Arsenal Women’s interim head coach Renee Slegers was full of praise for her team following their dominant 4-0 victory over Juventus in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. The win moves Arsenal up to second place in Group C and extends Slegers’ unbeaten start since taking over from Jonas Eidevall.
Slegers was quick to highlight the contribution of the entire team, saying, “We have four different goalscorers and the players up top are performing really well, but I don’t want to take out the goalkeeper, our back four, and our two sixes as well. We sometimes forget to highlight because the players up top are scoring the goals, but I think the goalkeepers and the back four – they have been doing really well now over time. The spaces Wally and Kim covered today in midfield – they’ve been brilliant. So I think the whole team today deserves credit, including the game-changers coming on tonight.”
Despite the impressive scoreline, Slegers emphasized the need for humility and hard work, stating, “We have to stay very humble as well, because the next game is Spurs away and it is going to be very hard. The girls show humility today, because I see when we are leading 4-0 that they are still defending the box and defending corners, how they are communicating till the last second of the game and they invest their recovery runs. It was a transitional game today so it was a lot of space covered in both directions, we worked really hard as a team and that is what makes us strong so we need to keep going.”
Slegers acknowledged the challenge posed by Juventus and the importance of staying focused on upcoming fixtures. “We all knew it wasn’t going to be easy against Juventus, but we played a game of great intensity and got the result we wanted. Scoring that second goal was a release. The goal Stina scores makes us feel comfortable in the end. We are happy with the win, but in a few days we will face Juventus again and we will have to start from scratch. We have to think about that game and not look at the table, because it is still early and there are many difficult challenges ahead of us, but we are happy with what we have done so far.”
Slegers also praised the Arsenal fans for their unwavering support, saying, “The players are always proud to represent the club, so they’re happy to be in the group stage and play these European games. But then adding the fans, I could see them from here. I could hear them and I’m sure the players also heard them during the games. I think it’s massive. I think it’s so impressive how much they support us and I think it gives us a couple of extra percentages in the games, I really do.”
The victory over Juventus is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Arsenal Women’s team under Slegers’ leadership. With the support of their fans and a strong team spirit, they are well-positioned to continue their successful campaign in the Champions League.
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