Renee Slegers reacts to 4-0 victory over Liverpool
03/22/2025 04:58 PM
Arsenal were 4-0 winners over Liverpool in the WSL at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening. Goals from Caitlin Foord, Mariona and two Jasmine Mathews own goals gave Arsenal the victory. Renee Slegers spoke to the press post-match, the first two questions are from Arseblog News.
On starting Mariona on midfield…
Mariona can play many roles for us. I think wherever she plays, she recognises space really well. She plays with a lot of intensity out of possession and she sets up other players so she always creates situations where other players get time and space on the ball. And we felt today it was important for her to get in the in the middle of the pitch.
On creating lots of chances from runs into the channels today…
Yeah, we had we had a plan for it. We always try to create those situations, we did things a little bit differently from what we might have done before and I think we were a little bit more aware. Of course we played two weeks ago so we knew how we could manipulate or we predicted how we could manipulate those spaces a little bit better and I think the girls on the pitch recognise that really well. We created a lot of options in those areas so there was always decisions to make for Liverpool and I think that’s that’s where it comes from.
On whether Liverpool were good opponents to face before Madrid…
There’s some similarities between them from a formation point of view and a couple of threats that they have. So there’s a couple of things that we definitely can take with us, but Madrid is still a different team and different qualities and different football and we’ll see how they go into this game. Obviously it’s a different scenario as they have something to protect as well. So we’ll see what they what they give us and how they’re going to set up. So it might be a total different game on Wednesday.
On Victoria Pelova returning…
I’m so happy because she’s worked so hard and it’s lonely to do that. Even though she’s had great support from medical and technical staff and teammates as well, but it’s still that’s not where you want to be if you love football so much and that’s what she does. She’s worked really hard and she’s been in the squad now a couple of games and I think we’ve softly brought her back in into this moment. I’m happy that the team set the game up so she could come on and that it happened at the Emirates with so many fans clapping for her.
On Kim Little's performance….
I think that’s strong from Kim, she also missed a couple of games with her broken finger and she is back now and I think that time when she was away and then the international break with only training with two or three players and then coming back off of that international break and performing like this for the team, I think that says everything about Kim. Kim is about the details and about 100% and everything she does, she would never, never, take something for granted or do something like something’s easy and without intensity. So she’s always one hundred percent and that’s why I think at this age, she’s still young, you could say. There are players at the moment that are 40 years old and still playing in the men’s game at least. So I wouldn’t think about the age so much. I look at her as a as a person as a player and she’s fantastic.
On being able to make changes in the second half…
That's always a consideration, so we’ve been playing games now we’ve had three days between games and have been traveling as well. The players have been very professional with their recovery as well. So if you look at all the players that have been playing 90 after 90 after 90, how fresh they are on the pitch today and how they play with intensity, I think that’s very impressive.
On whether Arsenal can still challenge for the title…
We have to do everything we can, so we believe that we can push and shake. That’s what we believe, but then we don’t know what what else is gonna happen so that’s outside our control, but we definitely feel that we can shake things and that we are ready that if anyone slips then we want to take that chance.
On scoring lots of goals at the Emirates this season…
The pitch is important for us because of the way we play but I think just looking at where the women’s game is at now and and how hard Arsenal’s works for a long time to get it here that we are playing consistently at the Emirates with so many fans, I think that’s fantastic what the club has invested. So if we want to get maximum reward for all the hard work and we want to get maximum opportunity to perform, then of course, it’s good to have the best facilities possible and that’s what we have here at the at the Emirates. Then a big part of it is that we have so many fans backing us and giving us that extra edge, then saying that scoring a lot of goals here and we’ve been doing that consistently. I don’t know if that’s because of the Emirates, but obviously we thrive here as a as a group.
On the importance of being ruthless tonight…
It's good to create habits in a group and can we create a habit of playing with intensity, being ruthless, starting games fast and then that becomes the norm for us. So this is what we want to do always, so it was an important one for us to do that today. We’ve been talking about it and and of course, looking ahead to the game on Wednesday, that would be great if we can start a game like that. But I don’t know what that game will look like and that’s the fun of football that it’s unpredictable. That’s why there’s so many people in the stands as well. You never know how the game is going finish, you never know what it’s gonna look like. So let’s see what Real Madrid will try and do on Wednesday.
