Few would’ve anticipated we’d be in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final following September’s 1-0 loss at BK Hacken.
Defeat in Sweden put us on the back foot in the first leg of the second qualifying round for the competition, but any doubts about our place among Europe’s elite were put to bed with a 4-0 success at home.
That comeback ability would go on to become a frequent trait on display in 2024/25, and it was the return fixture of our 5-2 defeat at Bayern Munich that convinced our head coach of what we were capable of.
Beating the German side 3-2 at home a week before Christmas, Renee Slegers noticed a turning point.
“I think for me the key moment was the second game against Bayern at home, where we showed so much as a team. I think we've always known, and the players know themselves as well, that we're a very good team. We're a very good football team.
“But that was, for me, a key moment where I saw that we could win games in different ways. And we could find ways to win. So that was such a special moment.
“I think from there on, the team has shown so much investment and engagement. And I think everything you see coming together, if you take the example of the second leg against Lyon, everything that comes together in that game, it's a lot of work and investment from the players.
“It's all about what they do in the training week. It's not about coming in, going out on the pitch and get a shower and go home. There's so much more they do.
“I think that investment, that engagement, wanting to problem-solve, wanting to go to the next level, wanting to challenge things, I think that's what's been the best thing for me to be part of this team. And I think that's why the players are here at this stage right now and are ready to play against the final team.”
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Speaking of which, Barcelona are the only team left between us and a first European cup since 2007, but our head coach believes it’s important to show bravery on Saturday.
“We want to show courage tomorrow,” she said. “Like I said before, we respect Barcelona as a team. They're a really, really good football team. So we're very humble for the occasion, but also we are here to win. And we have to find ways to win and I am convinced that the game will shift in momentum.
“And for us it's going to be important that we deal with all moments really, really well in the game. So we need courage, we need discipline, we need to be switched on. We're going to have to make a lot of decisions on the stage. So if we do that really well, I think we can perform really well tomorrow in the game and we have to believe in our capacity tomorrow.”
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