Renee Slegers: Arsenal boss reveals secrets and techniques behind success as Gunners try and hold tempo with WSL leaders Chelsea

Arsenal are a staff reworked underneath Renee Slegers. No facet has gained extra factors (21) within the Girls’s Tremendous League in 2025. The speed they’re scoring previous opponents (3.6 per sport), and the design of these objectives, is fairly outstanding too.

This from a squad that appeared fully devoid of confidence initially of the season. Missing creativeness and creativity, weighed down by the stress of expectancy relatively than buoyed by it.

Below the Dutchwoman Arsenal have gained 37 factors from 14 WSL video games, two shy of leaders Chelsea’s whole over the identical interval. The Gunners are at present six factors behind Sonia Bompastor’s facet within the working for the title, albeit the hole might be halved in the event that they beat Leicester on Tuesday evening, dwell on Sky Sports activities.

It is onerous to recall a supervisor having such speedy affect. After all Slegers’ promotion to move coach has benefitted from some continuity having labored inside former boss Jonas Eidevall’s technical staff since September 2023, however her footprint as Arsenal’s chief isn’t any much less spectacular.

Slegers freely admits, sitting in a relaxed stance in her workplace at Arsenal’s coaching floor, the transition from interim head to everlasting took longer than anticipated – upturn in outcomes, nonetheless, has come as little shock.

“It is onerous to say what I anticipated. What we wished in my interim interval was to get the staff going once more, stabilising with consistency. We did that. The interim interval was longer than presumably what I anticipated however we have put ourselves in an excellent place if we have a look at the place we got here from. I am actually comfortable.

“We did loads initially about our tradition and behaviours. That really went faster than I anticipated. We have been organically growing our sport because of that.”

Present type is bordering excellent. That is the Gunners’ greatest run of league wins since seven successive triumphs between October-December 2023. Stretching additional again, they’ve gained 10 of their final 11, solely dropping factors to Chelsea.

Arsenal threatened to drop out of the WSL’s institution within the early elements of this marketing campaign however the comeback story has compelled followers to re-engage. That is how eras grow to be memorable. A staff in disaster that moulds right into a staff in competition could be one thing particular. Slegers is actually having fun with her crest-of-a-wave second.

“The most important win has been the way in which the squad takes possession,” she says. “They’ve been so decided to carry one thing extra. Their mindset was so good these first couple of months they usually have been so desperate to work collectively to make issues higher. I am so happy it went in that route.”

And nothing about this second of Arsenal excellence has been by likelihood. Generally the staff has needed to scrap, come from behind, cling onto a slender lead, play much less fairly than Slegers’ regular fashion dictates, however these elements have constructed perception. Antagonistic Arsenal is one thing genuinely fairly novel.

“First we constructed perception upon proof. We have discovered the right mixture of perception by proving we are able to do issues, and belief that we all know we are able to obtain one thing extra. We use these particular moments – combating again towards West Ham, come from behind towards Liverpool, beating Actual Madrid – as examples and carry on reinforcing them.”

Actually this was the one manner. Slegers knew she needed to break the cycle of disgruntlement inherited from the Eidevall period and begin afresh. No sideshows, simply enterprise.

“I see the world and soccer by means of my eyes. I’m a distinct particular person to Jonas [Eidevall]. I come from one thing else, I apply myself in a different way and it is at all times going to be like that. Naturally issues will change if the group and the soccer is seen by means of another person’s eyes.

“What I’ve realized is it is good for me to be calm, we join nicely like this, inside the staff and workers. It has been a hit issue that I actually need to hold going. If I current myself in a relaxed manner I can organise my ideas, and we could be sharp and efficient as a tag staff on the touchline.”

Arsenal’s ‘massive membership’ persona has returned. Slegers’ win ratio of 85.7 per cent is the best of any Gunners head coach to have taken cost of 10 plus video games. Forty-five WSL objectives scored, essentially the most of any staff since her appointment, is only one instance of such constructive noise.

It is even beginning to punctuate Bompastor’s bubble. The award for the league’s ‘greatest newcomer’ is really going to be up for deliberation. Who’d have thought it? There is not any greater praise given how relentlessly Chelsea have carried out.

In the end, the spoils of this marketing campaign could also be few by way of tangible silverware for Slegers. However progress and an evolution of concord is evident for all to see. “The followers carry the opposite issues, the feelings and power, however I need to be a relaxed presence. Within the stress moments that is what gamers want,” she emphasises.

Some triumphs, for now, would possibly really feel extra important than trophies. The enjoyment of the soccer, the realignment with followers, the fun of a Champions League semi-final towards Lyon on the finish of the week amongst them. Something extra can be an surprising bonus.

Nonetheless, not unhealthy for a WSL first-timer.

Watch Arsenal vs Leicester Metropolis dwell on Sky Sports activities Soccer on Tuesday from 7pm; kick-off 7.30pm