After a two week break from Barclays Women’s Super League football, our Gunners are finally back to host Aston Villa this Sunday at Emirates Stadium.
Interim head coach previewed the fixture in her pre-match press conference, particularly noting the excitement within the team to get back on the pitch in N5.
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“There’s an energy in the group and there’s an energy in the stands as well,” said Renée on the subject of our supporters. “Energy brings more energy so I think we make each other stronger.
“I know how much it means for the players stepping out onto the pitch, seeing the fans, hearing the songs. I think everyone’s looking forward to playing on Sunday at the Emirates.
“From the perspective of being professional athletes and trying to maximise performance, the Emirates is brilliant because we have all the facilities and we can prepare the players in the best possible way. Everything is there for the players to perform.
“I think Boreham Wood was great. What I like about it is the intimacy of the stadium but the facilities and the dressing room are all very small. It worked and it’s going to work against Bayern Munich as well but from a professional sports perspective, the Emirates is brilliant for us. \[It also means\] we can have more fans in the stadium so we can share the experience with more people.”
As the team reunited on Friday, there were mixed emotions in the camp following December’s decisive Euro 2025 qualifiers, so our interim coach stressed the importance of getting back to the Arsenal way.
“In the last block, when they came back, there were a lot of positive performances, both individually and on a team level. That's when we presented back some of those successes to the players and shared with everyone what everyone had been doing while they were away with the national teams.
“This time, we didn't do that. We felt like there were mixed emotions but also, we want to go as quickly as possible back to what we want to do with Arsenal, because there's so little time. We had to prioritise the time, and we want to go back to what we are as Arsenal.”
When asked about the good mood at Sobha Realty Training Centre, Renée referenced the connection between morale and motivation.
“I’m not a joker! They have to enjoy what they’re doing because that’s when you get the best out of yourself, wherever you are in life, whatever you do. So that’s what we try to create. We think about the way we coach and the kind of drills that we design. What’s our energy, what do we reinforce and what do we not reinforce?
“In the end, it’s the players feeling comfortable and the feeling that they want to create a certain environment. That’s what they’ve been doing really well but just laughter is not going to win us games. It’s all very serious as well. Behaviours are infectious, I believe in that, strongly. We work really hard on the pitch but I think if you enjoy something, you tend to work even harder and feel more motivated.”
Our opponents on Sunday currently sit eighth in the table with just one win so far this season, but Renée acknowledged the team has been unlucky with certain results.
“I think Aston Villa are a great team. If you look at their results, it’s been one goal difference except for the Brighton game. They always make it hard for their opponents.
“Like us, they always have strong game-changers that they bring in and they’re also strong at the end of the game so it’s a game we don’t want to underestimate. Every opponent is strong in the WSL and the league has been developing massively. It’s going to be a good opponent that we face on Sunday.”
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