Renée Slegers held her pre-Chelsea press conference at Sobha Realty Training Centre on Friday afternoon.
She was asked about the latest team news as well as her thoughts on Sunday's London derby at Stamford Bridge.
Here's everything she had to say on the following subjects...
on the availability of Lia Walti and Caitlin Foord:
Both were precautions. We chose not to have Foordy in the squad for Brighton. Wally was in the squad, felt something, she was assessed. All good, both are on the pitch today.
on if playing out wide is a good solution for Rosa Kafaji:
Without going into too much detail, obviously we see Rosa as a very good player for now and for the future for Arsenal. What do we need as a team? What qualities does Rosa bring to the team? One of the things you mention is a dribbler, one-v-one player with forward intent and deep runs and that’s what we want on the wings depending on what side and what game etcetera. But she’s a player that can bring that to the team. We put high value on defending, so it’s very important for us that you do your role in all phases of the game really, really well. Some parts of it are quite complex, especially if you come here as a new player. We accept the process that Rosa is in and she’s doing really well. She’s progressing really well and if you look at the different positions in our team then probably the central position is even more complex than the winger position out of possession, so looking at the whole picture, I was happy with quite some bits on Rosa last Wednesday.
on the progression of Kyra Cooney-Cross:
We’ve seen with many younger players when they come to Arsenal that they might need some time to adjust. It’s a big step. You go to a big club with high demands, you move to another country in many cases, so the whole life situation changes and you get to know new coaches, new staff members, new players, new teammates, so we accept that can take a little bit of time. You could see that with Kyra as well. She’s an excellent, excellent player. I think she’s done so well for us and, if you look at the level she’s performing at now at the moment, she’s very good for us. You could see it took some time for her to adjust to Arsenal and life in St Albans and everything we expect from that player in that position, but if you look at how she’s performing now, I’m very happy with her. She’s invested a lot of work.
on the importance of starting well against Chelsea:
It’s something in general, not specific for Chelsea, but something in general that we speak about. We break the game into 15 minute blocks from all aspects of football and we’ve seen that the first 15 minutes for us are important and I think we’ve improved in that part of the game, but yes it will be important on Sunday as well.
on her memories of our previous game against Chelsea:
I think the momentum of us at that time was maybe not positive momentum, so we came away from Munich with a loss and then had to go straight into a home game against Chelsea. But I think, if you look at the game again and look at the stats of the game, we actually did quite well in that game. Chelsea went away winning that game, so we know the details that we need to focus on, but at the same time, we also have a belief in what we’re doing at the moment and I think we know what we want to do on Sunday. It’s going to be exciting to see where we’re at compared to that game, but I and the players have a big belief in what we’re doing at the moment.
on how to find ways to take on such an impressive team:
Of course we’re humble for the task. We know how good Chelsea are and that they’ve been on an impressive run of games, so very impressed with what they’ve been doing but what we want to do is just take this game and approach it as any other game. The things we’ve been doing really well have been being composed and calm about any opposition that we’re going to play. We’re humble but also have a big belief in what we’re doing and we try to approach this game in the exact same way.
on if there’s a big rivalry between us and Chelsea:
For me personally, I care a lot about Arsenal so I want to do the best for Arsenal. But of course, I understand what it means for fans and certain players, so it’s going to be a game that’s tight. I think there’s going to be some physical battles on the pitch and I think momentum will probably shift between the two teams, so it’s going to be interesting to see who can capitalise on when the momentum is there and the chances are there.
on if there’s a difference in our mentality or intentions when we come up against the top teams:
No, to be honest, we don't expect to win every game that we go into. We're actually very humble for any task, and our prep is very detailed, and that's what we're going to do now as well. So I don't think that changes, but you always have to be realistic about the opposition, weaknesses and strengths, and that changes from game to game. So Chelsea will ask us different questions. But I think, like I've been saying, all WSL games are challenging in different ways. The games we've played in Champions League have been challenging in different ways, and now on Sunday, it's Chelsea who are going to ask us questions. So in that sense, we just prepare in the same way, but very detailed.
on the significance of having two female managers going head-to-head:
Yeah, I'm happy that there are more and more opportunities for women in sport in general, and you see it in different roles. I think ideally, you'd have women working in men's sports and you'd have men working in women's sport, and there's opportunities for everyone with no respect to gender. It's obviously very good and it says something about the opportunities that are given and how different federations are working to get more women into top roles in football. And I think UEFA has been pushing this as well, offering scholarships and trying to find ways to get more women into coaching. So that's very positive.
