Renee Slegers reacts to 3-0 victory over Real Madrid

Arsenal qualified for the Champions League semi-finals by reversing a 2-0 first leg deficit to beat Real Madrid 3-0 at Emirates Stadium with a second half brace from Alessia Russo and a goal from Mariona. Renee Slegers spoke to the press post-match, the first two questions are from Arseblog News.

On the number of crosses Arsenal put in from the right hand side…
We tried to set up situations where we could beat Madrid, of course, and it looked a little bit different on the left and on the right because of how they defended those spaces, but also because of the different qualities we have on both sides. So I think in on the left side was more combination play and dribbling on the right side was more crossing.

On Arsenal keeping the intensity up even when they led the tie…
We had so many scenarios planned before the game and it was an in game decision with players going to the sideline where we felt we were so dominant, we had so much momentum that they were shaking that we wanted to keep on going with the game plan that we had to stay aggressive, stay high pressing, going for another one. So that’s what we decided to do because the game looked like it did.

On the half time teamtalk…
I think our press was very good and our counterpressure was very good. Second half we spoke about that we have such a great squad, we have so many players that can come in and make a difference for us and Real Madrid doesn’t, so we just keep on going, keep on working them, because they will get tired at some point. They haven’t had the ball lot and they’ve been in their own half a lot. So that’s what we said from a from a motivational perspective, but we we also looked a little bit at what spaces we could find in the final third.

On overturning the two goal deficit….
It’s just a credit to everyone, I think, staff and players. We’ve worked incredibly hard to prepare this game. But then when the moment is there, because you can prepare everything and in theory, you have all your plans, and you know what you’re gonna do, but then to actually do it and execute it in this moment where you are under so much pressure, it’s so strong of the girls. So it’s definitely something that we take with us so that’s very positive feedback that in these times and in these moments, we can perform.

On the significance of making the semi-finals…
It’s important for the club. it’s important for for the team, for the players and they are part of Arsenal because they they wanna go far in tournaments and they wanna win things and they wanna be at the biggest stage, so it’s it’s very important for us.

On whether this was one of the best performances since Renee took over…
I think we’ve done really good things before coming back from hard times from setbacks, with really good performances against top teams but this is definitely one of them. I think this is the clearest one, maybe where you play an opponent away and the game looks like it does and a result is what it is and then you come back and a week after you have to put this performance and this result. I think this is probably the clearest one, but I think I’ve seen a lot of strength in the team before as well.

On Russo being denied a hat-trick twice due to disallowed goals…
She was very happy for the team of course, and for everyone that we go through but I don’t know how many balls we got in in the back of the net today. I think a couple of them were just this little and that’s the fine margins, but I’ I’m really happy with everything we created and I think Alessia was really good for us again tonight. She scores two goals, but she she does so many other things as well for the team that’s so important to how we press, for example, she puts so much work into it like all the others.

On Chloe Kelly’s performance…
Very good. We had I think all players on the pitch that performed on a very high level. Chloe was one of them and we were very happy she’s with us and and I think we played her to our strength today really well, the players on pitch do that really well today, but also Madrid gave her add opportunity to play to her strength. There was quite some space and we set up situations where there was quite some space and we play to do the things that she’s good at.

On facing Lyon in the semi-finals…
They are a top team and they’ve been at the top for long now in Europe, so that’s that’s gonna be a challenge, but we don’t shy away from the challenge, we look forward to it.

On what this can do for the team going forwards…
It’s a huge boost, but we’ve seen it before, that we can come back always. We respond really well to when the team get hurt. It’s not always gonna be linear upwards and it’s about how you respond and what you do with that information that you gather when when performances aren’t what you want and you learn and you move forward and I think that’s what the team has been doing so many times now. I think this is a very clear, perfect example of it. It definitely motivates everyone to keep on going because we have so much more to give as well.

On the advantage of the home crowd…
We always feel very proud and grateful for the fans that we have and wherever we play they are with us. I think today is a record again in the Champions League quarter final in England, they mean so much to us, because I think it’s the synergy that we try to create. I think the players and us as a staff we have a responsibility t deliver a product that they want to be a part of and we need to create that energy and bring quality on the pitch and then they will give something back to us and I think that’s what happened tonight.

