Renée Slegers sat down at the Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven for her pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Our head coach took questions from various reporters and looked ahead to Wednesday’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final play-off first leg.
Take a look below at everything she had to say on the following subjects…
on the availability of Blackstenius, Mead and Cooney-Cross:
Kyra travelled and she is available for minutes tomorrow. Stina and Beth didn’t travel. Stina still has issues with her calf and Beth needs some time to offload her shin.
on what we’re expecting from Leuven:
I think what they did against us in the game here before the new year was different approaches. I think different first half versus second half. I think they gave us some time on the ball in the first half, second half more aggressive, and of course this is a different scenario where there’s two legs to play, 180 minutes. They’re the first team to be at home and we play the second leg at home. So I’ll have to guess their approach to the game. I think what will be important for them is to defend really well against us, but that will be just as important for us as well because I’m sure they will try and create things with fast attacks, with counter-attacks and we all want to stop that. We respect who they are and they’re leading the table in Belgium and had a good performance in Champions League. So even though we came away with a 3-0 win here last time, we’re very humble for the challenge tomorrow.
on how we approach solving problems and blocking out external noise:
You’re not external anymore for us! Well, first of all, we have a fantastic staff. So in our tech staff, the analysts, seeing what’s happening in our games, our game model, how we can tweak things, looking at the players available, the player qualities that we have, the issues that we face and the areas we want to do better – I think we have great collaboration in the tech staff. So there’s a lot of people involved. So of course, I’m sitting here, but there’s so much good work done in the background. And then together with the players, because I think we’ve been building, working hard to build this culture over time to be very reflective, be good at problem solving on the pitch. So the players don’t need us in the moment. And I think they have been brilliant as well. So it’s both in the meeting rooms, but also on pitch and trainings and games. They have been excellent. And there’s a lot of intelligence in the squad. Our job is to look at the tools that we have in the squad, on every level, psychological, tactical, technical, and then see how we play players to their strengths and how that fits all together with 11 players on the pitch. And I think we found some really good things lately that we want to build on. Also knowing that when that code is cracked, then we need to have the next solution. So I think the process that we have and the way we collaborate with the players has been so good and has given me a lot of energy as well.
on how it feels for things to be working out with lots of wins and trophies:
I never played for a big team like Arsenal. So now, it’s fantastic, of course, to be part of a club like Arsenal that has been driving so many things for such a long time. And that means that we’re here now, that we can be on this stage and being proud of our history and the legacy that’s there. And we want to make new history, which we did through winning the Champions Cup. So very proud, and yes, we’re in a good place as a team. We’ve done well against the top teams in the WSL, prided ourselves on defending a lot of clean sheets, won the first trophy. This means that it shows what we can do, what we’re capable of, how good we are. But it also shows for us a signal that we just have to stay in the controlled middle, that we are never too high, never too low. Because the next challenge comes around the corner. And that’s Leuven now, tomorrow, which will be another competition, another challenge, two games, two legs. So yeah, we just have to really stay focused on the task.
on the global appeal of our women’s team:
That’s fantastic. I think Arsenal is a global brand. But hearing that people are travelling over the weekend to come and watch us play, that’s amazing. Because, yeah, we have a lot of fans in the stadium and the fans are doing it with us. If you look at the City game, they helped us those last minutes. Everyone had to stay focused, stay resilient. And both the players on the pitch, but also the fans. So they mean so much to us. And hearing that people are travelling from other countries to support us and to see the players playing, that’s fantastic.
on how much momentum can help take us further:
We still believe that you have to work hard to create momentum for yourself. You have to work hard to keep that momentum. So I think that’s what we’ve done somehow in the challenging times. Especially if I look at since January, we don’t get to win against United in the League Cup. The way we respond as a team, I think everyone, staff, the players, calm, constructive. It’s been so good. So I think we build it and we’ve been working hard internally as well to put things into words, what’s actually happening. And everything you go through, so you can go back to when we had momentum, these were the things we were doing. So the behaviours and the way we were working, the way we were communicating, what detail was it that made the difference for us. So we tried to put everything into words, document things as much as possible for us to help ourselves. So we believe that there’s always going to be things that you can’t grasp, I think, in general in life. But we try to make things factual, objective, document things as much as possible. So we know what we’re doing in those moments.
