Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers has stated that her side used the controversial decisions as ‘positive fuel’ to get a draw against league leaders Chelsea.
Slegers spoke to the press following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with league leaders Chelsea at the Emirates. The Halfway Line was present to hear from the Arsenal head coach.
Renée Slegers proud of Arsenal side who ‘grew into the game’
Arsenal ended up drawing with Chelsea after a controversial match where the Gunners came close to a late victory but were denied by razor tight refereeing calls. The Arsenal head coach had her say,
“I’m very disappointed today. I want to put that first” Slegers admitted.
“I think we’ll get to the point of why. I think there was a lot to manage for the players today, intensity is really high from a football and physical perspective, but also emotionally, because there’s a lot of stake this game.
“It’s a London Derby. It’s about the [league] title. There’s so much. So I’m really proud of the team and how they how they perform today from that perspective.
“I think the first moment that they have to get through is the block of the first 15 minutes, where we know Chelsea comes out fast, and unfortunately, we’re not successful in that period. We knew about it but we don’t manage it well enough.
“That’s our weak moment in the game. But then the way again, going back to mentality, the way we come back from that period of time, 15/20 minutes, it’s fantastic. We grow into the game.
“We come back in the changing room. There’s a lot of talk going on, players connecting about solutions second half, belief, [it’s] positive. I think we address a couple of things that we see we are doing well, and these are the areas where we can win the game and we can score, and that was all very constructive, I think come out well in the second half.”
Slegers delights in Arsenal who used controversy to ‘fuel’ them
Arsenal had two goals disallowed, one for offside and the other for handball. Slegers noted the controversial moments that may come to define this classic WSL tie,
“Then again, there’s a lot to manage in the second half from an emotional perspective” Slegers said.
“And that’s why we come to the to the disallowed goals in these in these big games where there’s so much at stake and there’s two really good teams going against each other and fine margins. So if you didn’t get the goal, you have to work so hard for that goal.
“It’s really frustrating. When it then gets disallowed, and then you have to come back from that. I think what I’m really happy with is how the players use that as positive fuel.
“Instead of getting frustrated and emotional and not being able to play a task on the pitch anymore, not being able to find solutions anymore, I think they used it in a positive way. It fuelled them believing that we are going to score this goal, and they did.”
Slegers continued to comment on Frida Maanum’s late goal which was ruled offside, she nodded to Arseblog journalist Tim Stillman as she spoke after Stillman questioned about the things that are in her side’s control,
“I just watched video back, and it’s hard to tell from the angle I’ve seen, whether it’s on offside” Slegers said. She nodded to Arseblog journalist Tim Stillman as she spoke next after Stillman had prefaced his earlier question talking about the things that are in her side’s control:
“I think Tim [Stillman], thank you for reminding me to keep on talking about things that we can control and things we can’t control. It is what it is, and [I have] a lot of respect for referees because it’s not easy, because we sit there in retrospect. We’re looking at video, we’re looking at if this was on or offside.
“Referees need to make decisions [it’s] really hard. But at the moment, if you ask me, I think in a game like this, we need just decisions. We need justice, and that’s where I think VAR technology can come in.”
‘The crowd was amazing’ lauds Slegers
Arsenal and Chelsea played out an epic in front of the biggest WSL crowd of the season with 56,537 in attendance. Slegers was quick to compliment the Arsenal faithful,
“The crowd was amazing” Slegers beamed.
“I think it’s also for the players on the pitch and for us working with the team, we have to come back from adversity, and it’s the same for crowds.
“Of course, they also get disappointed when Chelsea scores their first goal, but they kept them coming back and they got louder and louder.
“And they [the team] also get fuelled by them, by the decisions and wanting it even more. So I think that there was some great energy in the stadium.”
Olivia Smith and Taylor Hinds ‘have done so well’ to adapt to Arsenal
Taylor Hinds and Olivia Smith came off the bench to great effect for Arsenal on Saturday. Slegers was particularly complimentary about the pair after being asked to comment by The Halfway Line,
“We’re so happy with them in the team, and they bring a lot of athleticism and speed” Slegers commented.
“So that really changed things for us. That was important, of course, managing things behind but also exploiting things going forward. And yeah, they’ve integrated so well.
“It’s not easy. We demand a lot. Our training environment is quite complex. They’ve done so well coming into the team and I’m happy Liv [Olivia Smith] is back as well, because she wasn’t available against Leicester.
“And Taylor [Hinds] is just, whatever we ask from her, whether that’s inside or on the left or the right she does it for us. She’s been fantastic.”
