_Arsenal confirmed a Champions Leaue quarter-final against Chelsea after beating Leuven 3-1 and sealing a 7-1 aggregate win over Leuven. Alessia Russo put Arsenal ahead in the first half and Mariona scored a penalty in the second, before Russo scored again. Renee Slegers spoke to the press post-match, the first question is from Arseblog News._
**Her thoughts on a scrappy game in difficult conditions…**
We have a really good performance away against Leuven, which puts it in a really good position and the game against Brighton is postponed and then with no game in between the circumstances were really hard, with the rain, with the wind across the pitch. But of course, that’s the same for both teams. I think first half, it was hard for us. I think they were really compact between the lines. They did it a little bit differently, creating a back 5 more often, so we couldn’t find the same spaces. I think they did that well. I think we nearly concede from a corner and another big chance in the first half. But then I think we have better control in the second half, even though it was hard sometimes to control the game because of the circumstances, but we did that, and we score some good goals tonight. I’m for Alessia as well scoring her 50th goal for Arsenal today. So I am really happy.
**On whether the tie was as easy as the 7-1 aggregate score suggested…**
We were very aware that Leuven has made it difficult for teams in Europe. I think they’ve shown a really good side on themselves on the European stage. But we go out and perform really really well against Leuven away, we’re clinical, we got chances, of course, some really good goals. Stop them from getting almost nothing or they get almost nothing in the game. Then we go into this second game, which then becomes a different scenario for them. I don’t know exactly how they went into the game, I don’t know what’s success was for them, but things change for them.
I think probably pressure goes off a little bit for them. And for us, we know we’re already 40 up and it’s a hard circumstance. So it becomes a different game. But, and I think you could see that game in the first half, I think second half was much better and we were all really clear in halftime with the players that it was one one, but we wanted to win this game, even though one one would be enough. So I think you could see that the mentality that players on the pitch in the second half, especially.
**On the new UWCL format…**
We ended up fifth in the table and then got the draw against the same team that we played against in the league phase. So I think we are only one story. I think you have to do this over time to see how it works and look at all the different cases. And for us, it’s been good, I think, playing against different opponents but of course, like I said, we are a specific case because we ended up playing the same team.
**On what the squad have learned about themselves over the last month…**
That we have so many players in good form at the moment, so many players that can perform for us in certain roles, different roles as well. I think one example is Victoria Pelova, playing the six role at the start of the game and then she finished the game on the right wing position, which she picked up really well as well. There’s only one example, a lot of players playing roles for the team and they do that really well. And then the whole, the sum of its parts becomes really good. I think that’s a big standout for me so far in the block.
**On a quarter-final tie against Chelsea…**
Of course I’m aware it’s going to be against Chelsea, but if you ask me now, I’ve been working towards getting this security into the quarter-finals. I haven’t been visualising or thinking about what this game is going to mean, but if you ask me now, of course, I understand the magnitude of this quarterfinal tie. And we look forward to it. We love these occasions. I’m sure the fans love these occasions and we’re gonna do everything to be as good as possible over those two games. Now we have Bristol on Sunday, and it’s international break.
**On Russo’s performance…**
I think especially then in the second half, when they start to take more risks in their press and how they do things, then we can play Less in more, even sometimes not interfere, because the pitch wasn’t perfect and then she brings it down, controls it so well with pressure and then she has qualities to grow pressure and set other players off. I think the first half was harder because spaces were tighter and more congested. They almost dropped into a five and what we needed then was more runs and behind, so spaces were very tight for Alessia, but everything she does, you can see it that she’s always switched on and present in every phase, in the press and working all the way back. She does so many good things and I’m just so happy that she scores two goals.
**On Leuven’s approach tonight and the home fans…**
Credit to Leuven and the way they’ve shown themselves on European stage, but also how they made things hard or different for us in every game. So they did one thing in the first game, then they did something else in the second game, so we had to solve that and find the solutions. Then they did something else today, in combination with the circumstances, I think today was the hardest one, probably, in what they did and the circumstances we played.
The fans were amazing. I knew before the game it was 2600 on the ticket sales then today the morning was fine and there was no rain. I was like, okay, looking forward to the fans, probably they’re at work or studying or whatever they do and then they come to the games and that’s it would be great. 8 o’clock. But then the rain starts to fall. So then you start thinking, ‘are they still going to come, all of them?’ And yes, they all showed up. And they were they were just singing and getting the team through it. We said afterwards it’s always a privilege to represent Arsenal. And that’s the big part of it is the fans that we have- they’re always there for us. It’s a special moment, even in these circumstances.
**On dealing with three players being away at the Asian Cup in March…**
We have Taylor Hinds back which is really positive. Stina is progressing really well, might be back before the block. We hope that Beth Mead can make a return as well. So then that’s all really positive. So yes, those three players will go if you look at how the squads falling at the moment and how they are stepping up and now we do things together and filling roles, I go with a lot of belief and confidence into the next block of games.
14.van Domselaar; 31.Holmberg (2.Fox ‘57), 3.Wubben-Moy(c) (6.Williamson ‘71), 5.L.Codina (7.Catley ‘71), 11.McCabe (24.Hinds ‘79); 21.Pelova, 8.Mariona; 18.Kelly (10.Little ‘57), 12.L.Maanum, 19.Foord; 23.Russo
Unused: 13.Votikova, 28.Borbe, 44.Harwood