Renée Slegers has lamented the details ‘that are costing’ Arsenal right now after the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham City.
Slegers was speaking after another disappointing draw at the Emirates for Arsenal, their third in a row with two coming against newly promoted sides. The Halfway Line was there to hear from Slegers after the full time whistle blew.
(Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Olivia Smith is a ‘brilliant player’ but ‘needs consistency with the basics’ says Renée Slegers
Olivia Smith was perhaps Arsenal’s best player on Saturday, in the second half she took control scoring an excellent goal to draw her side level. The Halfway Line asked Slegers about her impact,
“Yeah, no, she did [take the game by the scruff of the neck]” Slegers said. “She comes back from Canada to one and a half sessions and did well for Canada. Like I said, she was pain-free again.
“She’s had some back issues, [she] fell on her shoulder with Canada, so she had some shoulder pains so that’s why she was down once or twice. But yeah, no, she’s a brilliant player, she scores a fantastic goal, and she can do those moments for us but she also needs to be consistent in the basics.
“So there’s still a lot, a lot of growth areas for her, which she knows about, so that needs to be. She needs to continue to work hard. But the brilliance that she has, like I said a couple of days ago, it’s the best I’ve seen probably in women’s football. So it has a really high ceiling for her.”
(Photo by Leila Coker – WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images)
Slegers ‘concerned’ at Arsenal’s vulnerability on the break
Arsenal have appeared vulnerable on the counter attack this season and they were once again exploited in that area by Birmingham on Saturday. Slegers was asked if she was concerned by that,
“No, I’m concerned about that because that’s not good enough” Slegers bristled. “If you spend so much time on the ball, then you have to be really well positioned behind the ball and manage transitions really good, counter-press and have positions under the ball, but I think in those moments we have been vulnerable.
“We have conceded a couple of of goals like that. So yeah, concerned. No, it’s a big work goal for us that we really need to get right for the next game.”
The result today means that Arsenal are now on their longest winless run in WSL history. Inevitably the Arsenal manager was asked if her position at the club remains tenable,
“Well, I’ve just come off the pitch, and I’m sitting with with you guys here now” Slegers wearily explained. “So everything I want is the best for Arsenal, the best for these players so that’s heavily on my mind. I still believe I can impact and help the team forward, but I think it’s always, if that’s not the case anymore, then a change needs to happen. I have belief in knowing where we can go with this team, and it’s been really tough.
“But like I just said, if it had been all negative and we hadn’t been looking like Arsenal, and that would have been the case, but that’s in my opinion not the case. There’s some details that we need to get right, and those details are costing us right now. Those margins are costing us, but I believe that if we get that right, it will be good.”
Player ratings as Arsenal left frustrated by stubborn Birmingham
Player ratings as Arsenal left frustrated by stubborn Birmingham