On what the mood was at half-time…
Calm and we’ve spoken about it before, but with the staff and players that we need to be calm whatever the scenario. If we don’t stay calm, we’re not gonna find the solution, so everyone is calm, but also it was nil nil, but we felt like we were dominant and it was just about the details of finding the right thing. So I could see in the player’s eyes that they were um believing and calm and they were very determined in a very good way. So the atmosphere was calm. We were talking about details so it was a very good atmosphere. You have to train your mind to stay calm because you could go in the direction of, okay, we lost two nil away and it’s only nil nil and there’s only 45 minutes left to play, but I think that’s what the girls do so well at the moment. The team does so well at the moment that we stay very calm and we focus on the task in the present, what can we do? Emotions aren’t gonna help us. We are on a very high level with the team.

On playing on a better surface this week…
Football is to be played on grass and we obviously played on the grass in Madrid. But I think any team will play better football on the good pitches and the pitch at the Emirates is amazing. We want to be a team that finds ways to win, so whatever the circumstances, whatever the surface we want to be able to beat our opponents, so we’re critical of ourselves and the game away against Madrid still but we’re very happy with the performance today.

On solving the problems from the first leg…
That’s something we want to do together so there’s always interaction between players and staff. What we do is the players get some time together, and coaches get some time together, and then we come back in and we present our ideas and details that we want to focus on and the players interact and so that’s how we together came to to what we wanted to do in the second half. So that’s basically what happened.

On Madrid looking toothless in attack…
I think it always takes two to tango, so you do it together with your opponents, what happens on the pitch. They were probably overwhelmed by our intensity in the way that we pressed them. I don’t know where they come from so it’s hard for me to to suggest, but I think hopefully the intensity that we brought impacted them and then they have their game plan, of course, and they and they come away from a big game against Barcelona, last Sunday, so I don’t know, that for them but hopefully our intensity made it hard for them today.

On Daphne van Domselaar’s saves…
I think that’s a top goalkeeper and it’s maybe also something that you need to be able to do when you play for a club like Arsenal because we often dominate games and opposition doesn’t get many chances but you have to stay concentrated and when the opportunity comes for the opposition, you have to have to be there and I think Daph is so good at that.

On a big night for Alessia Russo….
It’s always good for forwards, the players that get into those positions to finish get the ball into the net and it’s important for them because that’s something they need to bring to the team and games so it’s good for Less. She is so consistent stable as a person, she doesn’t get swayed by if she scores or not or what her contribution to the result is she just works really hard for the team and she keeps them going.

On Chloe Kelly enjoying her football again…
I can only judge what she’s done since she’s come to us and she came in with a lot of motivation and with a smile on her face and she said, I wanna enjoy football. I wanna represent Arsenal. I wanna do my best for the team and I think that’s what she’s done since she came in and I knew the quality she had as a player, but to see her day in and day out think she really contributes to our training environment. She’s very feisty, she’s a winner, very competitive, she’s great, so we’re very happy with her.

On the importance of having these comebacks behind them…
Against top opposition momentum will shift one or the other team will score a goal and you have to stay calm, you have to maybe come back and that’s definitely a strength that we take with us. So I’m very happy with that. I think the best teams are able to do this and at the moment, I think from a psychological perspective, the team is in really good place and on a very high level.

14.van Domselaar; 2.Fox, 6.Williamson, 7.Catley, 11.McCabe; 10.Little(c) (25.Blackstenius ‘90), 8.Mariona; 18.Kelly (9.Mead ‘73), 12.L.Maanum (13.Walti ‘73), 19.Foord; 23.Russo

Unused: 1.Zinsberger, 5.L.Codina, 16.Kafaji, 21.Pelova, 22.Nighswonger, 28.Ilestedt, 32.Cooney-Cross, 40.Williams, 62.Reid

The post Renee Slegers reacts to 3-0 victory over Real Madrid appeared first on Arseblog News - the Arsenal news site.