On whether Pelova has become impatient to get back on the pitch…
She’s been going through different phases and that’s very natural if players come back from long term injuries because you’re back on the pitch, you are back playing with the ball, you’re back playing with your teammates and you think, 'I’m ready to go, I’m back,' but there’s so much you still need to build up rhythm and your partnerships with players on the pitch and your physical football fitness as well. So sometimes you lose a little bit of patience- I did when I came back from my injuries, she’s been working so hard and she’s just been digging in the last couple of weeks and we’ve been having good dialogue about it when the opportunity is there and then we want you back on the pitch because not only we want to give you the comeback after a long time, not being on the pitch, but also because she deserves it because she’s been training so well.
On what was different compared to the cup defeat to Liverpool…
What they did well was they turned the game towards their benefit at Boreham Wood, they kicked the ball out of play and had low playtime. They just slowed the game down and they were very physical against us and we couldn’t find the right spaces because our tempo on the ball was way too slow. I think we got all those things right tonight and then when we play that way, I think it’s hard to stop us. I can imagine for the opposition.
On the players playing with freedom…
We want them to feel free to recognise spaces on the pitch, but there’s always a structure and there’s always scenarios. Hopefully the players are very prepared that when the game comes, then they know the different setups, the scenarios and feel free then to recognise themselves and execute. I think that’s what happened today. We also had a couple of water breaks in the first half when a Liverpool player was down and that’s when we discussed a couple of things. So that’s actually right. We did change, especially in the first half.
On Kim Little's injury…
I just saw Kim quickly after the game, just said, hi, well done, good win and we’ll see tomorrow when she’s in with the medical team and see when they’ve assessed her.
On players being connected with the fans…
I think it’s important that we connect and I think Chloe does that really well and and other players also in their way, not everyone has the same personality, so some are more extroverted, some are more introverted, but everyone wants to connect and feels that connection. So I think that’s important that we feel it from the fans, but we also give it back.
On playing 'the Arsenal way' today…
We want to be on the ball as much as we can with passes, with fluidity, we wanna be pressing with intensity, for example, as a couple of key things that we want to do.
On the role the fans can play on Wednesday evening…
Huge, because I also think in La Liga and the stadiums and the atmospheres that Real Madrid plays in, it’s not the same. It can be very overwhelming and intimidating, I think, for a team to come here when they see us on the pitch in red and then with all the fans behind us. So if we can come from all directions to Real Madrid, then I think the fans are definitely a part of that.
On Katie McCabe coming off at half time…
It was because of Katie’s yellow and also winning at halftime it was a good moment to rest Katie. She’s been playing a lot and I think Jenna has had a couple of minutes here at the Emirates but this was a a full half and she’s working really hard. She’s adjusting really well and I think she did a couple of things. She showed a couple of her key strengths in the game and so that’s very positive and we keep on working with her.
On Caitlin Foord playing at right-back…
We had our changes ready already and that’s when we had to change our minds because of Kim and we had to bring another player down into that position, but Caitlin Foord has done it before for us, so I think she did really well. Foordy is so intense and she worked so hard. She’s always gonna react, she’s always gonna go at her players, she’s always gonna press and I think she with the energy she plays with and that aggression and willingness to go forward, she gets all the players going as well.
On reacting to a disappointing defeat in Madrid…
In an ideal world we never lose games and that’s what we go for and we wanna be better and we wanna set ourselves up even better so there’s less losses, of course, we want to win as much as possible. But if that happens, then you need to respond and I think teams that are most likely to be successful, they respond really well and can bounce back quickly after setbacks and that’s what we’ve shown tonight, which I’m very happy with.
14.van Domselaar; 2.Fox (9.Mead '65), 6.Williamson (62.Reid '87), 7.Catley, 11.McCabe (22,Nighswonger HT); 10.Little(c) (13.Walti '65), 8.Mariona (21.Pelova '74); 18.Kelly, 12.L.Maanum, 19.Foord; 23.Russo
Unused: 1.Zinsberger, 17.Hurtig, 25.Blackstenius, 32.Cooney-Cross.
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