By Rachel Gore (11/9/25)
Above: Renée Slegers. Photo: Arsenal Women.
Tomorrow, Arsenal face West Ham in their second game of the 25/26 WSL season.
Ahead of the match, Renée Slegers reflected on last weekend’s season opener and told the media what she is anticipating, and how her squad have prepared for tomorrow’s fixture. Historically, West Ham away has always been a hard game for Arsenal, which Slegers confirmed:
“I know historically it’s always been a hard game for Arsenal to go to, it’s a hard ground. They play a type of football that they believe in and they’re very disciplined in the way they do things. But we’ll have to be that as well.“
Despite their well-organised structure, West Ham are unlikely to finish in the top 3 on the WSL table. When asked about the importance of securing wins against teams that may finish mid-table or lower, Slegers highlighted Arsenal’s commitment to consistency.
For the Gunners, it’s not about the opponent. Whether they’re playing West Ham or top-tier clubs like Barcelona, who they kept a clean sheet against in the Champions League final, the focus this season is on maintaining a high level of performance week in and week out:
“I think every single game will be a test for us because if you want to bring consistency, you have to be consistent over the whole season. So that’s on us and that’s what we’ll focus on.“
To build on their opening performance and ensure consistency throughout the season, Arsenal are aiming to secure 3 points, score multiple goals, and deliver a strong all-around display in tomorrow’s fixture against West Ham.
Since Arsenal last played West Ham in a competitive game, the Hammers have made changes. Although, after a preseason friendly against them, which Arsenal won 2-0, Slegers suggests she has some idea about the team that her squad will face tomorrow:
“I think they’ve tweaked a couple of things and changed a couple of things but I think we have quite a good idea of who we’re going to play against tomorrow.”
This West Ham team includes forward Shekiera Martinez whose strengths were recognised at the Women’s Professional Game Awards last season when she won the WSL Rising Star Award. Slegers labelles Martinez as “impactful”, describing her qualities as “If you look at her contributions in the second half of last season, she’s been very impactful for them. She brings a lot. She brings full threats. She’s a threat in behind. She has physicality and a high work rate. So she’s definitely a player that we’ll have to deal with tomorrow.”
Arsenal “have plans to exploit weaknesses and to stop strengths” as other teams do however they prioritise doing what they think is right for them as a squad. This approach was evident last weekend when 18-year-old Katie Reid featured in Arsenal’s starting eleven. She paired up with fellow centre-back Steph Catley and was, in Slegers’ words, “the right player” for their WSL opener against newly promoted London City Lionesses.
Slegers thought that Reid played her role “really really well”, expressing no regret for choosing the young defender over more experienced squad members, like Lotte Wubben-Moy. Whilst the manager did not confirm whether Reid will start tomorrow, it is likely that she will feature heavily throughout this season’s campaigns.
Another young player who started for Arsenal last weekend was the club’s million pound signing, Olivia Smith. Having just turned 21, Smith is still young and Slegers believes that it is important that the club support her as she develops:
“She’s also very young still, she’s just turned 21. What’s important for us is that we support her really well because she’s still very young. We see so much potential and she’s already contributing a lot and I think you saw that last Saturday.”
Smith scored a beautiful debut goal for Arsenal on Saturday which proved that the forward “adds things” to the club’s game. Slegers was “already impressed” by Smith before she had signed her Arsenal contract and is “really happy with what she’s bringing” to the team.
Against West Ham tomorrow, Smith will battle with fellow Candadian, Shelina Zadorsky.
In defence, Zadorsky brings stability and will likely focus on reading the danger that Smith brings. Strong defence from experienced Zadorsky, and her teammates, will pose a challenge for Smith and her teammates.
It is her ability to adapt and utilise her player’s attributes which led Slegers to be awarded the LMA John Duncan Award yesterday. This award is given to a head coach chosen by the LMA (League Managers Association) who has accomplished something significant in the field of football.
Being given this award was was special for Slegers, although she was quick to point out that football is a team sport:
“It was a special moment because I could share that moment with other coaches that were there so I had really good interactions with a couple of others and shared some experiences so that was really nice. But you’re right because you do things together and if I wanted to do something alone I shouldn’t be in football because this is a team sport. We’ve done that together so I will always be uncomfortable when I have to pick things up by myself!”
Speaking of her team, Slegers’ confirmed that all of Arsenal’s players, bar Leah Williamson who is out with a long term knee injury, are available for tomorrow’s game.
West Ham v Arsenal kicks off at 19:30 tomorrow at Chigwell Construction Stadium and can be watched on Sky Sports.
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