By Rachel Gore (26/04/25)
Above: Renee Slegers, who will hope her side can find a win tomorrow in France. Photo: Arsenal FC
Ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final, Arsenal’s Katie McCabe and manager Renée Slegers spoke on the fitness of her players, the squad’s “strength” and their comeback experiences.
Slegers was able to confirm that both Lotte Wubben-Moy and Daphne Van Domselaar will be available for tomorrow’s fixture. Both players missed the first leg due to injury, with Wubben-Moy having been out for several games.
It was announced this week that Wubben-Moy has signed a new contract with Arsenal which is her childhood club. Speaking on this new contract, McCabe said that “everyone was ecstatic” about Wubben-Moy’s new deal as “Lotte epitomises what Arsenal football club is in so many ways”. She also described the announcement video, which Wubben-Moy was the creative director of, as “incredible.”
Slegers also praised Wubben-Moy, stating that “she has the capacity to go away from herself and see the club, the team, and what is needed for the greater good”. Following this new contract, Wubben-Moy’s return to the squad tomorrow, post injury, is set to be even more special.
Tomorrow’s match is vital for Arsenal, as they fell behind during the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. The first leg was played at the Emirates and Lyon came away with a 2-1 win. Arsenal is, therefore, a goal behind as they head into the second leg in France.
McCabe described the first leg as frustrating due to “the fine margins” and Arsenal’s failure to get the ball over the line. Now, “it’s all over to Sunday.”
Slegers’ team has shown “so much strength” in moments like this one where they “have to overcome setbacks.”
The most recent of these was during the Champions League quarter final where Arsenal came back from a 2-0 loss in the first leg to secure victory and knock out Real Madrid. According to Slegers, her team keeps going whatever happens, she said: “we have a mindset of winning, we persist.”
Arsenal used the beginning of the week to reflect and recover and have since been training in a “positive and constructive environment” to prepare for this second leg. They aim to start the game better.
They know the “threat” that Lyon pose and Slegers said that the way her “players grew into the game” has given them “belief for the second leg.”
During the first leg, Lyon let Arsenal hold the ball and Slegers said that her staff have analysed the game, and seen what their visitors did to hold them at bay at the Emirates.
Above: Katie McCabe before kick off in the first leg, despite the loss, she was crucial for Arsenal. Photo: Arsenal FC
Tomorrow she wants Arsenal to be “good on the ball” because then Lyon will not “get to do what they want to do.” When Lyon were in possession, they stayed high up the pitch. McCabe played a key role in moving the ball backwards. She said that one of her strengths is “forward runs” and that she “definitely [does] not want to lose that part of [her] game going forward.”
For McCabe, tomorrow’s match will be about “reading the moment” and knowing where the ball is and where her teammates are.
McCabe also praised Slegers and the Arsenal staff for the tactical teaching that they have given her over recent years. She believes that the squad’s recent growth is “down to Renée and the coaching staff [who have been] working [them] so hard out on the training pitch.”
Slegers and her staff also “learn from the players” as they see the game from “a totally different view, literally.”
McCabe is one of the footballers that teaches Slegers a lot, as she provides a “different perspective of the game.”
As a manager, Slegers prioritises her relationship with the players. She said that it’s key for staff and players to stay connected as ultimately, they “want to grow together.” Every morning, Sleger spends a 45-minute window with the players before the team meeting starts. When the players are available [the staff] want to connect with them.
As a collective, Arsenal is “super humble” for Sunday’s task, but they balance this humility with “big belief.” They be believe that Lyon has “a next level within them”, however they know that they too have a further level that they did not reach during the first leg. Now, “there’s nothing to hold back for so [they] look forward to the opportunity.”
The last time that Arsenal had the opportunity to play in the Champions League semi-final was two years ago and they faced Wolfsburg. Speaking on this, McCabe said: “I remember leading the girls out against Wolfsburg. The number of girls who were out due to injury, it was crazy. We had a depleted squad.” This previous injury struggle only makes the Arsenal players grateful for the depth provided by their current available players.
They have found “the positives” from these previous challenges and “grown through those difficult moments”.
Two years ago, their semi-final second leg ended in heartbreak as they were knocked out of the Champions League by Wolfsburg.
Ahead of tomorrow’s game McCabe will do her one superstition with the hope that it’ll bring better luck than that of two years ago. This superstition is the act of tucking in her shirt: “people say I look weird when it’s not tucked in.”
Slegers “wasn’t superstitious at all as a player” but has “more tendencies to get dragged into those sorts of behaviours as a coach”. She is, however, “very rational” as she knows that superstitions will not change the outcome of a match.
What will ultimately lead to a win for Slegers’ team is “the quality and class” that she believes they have. According to McCabe, there is “good energy flowing” in and around the squad and this “unifies” them. They absolutely “have to be unified going into Sunday.”
Arsenal’s fans, who McCabe described as “the best in Europe” will be backing the team tomorrow. McCabe said that the players “want to do the fans proud.” They “know [they’ve] got travelling fans” coming to tomorrow’s match but for those who will not be attending in person, the game can be viewed on TNT Sports. It kicks off at 17:00 pm.
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