Renée Slegers sat down at the Allianz Arena for her pre-Bayern Munich press conference on Tuesday.
She looked ahead to Wednesday's UEFA Women's Champions League clash, shared the latest team news and more.
Here's everything she had to say on the following subjects...
**on Katie Reid’s injury:**
Yeah, it's always horrible, especially for her herself. She started the season so well for us. I think with her age, how mature she is, who she's been in the group, how she's been growing every single day. She will also join in during her rehab, but it's very disappointing for her. It's very hard. Of course, she's been with us these last couple of days. The surgery is planned and she's going to move forward from there. I chatted with her yesterday and she said she's going to want to use this time to grow further as a football player. I think that says everything about Katie, but it's of course very disappointing.
**on what should change to help eliminate the risks of ACL injuries:**
I think the starting point is to have as much awareness as possible in how we can prevent these injuries. I think everyone would agree. I know the club is prominent in these processes on a wider scale. It's very important. How can we prevent these injuries? There's a lot of things involved. It's hard because it's one little moment and then you're out for nine to twelve months. It impacts a player's career. Everything we can do on a wider scale, so research, understanding, I think that's where it all starts. If we understand more and we need to keep on doing research because the game grows so fast and so many things change, we need to grow with that change, and I think it's the starting point.
**on if there is any more team news:**
No. Same squad as Chelsea. Everyone came through well after that game.
**on how Kim Little is doing:**
She's progressing. She's progressing. She's working hard but still by herself. She's not available for tomorrow.
**on expectations of tomorrow’s game against Bayern:**
It's less than a year ago we played against them. They still have quite some players that are similar with their qualities. I think they still pose the same threat from set-pieces, for example, and how they create. They're a really good team. They rotate and they try to create problems for the opposition. So I have very high respect for Bayern because we know the last two games they played against them were very tight. So I look forward to the game. We look forward to the challenge. I think it's two really good teams going against each other tomorrow.
**on how important our 3-2 win over Bayern was last season:**
I think I've done a couple of interviews since. Of course, that was a big part of our journey in the Champions League. But it was also a big part of our journey as a team. For me, that game was crucial in how I see the team, where I see the potential, not only from a football perspective. Of course, I've always believed in this team and the quality that we have. But the resilience that we showed in that game and how we found a way to win in very hard conditions. It was raining. It was windy. They posed a lot of threats on us with set-pieces and direct play at times and movements. We deal with it as a team and we get the win over the line somehow because it wasn't always beautiful. So, that for me was a crucial moment in the journey in the Champions League. But more bigger was the journey of us as a team from a mentality perspective.
**on how Lotte Wubben-Moy is managing the expectation:**
She'll be fine. She's good. That's the reality of our squad. We have so many good players. If you're in a row of games where you haven't played so much but then your moment comes, you have to be ready. That's what we just spoke with the coaches. Probably the team that starts the season is not the team that finishes the season. Then you have all these moments in between. But I think it says everything about Lotte and her professionalism. She is so ready to perform. If you see how she comes in, because of course she comes away from being unwell, having to leave England again, not ready for Leicester and then stepping in in a big game like Chelsea at the Emirates. I think it says it all. It's so deserved because she has this resilience, grittiness, determination. She's always ready for the team. I'm really pleased with her, the role that she played for the team and also for her individually.
**on clarification on leadership group:**
We have two captains. That's Kim Little and Leah Williamson. And then we have supporting captains: that's Steph Cately, Katie McCabe and Lotte Wubben-Moy. Those are the players in the captaincy group. Some of them wear the armband. It's a formality, but it's an important role to play on the pitch. We have so much leadership in the team. It's really good to work with this team. In the end, it's everyone. That's the strength of the team. Everyone is carrying responsibility. Everyone needs to be accountable for things. That's the culture we want to create. Of course, someone has to wear the armband and you have to represent the club in a good way. I'm so proud that we have so many leaders in the team.
**on what Steph brings to the captaincy role:**
Everyone brings something unique. That's the nice thing about having so many different players in the squad and most specifically in the captaincy group. What Steph does really well is that she's always very composed. She's calm and she role models on everything that we want from the players in the squad. She connects really well with all the players in the squad. Younger, older, any background. On the pitch, she's a great communicator. She's constantly communicating and instructing and she has a lot of really good leadership qualities.
**on Georgia Stanway’s specific threats:**
I think she's a great player. I think she's very important for Bayern as we see it. They like to get her on the ball. She tries in those moments to be able to conduct play and she has an intelligence on the pitch. I think what stands out is that she has a short and a long pass, and that's something she likes to use in games. I think she's a really good player. From the outside, from watching, you can see that she brings some fight as well in duels, and likes to defend as well. I think in the situation that they're in - and also before this situation - as I see it from the outside, she’s an important player for Bayern on the pitch.
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