we can win the ball back and set up a new attack if we were to lose it. So there’s a couple of different things going in there. But we really encourage the team to be brave in those moments.
on the centre-back partnership of Steph and Lotte now Leah is back:
No, but I’m happy that so many are performing at a high level. And I’m happy that Leah is back fresh. She got her first minutes against Everton and looked really good, looked like herself. And we always plan, thinking ahead. But like I just said, things change quickly and you need different things at different stages. There’s going to be schedules that are full. We have five competitions we’re competing in from January on, with the Club World Cup coming in there. So we’re going to need everyone. And you see that Steph and Lotte have a really good partnership built throughout the last blocks. Leah and Steph have played a lot together. Leah and Lotte were together on the pitch against Everton and looked really good. So I’m just really happy with the quality that we have. And I think it’s them taking really good ownership of building those relationships and partnerships with each other. And that’s been on a really high level. So it’s really good to have Leah back and it’s really good to have so much quality in central positions.
on how Leah’s presence impacts the morale:
Yes, it always gives an injection when players come back from injury because the rest of the squad gets really happy and it just creates a positive energy. Of course, with Leah, she’s one of our leaders. She’s been at the club since she was a little child and she feels strongly for the club and that brings something, of course. But then also her leadership in and around the team, on the pitch, she’s very intelligent. Solving things in the moment and she brings so much quality in the centre-back position. So, yes, it was a real positive injection for the team and she brings so many things to the team. I’m so happy to have her back.
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