By Emme Fortnam (14/3/26)
Above: Renee Slegers applauding Arsenal fans last season Photo: Arsenal FC
Ahead of another WSL London derby taking place on Sunday, Renée Slegers spoke to the media. She confirmed that Beth Mead should be back, and assessed the threat of London City in what is sure to be a very different matchup to their season opener.
There was a big focus on injuries and those who have returned from major and minor injuries. Thankfully Arsenal haven’t had any new injuries and are expecting the return of Beth Mead ahead of the game. Focus shifted over to star player Chloe Kelly who is gaining an increasing amount of minutes as the season progresses following an injury earlier on. Slegers said “She’s come back with so much energy” and is “training really well”, and she can look forward to Kelly posing a strong threat to London City.
Former Gunner turned Lioness Freya Godfrey us sure to be a factor in the game. On their relationship, Slegers said “I’m in touch with Freya every now and and then. So when she was selected for England for the first time, for example, I sent her a message.” Godfrey has proven herself this year with the opportunity to play more, as Slegers noted how “she can finish, left foot, right foot, so yeah she’s playing really well.”
As the WSL season is slowly coming to a close, Slegers was questioned on how the players are dealing with the current international break, as well as the key players missing out through their continued involvement in the Asian Cup: “the players love it…. so we are in a great place.”
Slegers seemed positive about the extended length of this international break as she exclaimed “it was new” and “for us staff we get more time to review and preview”, which echoed Andree Jeglertz’s thoughts on the changes.
Currently sitting in sixth, London City have had a mixed season, with big signings continuing to be made. Slegers spoke briefly on how she expected London’s Lionesses to play compared to their first matchup: “the first Emirates game of the season, we don’t expect to be playing out like that on Sunday because they’ve changed tactically.”
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