on being able to find different ways to win:
I think we're really building with the team. So we try to be unpredictable, and we try to be able to win games in different ways, and we want to be good in all phases of the game. And then understanding what the opposition is giving us and trying to exploit that. So that's one part of it. I think that's what you need to be in top football, if you want to be a top team. At the moment, you need to be good at everything. You need to be able to exploit different things in different games. So for example, for us, it's playing against mid-blocks, low-blocks, high-press. All those things. But also in-game, how we can problem solve, change things, accept and stay composed when we're in a phase of the game where the opposition has a little bit more momentum and finding ways to get back into it. And I think that builds a top team and that's what we're trying to build with the team at the moment.
on how significant it would be to take three points on Sunday:
Yeah, of course. And we go for that, we go for the win, and we have a belief in what we do, but again, respect Chelsea for who they are and all the strength they have.
on if she’s ever played or coached against Sonia Bompastor:
I might have played against her, but I'm not sure. I haven't coached against Sonia.
on what she admires about the way she manages:
I think she's very detailed. I've got the impression. As it looks like, she wants her team to be very optimistic and go towards goal, aggressive out of possession. I think I see some things that they're doing that I can recognise from the French national team. So, I see the French ideas, but I see what Chelsea is and what they usually are. I think they're very powerful. Forward intent in pressing. I think it's probably a good combination: that coach with that team. So, I think she's really trying to get the best out of that team. And yeah, it's impressive to see, of course, top coaches doing top work with good teams.
on if we have to setup in a ‘man-to-man’ system against Chelsea:
No, that wouldn't mean that we would go to a man-to-man system. But obviously, we're aware of the threats they have. I think they have some really good players up front and that's indeed, all we've seen. Like I said, I think Sonia makes her team play very optimistically and it's very demanding. I think you see them dribble into the box, getting shots off and so, in and around the box, they're very goal-directed. So, we'll all have to be very disciplined in our defensive structure. Can we stop those situations early? Great. But if they come through a couple of times, then we have to defend that really, really well.
on the effect of bringing players off the bench in recent games:
That’s definitely helped us the last two games in our attacking details. But, Chelsea is going to ask us different things, so we'll see how we’re going to manage the game with our players.
on the importance of Alessia Russo:
I'm very impressed with who Alessia is as a person, because she's just a very good person, and cares for everyone, for teammates. She cares for staff, and she always treats everyone with big respect. And then if you see the hard work she invests on the training pitch, she's very humble about herself. She works really hard, but then is also a big believer in who she is and how she can impact the game for us as a team. She’s just a great player to have in the team, and I'm very happy for her, that she’s getting out of herself, what she wants to get out of herself. So, it's a great player to work with.
on her thriving under Renee’s leadership:
I hope so, that's what I want. I want to get the best out of players, see if we can play them to their strengths. And we invest a lot of time in that as a staff, and the players need to invest in that as well, and that's what's happening, hopefully with Alessia at the moment.
on Jen Beattie’s retirement:
Also, a very good person, very good teammate. She's very good with the girls in the team. She has leadership, she cares and demands. And she was a really good link for us as a staff back then, in my role as well. She's had a great career, she's meant a lot for the team she's played for, and it's going to be interesting to see if she's going to stay in football, and what role she's going to contribute with, because I hope she will stay in an active role around women's football.
on if she could come back here in the future:
That’s not up to me to say, but all I know, and all I want to say is that Jen is a really good person.
on young players heading out on loan recently:
I think we're very happy with every individual player. We try to find the right pathway and what's best for this player, for the short term and the long term. How do we develop them, and for some of the young players that we’ve signed at the moment, we think it's the best solution to go on loan and get minutes. And I think the Championship, if you look at how that's developing, and how the top teams are playing, and how the clubs are helping the women's team and the resources they get, I think it's going quick in a very good direction. So, I am very comfortable with those players being there, and we're sure they will get the development we hope they get, because they are in good environments, and then it's obviously still up to the player to try and bloom and take ownership of their development. But I think all girls that we have here, they are very keen to take ownership and try to get the best out of their potential. So, I’m very happy for the girls and I look forward to seeing how they will do.
on which Chelsea players have stood out for her:
Like I said, I think they have a big strength in their attacking line, they have dribblers, they have shooters, they have finishers. So, that's going to be a great challenge for our players, our back line, and our sixes to defend that really well. So, and like I said before, they are a team that when they get chances in the game, they are likely to take them. I think that's one of their big strengths, that when they have momentum, they capitalise. So, we must be on high concentration levels the whole game through, but we obviously also see opportunities against Chelsea, and we’ll try and play our game as much as possible, because that's what makes us strong. So, we need to play our game, and then we have some details on how we think we can exploit certain things against Chelsea. So, it will be an interesting game, and we look forward to it on Sunday.
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