Player engagement key for Slegers in hatching Lyon masterplan

Renee Slegers says player engagement was a key part of the team executing a masterclass away at Lyon on Sunday. Slegers has a very player centric approach to coaching, consistently asking players to contribute to tactics and game plans.

Slegers says having a one week run up to the second leg in France was a crucial detail but that player involvement also helped Arsenal to come up with the right game plan to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit and qualify for their first UWCL Final in 18 years.]

‘‘We do planned sessions with players and coaches together to look at things. We had more than a week between these two games so we had a lot of time together with the players and there was engagement from them. The first day back we got their feedback on things they wanted to focus on and different perspectives.

‘Our attacking game, our defending game and how we want to manage the game. That set us up really well for the next day so we could really align players and coaches together and we put a plan together on the details we wanted to get right. Towards the end of the week we had great engagement from the players again more from a scenario based perspective.

‘All the way through, it has been a great strength of the team, that there is engagement there is involvement, they take ownership and hold themselves accountable and that has definitely been a key for the Lyon win.’

Meanwhile, Arsenal Women U21 coach Elliot Allum has occasionally been part of Arsenal’s coaching setup on match days recently, Arseblog News asked Slegers about this and she says it is part of creating a closer relationship between the academy and the first team.

‘‘From a player and staff perspective, we have loan players and academy players coming to train with us. We have like to have staff around from the academy and the U21s so Elliott has been with us a little bit more lately and he has been a great addition, bringing a new perspective and giving us that bridge between senior and junior players.’

The Gunners travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa in the WSL at 6pm on Wednesday evening.

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