Every word of Renee’s pre-Palace press conference

Renee Slegers was back in front of the media at Sobha Realty Training Centre for her pre-Crystal Palace press conference on Friday.

She was asked all about the latest team news, our 3-0 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, this weekend’s game against the Eagles and more.

Here’s everything she had to say on the following subjects.

on the latest team news:
Lina Hurtig is not available, Laia Codina, we pushed her for the Madrid game, but some reactions, so she won't be available either and Lotte Wubben-Moy is still out. 

on how long Lina Hurtig and Laia Codina could be out for:
Nothing to share at the moment, no.

on making Emirates Stadium a fortress for us:
It's a great place for us to be at, we love to play there. The pitch is fantastic, the facilities are really good, it's all optimised for performance. We thrive and then the fans, they were so loud last Wednesday. If we play in big stadiums like the Emirates, we can have a lot of fans so we can create something together which is very important for us. I think that's what the fans did really well last Wednesday.

on two WSL sides being in the Champions League semi-finals:
I think WSL is a very high-level league. I'm happy for England that there's two teams progressing to the semi-finals, it's really good. I think women's football is developing in general across all countries and fields so that's very positive. We want that to keep on growing and we want it to grow faster.

on Chloe Kelly’s performances so far:
We're very happy with Chloe. She means a lot to us, she did mean a lot to us in the game against Madrid. I think all players on the pitch did really well. I think everyone performed on a really high level, but also the whole squad. Preparing the team to go into the game and everyone's played their role. It's a team effort and there's individuals and I think it's a good sign of a team when individuals can do well.

on what to expect from Crystal Palace:
They are obviously fighting for points so they will put everything on the line and they will do everything to get points on Sunday. That's what we're preparing for. For us it's important that we did really well last Wednesday. A lot of positives in the performance and I think we set ourselves some new standards. We want to live up to those standards again on Sunday so it's mostly going to be about us and what we can deliver on Sunday.

on how we harness the energy from Wednesday night going forward:
Everything that we did Wednesday night and I think what we've been doing all the time as well, all the positives you want to grasp and keep. That's what we spoke about so it's not only about what we did last Wednesday but how can we keep on doing this and how can we be consistent with these things. We're already trying to take the learnings and the positives to apply for the rest of the season and the rest of our time at Arsenal. That's what we've been focusing on and of course you want to keep the positivity and the great performance and energy that's in the group right now. We just have to make sure that we channel it the right way because we know that we have a really important game coming up on Sunday.

on if Palace are difficult to read ahead of this weekend:
Maybe but we face so many challenges during a season. I think we've played against so many different styles of play, different formations. I think we're getting really good at solving those different challenges and we play against teams that change in-game. So I think we're getting more and more mature in whatever opposition comes with on matchday. We can solve it and what Crystal Palace is going to do we don't know. Lately they've been playing a back four with the new manager but you never know, they might change something for Sunday.

on designing set pieces for different opponents and how players are involved in that:
So we want to create an environment where we have a lot of player engagement and I think that's on a high level at the moment. But it's still on us, the coaches, to create the framework and the structure for it. But we like to get their input and that's in general but that's also on set-pieces specifically. I can bring Chris [Bradley, set-piece coach] next time to the press conference if you have more specific questions. He's been doing really well and I think maybe you've seen those two specific ones, the last two games. You spotted that really well but he always tries to work with all the detail in all the other games as well. So we always have a game plan from a set-piece perspective. It's on a high level, players are engaged and we know that it's an important part of the game.

on how Lina is handling her injuries mentally:
I spoke to her of course. She's dealing with it but it's very hard and it's not only physically hard to come back from injuries and then re-injuring. It's mentally tough. But she's okay, she's dealing well with it, she's calm. She's going to go into a process again of rehabilitation. She's going to go and see some family in a couple of days, so that's important as well. So we're here to support Lina.

on the possibility of an all-English Champions League final:
That's looking very far ahead. Sunday is Crystal Palace and then there's the semi-finals in April. It's not on my mind at all but if you're painting a scenario then I think of course the FA and the clubs in England would be very happy if that were the case. I have my eyes set on Sunday against Crystal Palace.

on if she’s surprised that an all-English final hasn’t happened before:
Well, I think a lot of good things are happening in England and of course football comes from England. I think clubs here, especially Arsenal, have been investing for a long time in women's football. That's great, I think, looking at where it is at the moment. It's so competitive in a broader and wider sense I think than in many other countries. But you also see, of course in other countries no one has been sitting still. You see a couple of clubs consistently making it to semi-finals and finals. I think that's positive. I think in an ideal world you have a lot of clubs and countries investing. I think that will come with time and I think a lot of people are pushing for it.

