Arsenal interim manager Renee Slegers says her team are ‘going in the right direction’ after a tough start to the season.
A home draw against Everton as well as defeats to Chelsea and Bayern Munich saw Jonas Eidevall resign in October with Slegerd taking over as interim. The Dutch coach has overseen a draw and three victories in her four games in charge.
Slegers says she is confident the squad is on an upwards trajectory again after Friday’s 5-0 win over Brighton.
‘We looked like a team on Friday night, that gives us a good indication that we are going in the right direction on a team level and especially with how we communicate on the pitch,’ Slegers said in her pre Juventus press conference.
‘I am very happy with the hard work the girls put in and I have said before there is a big ownership piece on the players and they have been doing that 100%, working hard and going in the right direction and that showed on Friday night. I am pleased for the players mainly.’
The players seemed to have lost confidence in the opening weeks of the season but Slegers says her and the coaching staff have focused on reconnecting the players with their self belief.
‘As a coaching staff we try to create an environment where players can feel confident and have the courage to do what they are good at because football is sometimes a game of feeling too.
‘Small successes, goals, wins, small things in training, we build momentum from that.’ Slegers says she has not sought to revolutionise the playing style.
‘We always look at what the opposition gives us and we have been talking about having more variety in our attacks and we took what Brighton was giving to us really well, especially in the first half. Whatever the opposition gives us we will try to exploit it in different ways.’
Arseblog News asked Slegers how much encouragement there is from the fact that Mead, Foord, Maanum and Hurtig all scored very recognisable goals.
‘Beth’s goal is Beth at her best, Frida’s goal is Frida at her best and Foordy’s goal is the team at its best and also her getting into the box. I agree with you, it’s very encouraging.’
Got to win things.
Give her a chance, she’s only been in the job 5 minutes!
People might need to be patient with her if she is appointed permanently. She is still relatively inexperienced compared to most of the managers at the top of European football. She is looking good based on the small sample size we have so far though, especially when compared to watching the team when Jonas was in charge. Still want to see her up against a good defensively organized opponent.
Yeah – she has to pass the low block test.
It’s just a shame that we let our best technical player by a country mile leave on a free transfer to an arch rival for Trophies, before the Club realized the fracture that had destroyed Miadema’s relationship with the Coach, and had ruptured the squad dynamic. No surprise that our new interim coach, female, and an ex player and young enough to relate with the players, has put the smile back on their faces. Football is a very simple game when you have team harmony. Let’s hope that now everyone seems to be singing from the same hymn sheet that… Read more »
It’s very sad to see that we lost the fight for the WSL title, the squad is full of talent, and everything went wrong, now it’s time to get that confidence back, I hope that the FA CUP, League Cup and who knows CL will be a dream close to realizing.
She is very good
No doubt whatever happens with slegers she has pulled us out of a decline football wise. The past 2 games (brighton and man utd( have been really good attacking performances, the best for a long time. They are more fluid and balanced, and you can literally see increased confidence. Hurtig has really made a difference and added to us attacking wise as an option (as mentioned in a recent article). I am pleased for her, they look in a good place at the moment. Slegers’ player management skills must be strong as are her tactical skills. I hope she gets… Read more »
I know that a restructuring is needed, but it has to be done gradually. Look at Bayer, most of their defenders and forwards are over 32 years old, and they are doing very well in the championship. Arsenal already has to start using young people to have a smoother transition and gain confidence, to guarantee trophies in the short term. The squad is good if they can get a coach who knows how to work to mix experience and youth, they will do well.