The Arsenal boss, Renee Slegers, described her side’s recent victory over Real Madrid as the highlight of her time at the club. Slegers had been appointed interim chief in October, with the Belgian confirmed in the role full-time in January. Her tenure has already seen the completion of some remarkable goals. She said that victory against Real Madrid was the best performance of her stint at the helm. The win featured brilliant strategic half-time changes and numerous individual supremely talented performances by the team. Yet the substratum of the team’s deepening strength emerged in blistering clarity. This performance put them on course for their high-stakes clash with Lyon in the semi-final.
A Tactical Masterstroke
Slegers’ tactical planning and in-game management were evident as the regional THUAS women countered a powerhouse club from Madrid. At half-time, she had already made the right adjustments that put forward Alessia Russo in the perfect place to score. This chess-like tactical maneuver was key in preventing Arsenal from doing the double over city rivals, Chelsea. Regardless of the situation, Slegers lived by the credo of keeping your cool under all circumstances. This philosophy not only defined her team, but it was crucial in their collective return to form.
“It was calm. We’ve spoken about it before that we need to be calm in every scenario,” – Renee Slegers
Russo’s impact, both in her scoring ability and her selflessness as a teammate, was immense. According to her former manager, Russo was unique. Slegers acknowledged that while Russo’s goals were vital, her work rate and effort across the pitch were equally important to the team’s success.
“Alessia was really good for us again. She scored goals but she does so many things for the team as well that are important, she puts so much work in.” – Renee Slegers
A Step in the Right Direction
That win over Real Madrid was monumental for Arsenal, it was a big statement start. Defensively, Slegers emphasized this performance as one of the best from Arsenal against a strong opponent. It proved that they could hang with the big boys at soccer’s highest level.
“We’ve done really good things before and had good performances against good teams but this is definitely one of them. This is maybe the clearest one where you play an opponent away, the game looks like it does and then you come back a week after and put a performance and result forward. So I think this is probably the clearest one.” – Renee Slegers
Chloe Kelly, who went on to win player of the match honors, drew high praise from Slegers. He praised it as her best performance since returning to the team in January. Kelly’s two assists were instrumental in securing Arsenal’s victory, further solidifying her role in the squad.
Eyes on the Prize
Meanwhile, Slegers and her team are already turning their sights towards semi-final opponents Lyon. They’re hellbent on bringing a fifth Champions League trophy to Arsenal’s young collection. The club’s last victory in the highly-coveted title came in 2007, and players on the current team are inspired to achieve that same glory.
“I know how much they want that to stay within the club and us to do it again. And we’ve not been close enough, if we’re being honest. So we have to try and get back there. This was the right step.” – Leah Williamson
Alessia Russo echoed the sentiment of belief and determination within the squad, expressing confidence in their ability to turn around challenging situations.
“As soon as we set out from the first minute, I felt like we were on top, although it took a little while for the first goal. But yeah, we have that belief in the team and we knew we could turn it around.” – Alessia Russo
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