on some players going out on loan abroad lately rather than to WSL 2:
I think it’s actually positive because it says something about us and our academy players and how we’re building and progressing players, but also about the league, the WSL is obviously a very strong league which attracts a lot of players from other countries as well. WSL 2 is growing fast as well. And that’s only positive. What we see is that we want to look wider, broader to see where the other options are. And we’ve identified the Scandinavian league, so Damallsvenskan in this case for Viv Lia and Cecily as a really good league for them also to go abroad and develop yourself as a person, but also the level of the league and the opportunities that are there. So we try to look a little bit broader, so across the borders.
on Smith’s positive response to her red card against Manchester United:
I’ve been impressed with the whole squad after that moment, because yes, that happened to Liv and that was tough lessons to learn. The team had to deal with it as well and pick Liv back up, which they did. So we stick together in those moments. But I think as a team, we’ve come back so well. But yeah, of course, Liv is in really good form. And like we said after City, she can play different roles for us. She has versatility as well. She’s played on the right, left, and then she played the nine against City. She’s such an intelligent, intuitive player, but also has the ability to learn things in different roles and execute those roles. So she’s been really good for us.
on if we can be more experimental against Leuven:
Rock and roll football was the… I was referring to the away games we’ve played against City. I think this one was more controlled, to be honest. Even though in our reflections we said that we’ve had more control in the second half as well. Even though the control was maybe in moments we wanted more, but we managed the game so well as a team. I think the starting point is what we did defensively in the game. I think so proud of the team, and also the staff working with the game plan and identifying the areas that we needed to stop and the options that we saw. So we did that so well. I think City had one shot on target, if I’m right. So that was the starting point for us. And then we always know we’re very strong at the Emirates. We’re really good in the way we possess the ball at the moment. We see that it’s hard for opposition to solve certain things we’re doing. And we did that against a top team like City. So happy with that. And tomorrow is going to be a different game, different opposition, different scenario. They will set up differently and they will try to find their solutions as well. So it will be a new game, but we have high belief in the things that we’re doing right now, both on and off the ball.
on if we like quick turnarounds between games and how we decompress:
I like short turnarounds as well. I love playing games or coaching. Unfortunately, not playing. I am staying physically active, playing with family. But then actually there is like the game against City, there’s the Sunday and then we take a drink with the staff straight after. And then you go home and you watch the game back. So, but spending time in the workplace is, yeah, our colleagues, our workplace is fantastic. So it does give me a lot of energy as well. So yeah, I’m fine. The big international breaks, of course, are a little bit bigger windows, but I have my little strategies with workouts and family time.
on the Winter Olympics:
I watched ice skating yesterday. That was good.
on taking confidence from our last game at Leuven, but not wanting to be over confident:
I think we performed well and we get the two goals in the first half which sets us up really well in that game. I expect them to do everything to stop goals from going in because it’s two legs and 180 minutes. So it’s not going to be easy to score tomorrow. I think they will try to defend that box with their lives. So we’ll have to work hard for tomorrow. Whether we can do things early or late, it’s 180 minutes. But then at the same time, we have to defend really well again and stop their transitions at the same time.
on the balance between work and life outside of work:
I put in the same amount of energy and get a lot of energy back. One day a week off. And that’s time with family, taking a walk to the pub from time to time. So actually a very normal life, I would say. I don’t think it’s very different with the lives of others. But yeah, I have this job of course and that’s why you’re in the publicity around matches. But for the rest of my life, I’m actually in a very normal life.
on if she has changed as a person:
Well, I don’t believe that you’re the same all your life, so I’ve changed too. I think I’ve only grown as a person through all the experiences and the challenges that come with it. But I like to tackle them. And yeah, I’m growing with it. So no, I’m very happy with it.
on what kind of coach she wants to be:
Well, first of all, I want to be myself. I want to work in a modern way with the players. Because I think that there is a certain way of working, or has worked in football as I have experienced it. But I think you can also do things differently. So I’m also trying to get things out of other sports, out of other contexts, and really work together. And keep the players very active. So not just on the field, but also outside. And therefore just work very empathetically with the players. But also with a lot of, yes, we say challenge and support, so that you are very high in that. Together. And as far as football is concerned, always stay proactive. Where is the football going? What are the trends? And what can we propose? As much as possible.
on the biggest lesson learned in the past year:
There are so many things. I really learned a lot of things. I think staying calm. That’s the biggest for me, and for myself, and how I function best. But also that it has a very good effect with this group in any case. That you just stay calm, not too emotional. Not too high. Not too low. In all scenarios. Because then you just stay the clearest. So I think that was my biggest lesson.
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