Arsenal qualified for the UWCL quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Juventus at Emirates Stadium on Thursday night thanks to an 89th minute Lina Hurtig winner. Renee Slegers spoke to the press post-match, the first two questions are from Arseblog News.
On whether Juventus’ conservative approach was a surprise…
It was one of the scenarios that we planned for that they were going to be this zonal and wait for us. I wasn’t expecting it to be honest because it’s very far away from what they usually do in the league. We had to adjust to that, they did that really well, I am impressed by that if you usually don’t do it and you do it this well against us. They did really well they closed a lot of spaces and in the first half we had a hard time finding the right spaces and the right movements. In the second half, we had a clear idea both staff and players of where we got to those spaces and where the numbers are and we exploited that a bit better in the second half. Overall we have good control of the game. First half we wish we could have been more creative towards goal.
On whether Hurtig was brought on because Juve looked susceptible in the air…
We planned for other crosses before the game, we emphasised other types of crosses because we thought we would play against a player for player system. They came out differently so it was an area we had to adjust. Once we saw in the second half they got so deep and spent so much time in the final third we felt it was good to get Lina on. But also from a setpiece perspective, both attacking and defending.
On whether they believed they could qualify after losing to Bayern on match day one…
It was our first group game so it was so early in the group and we knew Bayern were going to be our toughest contender. We were obviously disappointed with the result but I don’t think it affected how much we believed in ourselves.
On what was said at half-time…
At half-time we recognised the spaces and overloads a little better. We got the message out at half-time and spoke to the players and we created the right situations for ourselves which meant we could get towards the goal a little bit more than we did in the first half.
On the satisfaction of two subs combining for the winner…
I’m just happy for the team to win. Obviously we have amazing depth in the squad and we know anyone can do it for us – whether it’s starting players or finishing players. It’s the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team, not only the players that start the game but everyone that is coming on, the players that train with us day in and day out. I think that’s what it means for us.
On whether the team knew about Bayern drawing with Valarenga earlier in the night…
We didn’t speak about it with the players. I don’t know if the players had the live scores but I knew the result before we went into the game.
On empowering the players and Williamson taking the goal kicks in the first half…
That was part of the game plan. During this block we have tried to involve the players as much as we can. We have ideas as coaches and we bring the players in and discuss ideas, they might come up with new ideas, we have been doing things together a lot but we can send out the centre-backs and the goalkeepers in a game and say ‘you own this, you see what is ahead of you, we think it could be this, this or this but you make the decision out on the pitch.’ They are really intelligent players, all of them and we try to give them a couple of tools so they can make decisions out on the pitch.
On qualifying with games to spare…
It’s the ultimate end to a very busy and intense block we have had here. It is the perfect ending for this block. It means a lot. All of the players totally deserve it because of the work they put in. It gives us some breathing space in the last two games as well.
On how many marks out of 10 she would give this block…
I’m part of a team too but we’re not perfect. We wouldn’t give ourselves a 10/10 but we will give ourselves a big fat ‘enough’. We will never play the perfect game so it won’t be a 10, but we are very happy with what we have done so far. For my three days off, I will go to see family in the Netherlands and then it is back here next week for training.
On whether she could have imagined this situation a few weeks ago…
No, it’s surreal to be honest. I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well but I was part of Jonas [Eidevall’s] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don’t want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It’s surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.”
14.van Domselaar; 2.Fox, 6.Williamson, 7.Catley, 11.McCabe; 10.Little(c) (16.Kafaji ‘87), 13.Walti; 19.Foord (9.Mead ‘66), 12.L.Maanum (25.Blackstenius ‘66), 8.Mariona; 23.Russo (17.Hurtig ‘79).
Unused: 1.Zinsberger, 3.Wubben-Moy, 5.L.Codina, 22.Kuhl, 26.Wienroither, 32.Cooney-Cross, 40.Williams, 62.Reid
Great to see the women’s team playing well again. A tip of the cap to the coaches and players.
It was actually 3 subs combining for the winner. Beth (wonderful pass) to Stina, to Lina. Also another big save from Daphne. I am with Tim who think Manuela is a top keeper, but I struggle to see how she can get back in the team at the moment. Like the one with Beth England on Saturday, I am not sure Manuela would have got there. Agree with Tim from the pod that she could be the world’s best in a couple of years if she carries on like this. Which brings me to part 4 of my campaign to… Read more »