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 Adobe Women's FA Cup fifth round, the head coach reflects on a busy block, the hard work behind the scenes and why we're really gathering momentum.
We’ve gone through a lot during this block of games and if I reflect on the whole journey, I’m really happy with how we’ve performed. Of course, there were two disappointing results against Manchester United to kick off the year, where we didn’t manage to score. That loss in the League Cup in particular was hard to take, but it gave us an opportunity to show who we are.
The way the team responded in the build-up to the big games that followed, against Chelsea and in the FIFA Champions Cup, was amazing. There was a lot pressure and they rose to the occasion. I’m really proud of those moments. That said, I don’t necessarily think it was the disappointment that fuelled us. For me, our foundations as a club and the belief everyone had in the process were more important. We did make some small changes, but most of that momentum was down to how the group came together. We were patient for the rewards while working really hard.
Many things have stood out to me, but the versatility of the squad has been fantastic. Before Manchester City, Olivia had never consistently played in that No9 position. When Stina dropped out with an injury, we had to re-examine our approach to that game. We were discussing the gameplan in the coaches’ office and Olivia’s name was mentioned. I believe Seb was the first to say it out loud, so he gets the credit! But we all really liked it as an idea.
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Renée on UWCL quarters and unbelievable support](https://www.arsenal.com/news/renee-uwcl-quarters-and-unbelievable-support?utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=embedded-article&utm_campaign=news)
Now we’ve booked our place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and we’re up against a very familiar opponent. It’s always high stakes when we play top teams, especially against a London rival like Chelsea. What’s different with this clash is that it will be played over two legs. Half the game will be at their stadium and half will be at ours.
We proved to ourselves how good we are the last time we played Chelsea. Even with such a dominant performance and result, there were still things we wanted to do better. We created belief and confidence, but the next game will be very different. All we can do is look at ourselves.
Our focus now is on finishing this block really strongly against Bristol City in the FA Cup. All of the squad is looking forward to representing their countries during the international break and I wish them all the best. Then I look forward to having them back again! Enjoy the match.
Read more about the game, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v Bristol City programme either around the stadium or online.
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