By Rachel Gore (25/03/2025)
Above: Arsenal manager Renee Slegers watches her team train. Photo: Arsenal Women.
Ahead of a vital Champions League clash, Arsenal’s Leah Williamson and manager Renee Slegers spoke of the squad’s “anger” and the vitality of keeping good moments “in your pocket just as much as the bad”.
Tomorrow night Arsenal will face Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter final. In the first leg, the London-side returned to the UK with nothing after a 2-0 loss. For tomorrow’s match, all of Arsenal’s players, barring long-term injured Lotte Wubben-Moy, will be available. Laura Wienroither, who made her post-ACL injury comeback at Saturday’s WSL match against Liverpool, is unlikely to start as she “comes back from a long-term injury”.
This first leg fixture sparked outrage as it was played on a water-logged, cut up, pitch. Speaking on this Slegers said: “We have to deal with any circumstance and if the competition rules say that this pitch is good to play, we have to deal with it”. Providing a player’s perspective on the grass, Williamson reiterated the fact that “two teams played on the pitch”, saying that “the anger is more at ourselves [than at the pitch] because we know what we can do, and we didn’t [deliver]”.
Tomorrow Arsenal will play at the Emirates, a stadium where Slegers says they “thrive”. Whilst Meadow Park is a “more intimate setting”, the Emirates is a greater stage which allows for larger crowds. Speaking on playing at big stadiums, Williamson said: “I think we’re very lucky here [at Arsenal], in that the stage tomorrow night isn’t foreign to us”.
Although tomorrow’s match is an away fixture for Real Madrid, they enter with a two-goal advantage. Slegers said that Arsenal must “plan for all possible scenarios”, emphasising that her squad will “be calm and composed”. Slegers knows what this game means for people, and what it means for her team, but is also aware that “all games are important if you’re coaching Arsenal”.
In preparation for tomorrow’s game, Slegers’ side have reflected on the first leg. Speaking on this, Williamson said: “It’s about us taking individual responsibility first and foremost”. She stated that “when you’re underperforming you look inwards first, this team is very good at doing that”.
Recently, the product of looking inwards “has been great”: following their elimination from the FA Cup by Liverpool, Arsenal beat Liverpool in the WSL. Slegers is “really happy” with what her side did against Liverpool and Williamson states that these results prove that Arsenal “can turn things around” giving the players “confidence”.
Player confidence further stems from Arsenal’s “experience of overturning the last quarter final against Bayen Munich”. Williamson said that “anyone who was involved in that game will have confidence” as the circumstances were “very similar” to those seen in this set of matches against Real Madrid. Against Bayern, Arsenal “had a great second half finish” and wanted to pick up where they left off – “that’s the aim for tomorrow as well”.
Despite the similarities between these previous scenarios with Liverpool and Bayern Munich, tomorrow is “a completely different task”. Williamson anticipates that defenders will “have to be very disciplined” as Real Madrid’s “threat comes with fast attacks”.
Arsenal’s own attacking forwards, Chloe Kelly and Caitlin Foord, stood out in their most recent Liverpool match. When asked about these wingers, Slegers mentioned that “they are just two examples” of the quality in the squad. She stated: “They are important players but everyone on the pitch is very important”.
In addition to looking at their own games, the Arsenal staff watched Real Madrid’s match against Barcelona in which Madrid made history by coming away with a 3-1 win. Slegers said that the staff “reviewed the game the next morning” which they “always do” as they’re “very detailed on opposition”. The manager noted how Madrid has “been developing their play” and took away “a lot of learnings” but highlighted that “that’s them” and the focus tomorrow is on “us”.
Fans are not the only ones hoping that Arsenal make it through to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, footballing organisations across the UK are hoping that an English club can win the title this season. Williamson stated that this is the goal “from an FA perspective and a WSL perspective”. She said: “It’s up to one of us to make that happen”.
Currently, Arsenal is the only English side to have ever one the Women’s Champions League. When asked about the possibility of her club bringing home the title for the second time, Williamson said “it would be incredible”, describing the thought as “the dream”. For Arsenal, “tomorrow night is another step in that journey”.
As a lifelong Arsenal fan, Williamson wants her club to win as a supporter, in addition to as a player. Slegers has spoken to Williamson about her relationship with Arsenal and acknowledged that “Arsenal means a lot to Leah”. Despite this, she encourages Williamson to separate this love for her club from how she plays on the pitch, stating that players should focus on “what they need to do here and now because thinking about history and what lies in their future is not going to help in the moment”.
Tomorrow Williamson and the rest of Arsenal’s squad, will concentrate on getting the ball across the line to secure their spot in the semi-final of the Champions League. Arsenal is expecting over 20,000 fans to turn up for what is set to be an exciting match.
As Slegers stated, “football is unpredictable and that’s the magic about it, that’s why people come to the stadium”. Arsenal v Real Madrid kicks off at 8pm tomorrow and can be watched on DAZN’s Youtube or BT Sport – the result truly could go either way.
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