Every word of Renee’s pre-Man City presser

Renee Slegers was back in front of the media at Sobha Realty Training Centre for her pre-Manchester City press conference on Wednesday.

She was asked about the latest team news, her thoughts on Thursday's Subway Women's League Cup semi-final and more.

Here's what she had to say on the following subjects...

on team news including Lina Hurtig and Caitlin Foord:
No new injuries or illnesses, so everyone who was available for last Sunday is available for tomorrow. Caitlin Foord is back available. Katie McCabe is back from suspension.

on if Jenna Nighswonger could play:
We have to progress her really well. She comes from a break in the US and a camp with the national team, so we have to be really smart with her, but with everything she’s been showing in training, she looks really good.

on what she can bring to the team:
Great quality on the ball with her left foot, but has a very good right foot as well. Good understanding of spaces, good at combining with other players as well, so she definitely brings a lot to us and a new dynamic for us in possession.

on if this game could go to a penalty shootout after a tight game on Sunday:
Well if I knew that, then that would be great and I could plan for the scenario! It’s going to be a very tight game. It’s two top teams. We came away from Manchester winning that game, but we’re very humble with both feet on the ground. We know that City’s going to come to Borehamwood and is going to want to do something different. I think they’re happy with the three goals they scored and not happy with four conceded, so I think they’ll come and change things and make it even harder for us and try to exploit us as well, so it’s going to be a hard game but we’re looking good and humble but also confident about the game tomorrow.

on City’s squad:
I think they have great players, fantastic players in their squad. They’ve suffered from some injuries of course with a couple of players not available at the moment, but that’s up to them to comment on and have thoughts about. I think, looking at the players they have and the players they’ll have on the pitch tomorrow, it will be a very strong.

on Vivianne Miedema:
I think it’s amazing to see how strong the bond was between the fans and former players. There was something built there and it meant a lot for the player and for the fans, which is fantastic to see. Obviously I respect Viv a lot for what she’s done for Arsenal. I played with her as well, so I hope she gets a great reception tomorrow and I’m just happy that that’s the respectful way that we treat each other between players and fans.

on how important this competition is for us:
We’re very aware of what kind of game we’re going to play tomorrow and what it could mean for us, so we look forward to it. It means a lot, we want to go for trophies, so we know what the game means and we look forward to it.

on how she manages to stay calm during hectic games:
I think my presence is always very calm but of course my brain is going 100mph! But no, I think it’s very important to stay calm on the sideline. For me it works very well, because if I’m getting too engaged and emotional, I can’t think in solutions and strategies, so for me it’s the best way if I want to be the best version of myself. That’s the best for me and I think that helps the team in the best way.

on if she prefers a wild 4-3 game to a 1-0 defensive masterclass:
Well you know how important defensive solidity is for us so I don’t 100% agree, but what I think is good is that we bring something, a product to the people watching it. It’s all about winning, but we also know what football means to a lot of people and I’m happy we can bring entertaining football but, ideally for us, it would be entertaining football with a clean sheet.

on if it could be a completely different game tomorrow:
Again, if I knew that, I could give you the answer, but we have thoughts about the game. We’re happy with things we did well that we want to continue doing. There are some things we want to tweak, but we’re also preparing for them changing things, so it’s going to be a very interesting game between two top teams tomorrow.

on if the two sides will make a few changes:
I have no idea what they’re going to do! I know what we’re going to do, but I don’t want to share that!

on Hurtig’s progress:
She’s recovering from a muscle injury. The exact prognosis I can’t share at the moment, but she’s doing work on the pitch.

on what it would mean to qualify for the final:
I’m part of the team and I want the best for the team, so what it would mean for me is happiness because it would mean a spot in the final for me, but mostly for the team, for the girls and for everyone, all the staff in the background working really hard. That’s what it would mean for me as well.

on how much confidence we take from previous games against City:
We're confident about ourselves and what we can do tomorrow, but we're also very humble because we see the qualities that they have, and we're just going to have to stop that really well, and we'll have to be concentrated and working hard the whole game. But then I think again, I believe in the qualities we can bring to the game tomorrow as well. 

on if it’s a challenge for us to alter our approach for this game having faced City so recently:
I won't share too much, but we will just try and build a plan that we believe is going to win us the game tomorrow. 

on if entertaining football is an important part of our style:
I'm happy with the things we're doing at the moment. I've been sharing it here as well, the Arsenal way and what does it mean for us? And I think all the things it means for us as a team, we're showing a lot of that on the pitch. We're still not and the players as well, we're never fully happy with what we do. We still need to make better decisions. We still need to be more pro-active in a couple of things. We still need to be knowing what the rhythm of the game is and what the right thing to do is at that moment in time. But I am happy with a lot of things that we're doing at the moment, but still also critical of things we want to improve. 

on training with different sizes of footballs:
It's part of a certain day of the week where we want to create a certain vibe, and want to get the players cognitively switched on, which then could help with part of differential learning. So, that's what we do. 

on the challenges of preparing for the same opposition twice in four days, and if it’s easier having won the first game:
I don't think that makes a difference. The challenge is not knowing what they're going to do. So, we sit and discuss, as a tech team, but also with the players, and try and anticipate their plan for the game, and try to respond to that pro-actively, but also see what we can bring to the game. So it's a fun challenge, I think. 

on if it’s like a penalty taker taking two penalties in the same game:
Yes, that’s a good metaphor. I agree. 

on Stina Blackstenius’ journey here so far:
She's been at the club for a while. She was here before I came, and I’ve seen her grow up. We played together in Linköping in Sweden, I think she was 17 back then, so I'm very impressed with the journey she's been on as a person and as a player. You could see the qualities already back then, her physicality, her speed. But, I think all the other things she's added to her game, I’m very impressed. I think when players develop that it says something about them. And she's been having challenges along the way which she has overcome. And I'm just very happy with where she is at the moment, and looking at how hard she's worked and where she put herself, that she put herself into this situation, she can enjoy football in this way. She has very specific qualities that she can bring to our game.

on how important this game is for momentum:
This game is huge for us, it's very important. We want to compete in all four competitions, and that's what we're doing at the moment, and we want to stay in there. So tomorrow, it's a knockout game, and we want to win that game tomorrow to go to the final.

on how important it is for the game to be strong on tackling abuse:
It is very important, because I think there shouldn't be room for that in women's football, and not in the world in general. And I think Bunny [Khadija Shaw] is a fantastic player, she deserves all the support, and I don't think there should be any room for that in in the game or in the world.