Renee Slegers was full of gratitude for those around her as she lifted the UEFA Women’s Champions League in her first season as our head coach.
Selfless as ever, she was keen to highlight the work of the team on and off the pitch.
“I think, for me, for the players, for the staff, for the fans who just left, I don't know how long they stayed, there are so many people caring so much,” she said.
“The people that are here today, the people that have been supporting us all over the world, all the people that have been supporting us at home in London, but I also want to highlight the people that have made this possible. That's the people that started the journey for Arsenal Women. There's so much work going into this.
“I'm very proud to be a part of Arsenal. Thank you, everyone, who's made this possible to get us to this point.”
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Report: Arsenal Women 1-0 Barcelona](https://www.arsenal.com/fixture/women/2025-May-24/women-1-0-barcelona-match-report?utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=embedded-article&utm_campaign=news)
Asked about our defensive work rate and how we kept Barcelona at bay, Renee added: “Yes, and we knew that we had to be really, really disciplined today with everything we did. Not the least in the defensive part of our game. Also in our positioning in possession, on the ball and the decision-making.
“We had to make decisions constantly all over the pitch. The tempo is really high. They're such a good team, Barcelona.
“The decision-making was on such a high level for the players on the pitch, but also the staff working in the background, the analysts up in the stadium. I think the decisions have been so good. I think that was key for us today, to be able to manage the different phases of the game.
“Everyone has played their role. I'm just so happy for all the players. We got what we went for and everyone has worked so hard. Not only these last two weeks, but across the season to get to this point.”
It was at this point that Ian Wright interrupted our interview to give Renee a hug! Then, we got back on to reflecting on the campaign.
“It's been a fantastic season,” she said. “I look forward to next season, of course, but I also want to reflect upon what we did and all the great work that has been done. The successes that we had this season, the hard times that we had this season and how the team has managed so many different things. There's so much strength in this team.
“I think everyone is going to party tonight and then everyone is going to have a break. A lot of players will go away with their national teams, but a lot of staff will have a break, will reflect and then we'll keep on going next season because we've reached some really good highs this season, but we also believe that there's even more in this team. Enjoy the celebrations, thank you very much.”
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