Arsenal will play their first fixture of the Subway Women’s League Cup on Wednesday evening as the side prepare to face Brighton & Hove Albion. Recently-appointed head coach Renée Slegers spoke to the media ahead of her side’s quarterfinal clash away to the Seagulls.
‘We have to try and do it again’ says Slegers on maintaining the title
The Gunners will be looking to continue their fine run of form on Wednesday in a bid to retain their League Cup title. When asked about her memories of last year’s narrow victory over Chelsea, Slegers reflected that her side “Played a really good game, what I take from it is how we managed the game, how we started and finished the game with a lot of players involved and just how persistent we were. How we overcame those difficult moments in the game- it was a great performance from the team.”
Asked if her players feel additional pressure as the title holders, Slegers quipped that “The club is very proud that we have won that cup twice now in the last two years, but that is all in the past. So now we have to try and do it again. We focus on the four competitions we are in, and that’s one of them, but we always really try to go and win.”
‘This club wants a squad able to compete’ cites Slegers on balancing all competitions
When asked about juggling all four competitions- Women’s Super League, Women’s FA Cup, Subway Women’s League Cup and UEFA Women’s Champions League- as well as the condensed calendar, Slegers was full of praise for how her side are able to maintain the pressure.
“We have a fantastic squad, this club wants a squad able to compete in so many competitions,” expressed Slegers. “For every game it’s looking at who is the strongest team for us to play, who’s the fittest, freshest and on the best form, and then what partnerships do we need on the pitch, and we will do that for every game.”
“We try to put the best possible team on the pitch for every game, that is what we will do tomorrow against Brighton. Obviously, you always have the place where the team is coming from, which impacts what we are going to do tomorrow, but I am not looking ahead to what comes after that. The past impacts a little bit, it will always be like that, but the future doesn’t impact what we want to do.”
Probed as to whether she, herself, or her group of players, approach the various competitions differently, Slegers was quick to note that “We want to compete in all four competitions, we are very aware of what game we are playing and what competition we are in of course, but every game is the most important game at that moment. We don’t think about anything else other than that game that’s happening in the moment, and tomorrow that’s Brighton, and we are looking forward to it.”
‘An interesting challenge’ awaits on the coast
Addressing the challenge that awaits her side in the quarterfinal, Slegers was full of respect for the Seagulls explaining “They [Brighton] have a strong identity, they’re very persistent with their style of play, and when they do it well they do it really well. They’re going to press us high and we need to find ways to play out of that.”
Last time these two sides met, Arsenal produced nothing short of a masterclass with a 5-0 win at home in November. But Slegers acknowledged that the opposition pose “an interesting challenge, they’ve changed a little bit; not in possession, but we have seen a little change in what they do out of possession.”
Brighton remain unbeaten at home this season, with three draws and five wins, but Slegers acknowledged that this is out of her side’s control and whilst “they [Brighton] have been doing well, and that [statistic] is impressive, we don’t think about that, it’s not in our control, we are going to play a game and try to beat them wherever that will be.”
On squad depth, returnees and injuries, Slegers explained that “Victoria [Pelova] and Amanda [Illestedt] are still in the ‘Return to Play’ phase but are joining in a lot with the team, which is great. Stina [Blackstenius] reported ill on matchday, but she is fine and was back training with us on Tuesday. Lina [Hurtig] wasn’t in the squad last Sunday, but she is progressing really well and has trained parts with the team, we will see how she reacts after Tuesday’s session as she was on the pitch as well.”
Arsenal are ‘always looking to improve’
Slegers remained largely tight lipped on any further changes her side may be subject to in the January transfer window, stating “We have a great squad, and the squad is built to be able to compete in many competitions, so we’re very happy with the players we have. We are always looking to improve, you need to do that, but we are very happy with who we have at the moment, so I have nothing to share.”
However, she was tasked to expand on the future of young gunner Katie Reid. “She progressed really, really well. She was with Watford last season and she developed a lot on her loan. She came back and I was very impressed with her as a player and as a person. You need to get a lot of things right to become an Arsenal player: you need to be physically top, you need to be technically top, you need to have a really good understanding of the game and good decision making plus your mentality is very important.”
“Just looking at her age, she is only 18, but she’s already on a high level. Of course, she is young and she will still make mistakes, like everybody else, which we think is fine, alongside everybody else. But she’s a great player and she’s developing really well.”
On whether she will remain in the squad for the remainder of the season, Slegers said “I cannot answer that question at the moment, but for now she is with us and is doing really well.”
Slegers counts herself ‘lucky’
Thus far in her tenure, Renée Slegers has opted for a settled defence despite the options she has across her backline and it seems to be paying off with five consecutive clean sheets. “We have a great set up on our centre-back position, a lot of players of high quality so we’re very fortunate.”
Slegers has referenced before that it has been a shift in mentality as opposed to tactics, but there has been a shift in formation as Steph Catley finds herself partnering Leah Williamson in the centre-back duo. “We have a lot of players in the squad that can play different roles for us. Steph is one of those. She has been brilliant in a new role, she does a lot of things that you might not see but that helps the team. It’s the small details, how she positions herself and how she passes the ball. She’s a very good player.”
Elaborating on the versatility of her squad, Slegers smiled when stating that “the versatility is one of the reasons why it is so fun to work with this squad, because there are so many different qualities, even within one player. Players can play different roles for us, from in game changes but also game-to-game. I’m very fortunate to get the chance to work with these players because it becomes very fun as a coach.”
Slegers continued with the example of Katie McCabe on Sunday in the game against Crystal Palace describing that “her role changed in the second half, but she only needed a short message with a little bit of information and she knows exactly how to play that role.”
“We are lucky to have all of these players in the team; versatility in the squad but also in the players.”
Arsenal will face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Broadfield Stadium on Wednesday evening at 19:15 (GMT). The game will be available live on YouTube.
