Coming off the back of a very well-timed international break for Arsenal, interim head coach Renée Slegers hosted a press conference to look ahead to this Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester United at the Leigh Sports Village.
Slegers kicked-off her press conference with the news that she would be remaining in the position of interim manager for this coming block of games leading up to the November international break. A vote of confidence from the club that will bring more stability during a busy three-week period that sees the Gunners play five games in twenty-one games.
The only news in terms of injuries was that Lotte Wubben-Moy is still a doubt for the weekend after leaving England camp early, with Slegers confirming the defender “she is back training but got some symptoms.”
‘It’s always nice to get a change of pace’ admits Slegers
The start to Arsenal’s season couldn’t have been more hectic. After starting pre-season early due to their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers, the Gunners then had to play two games a week while balancing the WSL and Europe. After such a relentless start to the campaign, Slegers spoke on the benefits of the international break for her side.
“It was a very big block, it was thirteen weeks of pre-season and block one, so it was a very long time together. For everyone, myself included, it’s always nice to get a change of pace or change of environment, to get new insights and meet new people. Obviously, our block was long and eventful, but if you look at how the players picked it up before the international window and what they did during the international window it’s been very positive, and we want to continue with that momentum.”
When questioned on whether international breaks are good for domestic sides, she reminisced on her time playing for the Netherlands and how important it is for players.
“When I was a player, I always loved playing for the national team because you want to represent your country and your club as well. It’s a change of environment, new insights, new faces, new people and it can give positive injections, and I think it was a positive international break for our players”
Manchester United ‘are always a very good side’ praises Slegers
Looking forward to this weekend’s opponents, Manchester United have started their season very strong, remaining unbeaten through their first four league games with a bevy of young players impressing and bringing a new energy to the club. Slegers was very complimentary of Marc Skinner’s side, while remaining confident of her squad’s ability to win the game.
She said, “They are always a very good side. This will be my second time playing United away, but I obviously followed the league for many years. It’s a strong team and they made strong additions with very good individual players. They’ve started the season really well but haven’t played against a top-four team yet but what they’ve done so far is good. We are mostly focusing on ourselves as we know how good we are and the quality of our players.”
Arsenal need ‘to find the right balance’ in order to succeed
Arsenal come into this game in good form after two wins against Valerenga and West Ham United in Slegers’ first games in charge of the team. After both wins, she emphasised the importance of continuity for the players during a week that followed the departure of former head coach Jonas Eidevall.
The Halfway Line asked her whether we can expect to see more changes now she’s had a bit more time in the job.
She responded, “It’s still finding the right balance in all of these games, getting the right players on the pitch that are fresh with five games in twenty-one days. We are trying to get good players, dynamics, and relationships on the pitch as well. The squad is so good, if you see the players that came on against West Ham that came on for us and how the changed the game. It’s not just the players that start the games but also those that end the game that are so important for us.”
Arsenal will travel to Leigh Sports Village this Sunday to face Manchester United in the Barclays Women’s Super League. Proceedings will head underway at 12:30 GMT and can be streamed live on BBC Two.
