Renee Slegers reacts to 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace

Arsenal were 4-0 winners away at Crystal Palace in the WSL on Sunday thanks to a brace from Beth Mead, a goal from Lessi Russo and a second half own goal. Renee Slegers spoke to the press post-match, the first two questions are from Arseblog News.

On Mariona playing in central midfield recently…
That’s been working really well and that’s maybe what I felt that we’ve needed and also like looking at how players perform both in games, but also in training, but you’ve seen Mariona and Kyra play together as well, which has been a great partnership. So I think we’re just trying to build all these partnerships and make sure that all players can play with each other.

On Chloe Kelly’s creativity…
I think in general we play with some more fluidity and freedom, which means we try to we have certain spaces and certain things we want to set up and we can enter from different directions or with different passes and I think that’s hard for our opposition. It can come from all directions and they all the time need to make decisions and need to scan. That’s been good and Chloe is a very strong physical player, I think one V one and crossing player and that’s what she brings to us now.

Her thoughts on the performance…
I think at the end of a big block with a big game last Wednesday, coming here, knowing how important this game is, turning things around from last Wednesday, both mentally and physically for the players, I’m very happy with the performance and three points.

On preparing for his game after the high of Wednesday…
I’m very impressed with how staff and players have worked to turn this around and get ready for this game again, and it totally different setting with league games, other circumstances and of course, coming from a very big high going to the semifinals of the Champions League. That is a big performance and a big moment for us and then celebrating that briefly but then the other three days have been about preparing for this game. We have four games left and we go for four wins.

On Chloe Kelly’s intensity off the ball…
That is what we ask from our players. It’s very demanding to play for Arsenal and all positions. I think definitely the wide position is hard work and you need to bring quality and you need to bring intelligence on the ball, but then you need to bring a lot of work rate out of possession and you see all our players doing that, Chloe is one of them, and she did it really well.

On Jenna Nighswonger’s first WSL start…
Jenna’s only played a fullback two years, two and a half now, maybe, and so, I think it’s very impressive and you guys have seen her quality that she can bring, and I thought she was very determined today. Jenna played as Katie McCabe would have been on the pitch, she would have played the same role for us. We would have asked the same thing because I think in possession they are quite similar. Her attacking quality is on a very high level, so she recognises spaces really well and I think her combination play in wide areas and crosses is really good so we put her in that situation many times today.

On what the younger players can learn from Mariona…
I think all players can learn from each other, but I think definitely with Mariona coming to us, she’s so good at so many different things and I think the players, of course, respect her very highly as well and see how how important it is and what kind of situation she can set up for the team. So I think they definitely learn from each other but she is important for us.I think when she gets to play in this team with the other players they perform really well.

On Kyra Cooney-Cross not playing recently…
It’s just a learning thing, we’ve been using Mariona in midfield as well, so we have five midfielders at the moment available. So it’s been high competition. We try to use everybody to their strengths in moments and games we think we need and she’s been working hard in training.

On Rosa Kafaji getting minutes today…
She wants it very badly, she wants to play and she wants to get involved and I think it’s always hard when you when you get little time on the pitch, you wanna do everything all at once and maybe that’s what you saw a little bit today. She wanted to do so much but she’s working really hard in training as well, and I think you saw all the potential she has.

On Katie Reid coming on and the importance of promoting academy talent…
It’s important for the club. We have this consistently and that is good. I am happy for players when they get a chance to train with us and learn from the best European players, but also Katie is doing very well. She’s just 18 and she’s getting minutes for us and we see her as a very big talent.

14.van Domselaar; 2.Fox, 6.Williamson (62.Reid ‘83), 7.Catley, 22.Nighswonger; 13.Walti (10.Little ‘62), 8.Mariona (32.Cooney-Cross ‘82); 9.Mead, 12.L.Maanum (21.Pelova ‘62), 18.Kelly (16.Kafaji ‘81); 23.Russo

Unused: 1.Zinsberger, 19.Foord, 25.Blackstenius, 28.Ilestedt.

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