on how she got us to another level in the second half against Real Madrid:
I think we did really well in the first half as well. I think our press and counter-press was on a very high level. I think we were giving Madrid a lot of time and space and mentally the same. They didn't get time to think or get into the game. So we did a lot of important work in the first half. I think in the second half a couple of details and just about being calm and composed about spaces, things we want to create and believing that it will come. You could sense in the changing room at half-time that the players were all feeling the same. So that was top. We said 90 minutes is a long time for opposition if we are pushing and pushing and pushing. It can happen at any point in the game. Of course we knew the task, we wanted to go for it early but sometimes you have to break things down. It happened in the second half so that was great. But again that was Wednesday and we did really well. We set some new standards but Sunday is going to be the important one against Crystal Palace.

on if ruthlessness is something we work on:
Yes, it's important for us. We want to be hard to beat of course. We want to have variety, we want to create dilemmas and we want to wear teams down if we can and then capitalise when opportunities are there and I think that's connected to ruthlessness. I think the players on the pitch did really well on Wednesday.

on if the quality of the pitch and the size of the crowd on Wednesday tells us where the women’s game can get to:
I think so and it all needs to grow together so I think all parties involved need to develop and try to push for the next level and I think on us, coaches, players here, it's on us to develop the football and make it as good as possible so we can grow together with the fans and everyone else connected to the football so I think we try to do what we can do and push it to the next level but I'm really happy with it. If you look at where we are now and I want to push for more but sometimes you need to see things in perspective as well and I think it's been growing very fast lately but it doesn't just happen. I think if I look at Arsenal, the club has been invested for a long time to grow the women's game so I'm very proud that I'm a part of this.

on how to shift our focus onto Sunday after such a high on Wednesday:
Just as any other time, you try to bring all the positives and all the learnings and you try to apply that to the next game so we were of course very happy with Wednesday's performance and results but it doesn't mean anything if we don't keep on going and continue in that way, playing that way and getting results that way so it doesn't mean anything if we're not successful on Sunday.

on how we plan for the upcoming period with an international break between matches:
So that's been reality for as long as I've been here. We've played a lot of games, we have international breaks, a lot of international breaks during the season and then coming off of those breaks you have to go into competitive games straight away and I think we come from a lot of blocks where we've played mid-week games and it's very tight with games so it's nothing new so in that sense we are used to the rhythm and we like the rhythm of playing so much. I know the players like to go away with the national teams as well to represent their countries, change of scenery, so that's always good. You can see I'm always coming back full of energy and motivation to represent Arsenal again. For us it comes, of course I'm happy either way, I'm very happy with going to the semi-finals of the Champions League so I want to play that wherever on the schedule but for us it comes at a good point as well. We can analyse what we've been doing, we can take some good time to prepare for the next block but the way we work and the way we structure things will be the same as always.

on if she has any podcast recommendations:
There's a couple of Dutch ones more about culture, society and relationships. I think BBC has a lot of good ones.

on if she’s seen improvements in Alessia Russo’s game:
I think from the day she came to Arsenal I've been very impressed with her footballing qualities. I think that's always been there. I think the way she goes about it now, how she's very determined and feisty and wants to contribute so much to the team and believes in what she can contribute with, that's on a very high level at the moment. I think she's so consistent so whatever the circumstance or the result or whatever it is, she is always going to be there and deliver the same thing and that's very strong I think. She's doing really well for the team, not only with her goalscoring contribution but in all other aspects of the game as well.

on if there should be more research into different types of pitches:
I'm always happy with research. A lot of research is done of course in men's football. Men's football has existed for longer than women's football so I would be happy if there would be more research in women's football as well specifically. We want the best possible pitches to play on. I think the women's game deserves it where it is at the moment because if you play on a good pitch you can also deliver a better product. So yeah, no, I would welcome that, definitely more research.

on how fierce it is to try to avoid relegation for teams like Palace:
It's very competitive so we don't take points for granted at all even though we're in second place in the table now. We understand that every game is hard in the WSL so I think the competition is, as a whole, the league is very strong. So it's good that it's very competitive. I think it's in the top, in the middle and in the bottom everyone is fighting for things, which is good. But I expect Palace to come out with a lot of motivation because they need every point possible. 

on how Chloe can evolve her connections with her teammates during the rest of the season:
I think it's easier to connect with other players if you are very clear with your own actions and body language and communication. And if other players are very clear as well, then I think that connection can take you very far. I think, of course, Chloe comes in with partnerships that she has already from playing here before with a couple of players and playing with England players. So you can see that. But we try to set up a clear structure and framework where it's easy for players to build partnerships. Because I really believe that's key in football. That you can find each other easily, almost without watching. Because that's when you can play the fastest football. So that's a big part of what we try to create.

on what she’s made of Jenna Nighswonger so far:
We have such a good squad. Jenna is part of the squad, joined us in the summer. She's so good on the ball. She's obviously left-footed, can use her right foot as well. She has a really good understanding of spaces and other players' movements. So that's definitely her strengths. And she's been bringing that to us in the minutes. You've seen her play on the pitch, but also on the training ground. So that's great. And then, of course, the WSL is a very physical league, where you have to match your opponent physically at times. If we play really good on the ball and we anticipate well, then you can keep yourself out of those situations. But it's going to happen because we play against good teams. So that's new for Jenna. And that's something to get used to when you come to England. I think, just like every other player, you would have to get used to that.