Arsenal’s interim head coach Renée Slegers said that collecting three points was the most important factor as her side won 1-0 at Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Forward Alessia Russo netted the only goal of the game for The Gunners in the first half at The Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.
It wasn’t the perfect Arsenal performance but interim boss Slegers admitted that collecting three points was what mattered on Merseyside.
“Our press was fine in the first half; in that phase of the game, we were fine, we were on it and switched on and did well,” Slegers said when speaking to the media after the match. “On the ball, I didn’t recognise us. We are usually consistently good on the ball with our details, our passing and positioning. The detail of the pass was just not right and then you get into problematic situations and they compound and that’s when the game goes to a game Liverpool like and a game we don’t want to play.
“Most importantly, we got the three points but we’re critical as a team. Everyone is very aware that the three points were the most important thing.”
Slegers went on to praise match-winner Russo who has been in good form for Arsenal in recent weeks.
“She’s doing very, very well,” Slegers said. “She gets at the end of it [and scores], but she’s also doing a lot of hard work in other phases of the game, both out and in possession. I’m very pleased with her.”
The Liverpool fixture was Arsenal’s second away trip of the week after they had faced Norwegian club Vålerenga in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage on Thursday evening. The Gunners arrived back in England in the early hours of Friday morning before having to travel to a cold and wet Merseyside. Slegers again expressed her delight with the result following a gruelling schedule.
She said “Liverpool away is always going to be a hard game with the style of play, the travel and the context. Coming away from Norway and doing really well but it’s minus eight on an artificial pitch and we fly back the same evening, coming back two or three in the morning. The girls have one day to recharge and then we return and prep for Liverpool. With the whole context, I am very pleased with the three points today.”
After the final whistle, the travelling Arsenal fans sung Slegers’ name in tribute to their interim boss. Slegers praised the fans for sticking with the team through the more difficult times.
She said “ The fans mean in the world because obviously, as a team, it came from a difficult time and they kept on backing us. They’ve been an important part of us getting where we are at the moment, so I’m very happy with the fans, I’m very happy to work for the club and I’m happy to work with the team as well.”
Arsenal’s final game of the calendar year is against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League at the Mangata Pay UK Stadium at Meadow Park on Wednesday evening.
About The Author
Chloe Reynolds
I am a content creator and reporter for WSL Full-Time. I primarily cover clubs playing in the North West.