Before every home game, Renée Slegers gives her thoughts around the team and our upcoming game in her manager's notes published in the matchday programme.
Ahead of our first home game of the season against London City Lioneesses, Renée reflects on what we achieved last season, and pays tribute to many of the unsung heroes who played their part in our Champions League success. Here is a snippet:
When I first took the head coach position at this great club, there wasn’t a single part of me that imagined we would achieve what we did in our first season as a group. Now that it has happened, I am so unspeakably proud of everyone.
That single moment, the Champions League final against Barcelona, was the culmination of high performance across the entire club. On all possible levels - physical, mental, tactical - I couldn’t fault a single person. The squad, the staff, everyone: it was the best example of high performance I’ve seen.
That's the reason why everything came together. As always, there were still some variables that we couldn't control, but everything we could control was done at a very, very high level.
It’s the Arsenal family off the pitch, too - the people you might never see. Our operations team always work at such a high level, but they outdid themselves for the final. From the flights to the hotel, from the stadium to the afterparty, everything went so smoothly.
The fact that our medical and performance teams managed to ensure all 25 players were available to play the final was unbelievable, especially in the case of Daphne. It wasn’t just that we had a fully fit squad at the end of a long, draining season; they were also ready for the biggest game of their careers so far. By May, physical and mental fatigue will always play a role, but they made sure everyone was at their best in the heat of a Portuguese summer.
The level of detail we received from the analysts ahead of the final meant that the coaches and the players had full clarity on what to do. This detail ultimately informed our tech team’s game plan: how the players would execute it and how they would problem-solve during the match. Then, we aligned with the media team to agree on a theme that felt right to us as a club. All of us. All in.
And of course, the supporters. What can I even say? You carried us over land and sea and because of your passion and support, we were able to bring the Champions League trophy back home to you all. We might have played more games than ever at Emirates Stadium last season, but it never once got old. Every time we stepped out of the tunnel and saw a wall of red and white, we were reminded of the privilege it is to serve this club. All of these puzzle pieces lead to something. All of these things matter.
We know what we’re capable of now, as does everyone else. Our big goal for this season is: how do we achieve this consistently? How do we ensure that the winning mindset is built into our foundations? That is how we keep on moving forward together.
Read the rest of Renée's notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v London City Lionesses programme either around the stadium oronline, or subscribe to get every editiondelivered to your door.
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