Renée Slegers sat down in front of the media at Emirates Stadium for her post-Lyon press conference on Saturday.
Here's what she had to say on the following subjects.
on weathering the first 30 minutes against Lyon:
Yeah, you'll have to ask the players, but I don't think it was a shock. But of course it's a very high level opposition, so the tempo is higher and you know you'll get punished if you make mistakes. I think we had to settle into the game and create the belief while we were playing. I think that shows in the way we come out in the second half, and how we play our game even though we're playing against a really strong opponent with so much strength that we have the courage and the bravery to play our game. So yeah, we grew into the game from that perspective, and I think in that period against an opposition like Lyon with so much strength, I think when we then have momentum we need to score, and that's what we did in the end. But yeah, we probably should have scored at least one more in that phase of the game, while you're at home at the Emirates against such a strong opponent. We worked really hard to get that goal, and then it was disappointing that they scored very quickly afterwards because then we were chasing the game again. But yeah, it's half-time and it's one goal down, so we still have the opportunities when we play them next week.
on finding that improvement in the second half:
Yeah, so we focused on some details in what we wanted to look for on the pitch in possession and doing it with a little bit more tempo to create bigger spaces. And then out of possession, we needed to find some solutions for how they position themselves in their build phase.
on whether the players were surprised by the intensity:
Like I said, I haven't spoken to the players yet. I don't think so, but I think playing against Lyon with specifically these three forwards on the pitch, it's something that we haven't faced this season yet. You have to experience it to be able to find the solution and I think what was strong of the team was that we needed to settle in the game and it took us some time, but we did it. We found the solutions and the courage and the belief started to grow and the solutions for how we stopped them. Of course, we prepared for that. It's not that it was a surprise for us. We knew what we were going to face and the players knew exactly that this was the threat we needed to stop. But I'm happy with the way we grow into the game and especially the phase in the second half where we dominate.
on whether our experience will give us an advantage in the second leg:
Yes, hopefully. We know exactly what we're playing against next week, but the same will count for Lyon.
on becoming more clinical for the second leg:
I think what's been a big strength of us as a team is that we are ruthless and that we find ways to score a lot of goals. I don't think just after this game that we start to doubt ourselves in that area on how capable we are. But of course we're going to have a look at if there are even more specific things we can do in the final third to create bigger chances. But I think a couple of chances we create are really good, so we find good set-ups on the pitch. So we're going to find the details for next week, definitely.
on whether there’s anything specific we’ll be working on this week:
I think everything we expected the game to be, it turned out the way today. Of course, we now look at the two fast attacks, where they scored from, where we conceded from, but I think so many times we stop it early and really well as well. The learning is you need to do it consistently without any slips over 90 minutes, because otherwise if a team like Lyon gets one, two, three chances, they will punish you.
on whether a 2-1 loss isn’t such a bad result:
I think we're not happy with the result, because like I said, we did really well finally getting the equaliser, and that was the least we wanted. After that goal, we felt like we could potentially score another one. So I think as the game turned out, especially in the second half, a draw or a win was what we went for. But I think Arsenal has done it before against Lyon away, has won with big numbers. So it's going to be a pitch, 11 v 11, good grass, and we have all the opportunities to win that game next week.
on whether our squad’s fitness will improve ahead of the second leg:
Yeah, that will definitely help. But if they wouldn't have been fit, they wouldn't be in the squad today, so they were ready to play. But we're going to use these seven, eight days in an optimal way to get ready for Sunday.
on Stina Blackstenius’ impact:
Stina has been doing really well for us, as so many other players.
on whether the memory of our last fixture against Lyon away will be a boost:
Yeah, it is similar and they have similar players, but I think so much has changed in those years as well. So not too much from a tactical point of view, but definitely from a psychological point of view and knowing that if you go there, you can do something. And Arsenal's done it before, and won 5-1. But yeah, this is going to be a different scenario. Of course, Lyon are happy with the 2-1 here, and they will do everything they can to protect that lead. So it's going to be a very difficult game, but we're going to go there and believe that we can do something.
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