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 return to Emirates Stadium for this weekend's game against Liverpool, our head coach looked ahead to the upcoming block as we look to continue the momentum from our 2-1 win over Real Madrid before the international break.
Good afternoon and welcome to Emirates Stadium for this afternoon’s clash with Liverpool and the start of our final run of fixtures in 2025. Our squad is back from a very positive international break, with impressive displays from everyone, goals for Beth, Alessia, Kyra and Stina, and another Nations League title for Mariona and Spain.
I’m proud of them all, as ever. Now we’re back together, looking to finish the year on a high. We all wanted better results from the last block, especially considering the team started very well in November with a great performance and result at Leicester City. The last time we played at Emirates Stadium against Chelsea was a rollercoaster of emotions.
I think 1-1 is probably a fair result in the end, but we really wish we could have gotten the win over the line. The game was discussed a lot in the media and, of course, there was some controversy, but we’re ultimately happy with our second-half performance.
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It’s not easy to dominate Chelsea the way we did in the second half and that’s absolutely the kind of display we want to replicate going forward. We brought that same energy into the first half against Bayern, which meant we were flying into half-time 2-0 up.
It was unacceptable for us to give away that win and concede as we did in the second half. We know that can’t happen again. I do tend to look at that game as a case study on momentum. If we’d gone into the north London derby off the back of several wins I believe it would have been a very different result.
As it stood, we conceded no big chances and barely any xG against Spurs, but we failed to convert. The confidence and flow you build with good results and good performances help you convert and create more.
Getting that win against Real Madrid before the international break was so important. It wasn’t all pretty and it was a very tough match to play, but we did what we had to.
The way the block started and finished was really good, and there were such fine margins in between, but we need to do better. It’s vital that those fine margins fall in our favour as much as possible.
We need to do everything within our control to create momentum. That’s all we can do, and that’s what we’re going after in this next block. When momentum isn’t there, when it’s just not on our side for a cocktail of reasons, it puts us in a difficult position as a team.
But we are convinced that if we do what we can, within our control, that energy will come. That’s the belief we have going into this next block. This month, we have two important league games, two vital UEFA Champions League matches and our first game in this season’s League Cup – a competition where we’ve had a lot of success in recent seasons.
The cup competitions in England are such a big thing and we’re really looking forward to that quarter-final against Crystal Palace. But first, we want to get three points against Liverpool and three points against Everton.
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We want two wins against Twente and Leuven to climb up the Champions League table and put us in the most competitive position possible. Victories obviously give us points, but they also give us the momentum we need.
As the end of the year approaches, I don’t tend to sit down and reflect too much on the past 12 months from a football perspective, because this is still half-time in our season.
Of course, we check in as a staff at the end of each block to make our analysis for the next group of fixtures. Because we think more in seasons than in calendar years, it would feel premature to look back now.
I will definitely do that from a life perspective, as it’s another year in England and my kids have grown so big! But when it comes to football, my big reflections will happen during the summer. Having said that, every time we play at Emirates Stadium feels like a moment of reflection.
We are the most beautiful club in so many ways. I love what our club stands for and the fanbase we have, so it’s always such a privilege to go and play in front of them and share those moments together.
We’re really looking forward to today’s game against Liverpool, as we always do, and we’re excited to see what we build together over the years to come. Enjoy the match, and COYG!
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