Arsenal forward Beth Mead says there has been a ‘release of new energy’ at Arsenal under Interim Manager Renee Slegers. Head Coach Jonas Eidevall resigned in October and Dutch coach Renee Slegers has taken interim charge until a permanent successor is found.
Slegers’ previous role saw her coaching players on an individual basis and Mead believes that has ideally placed Slegers to reconnect the players with belief and confidence during a trying period. ‘We have worked with Renee for quite a while, in a different role to the one she is in now I think she has taken to it like a duck to water, it has been an easy transition for the group.
‘She gives us confidence, we are playing good football and as individuals and as a collective we are happy we have got Renee and she deserves the credit for making us feel good and getting the performances on the pitch.
‘We have to take the most out of this chapter and keep pushing forward and create nice new ones. It has been a breath of fresh air and it has been very good so far.’
Mead says there is a different energy after a difficult start to the season which has essentially already precluded Arsenal from the WSL title race and seen them lose 5-2 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stages.
‘We have a good foundation to build again and it’s a release of new energy right now and when you get results and performances it makes you happier. We feel we are in a good place and we are looking after each other. We knew we were in a tough transition with the way things have gone, we have stuck together.
‘That new energy is showing on the pitch, we were close to doing that before but it wasn’t quite clicking but it was nice to get that feeling for most of the game on Friday.’
Mead also admits she has been below her best this season, though she scored her first goal since the opening day at home to Brighton on Friday evening. Mead says that Slegers is helping her to find her old form. ‘I will be critical of myself for the start of the season, I could have done better but it’s nice to feel a bit of confidence and find that form again whether that comes in and out of possession.
‘I have been working hard on getting that right with Renee who has been great at pushing me in the right direction. It has been nice to get that feeling back.’ Mead also suggests that Slegers, who is 35 but had to retire from football early due to knee injuries, and her recent playing experience are a factor too.
’Renee was a player and she understands sometimes you have these kind of moments in your career. We sat down, we have worked on things on the pitch that I can improve on, I can work more on. Sometimes you need it in black and white, we have put that out there again and hopefully I have done that better recently. It is nice to have an understanding with each other that we are pushing for the right reasons, to get the best out of me and the best out of the team.’
Slegers to be made permanent?
It’s at least worth waiting to see if her good start can be sustained.
At this point (unless something changes over the next few weeks), I don’t see any reason not to at least give Slegers the rest of the season and see how it goes. Maybe she’s the person for the job or she just holds down the fort and more options become available for the replacement next summer.
Lovely. Typically honest and straightforward words from Beth Mead. She talks about the squad feeling renewed confidence and energy and that is exactly what we are seeing. The connection that is possible with a former player, RS’s understanding of them as individuals. All makes perfect sense to me. I don’t know if RS will get the job, or whether she will do enough to get the job permanently. She keeps saying she doesn’t want it and I am starting to believe her. She might be right – she knows herself. She is quite a self-effacing person and a head coach/manager… Read more »