By Sarah Myles (24/10/26)
Above: Renee Slegers looking on as her side prepares for the North London Derby. Photo: Arsenal FC
Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers sat down with the media ahead of Saturday’s North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur to discuss fan reactions, Alessia Russo’s position, and playing the Arsenal way.
Having conceded 12 goals in their last two league games, Slegers was asked whether she expected Spurs to play defensively against Arsenal tomorrow. Slegers said that “they play high-risk, high-reward football. That’s their identity” and that the opposition will “want to play the way they have been playing. If they adjust against us, that could be possible but let’s see tomorrow. We’ll have to be prepared for both.”
Slegers said the “fuel and motivation is sky high” in the team for tomorrow’s game, as the North London derby is a favourite for “many fans and players,” but that the current position, two wins from eight games, is “absolutely not what we expected and what we wanted.” She added, “We know how good we are and can be, and it’s going to be a big occasion tomorrow. The players love big occasions so it will bring something out of us tomorrow.”
All 4,000 away seats have been sold, which Slegers said is “100% where our focus is. We need to fight tomorrow on that pitch for 90 plus minutes, and we need to do it for the fans because we know that it’s been tough times for them as well.” She added, “We want much more for them, and seeing that we sell out the away section for this game after the run of games we’ve had, that’s going to be our biggest fuel in the game. To be there and give absolutely everything on the pitch for the fans tomorrow.”
Slegers acknowledged the issues the team has had this season: “We are aware that we need to be better in our counter-attacking moments, both from lower areas on the pitch, but also higher up because we do a lot of good work out of possession in the attacking half. But how can we generate more chances from there?”
“Being faster is absolutely something we’ve worked on because we know that last year, we played against low blocks and compact organisations a lot. So, we’re looking for moments where we can go fast and be more unpredictable. So that’s definitely something we wanted to add to our game.”
After last week’s game, Slegers told the press that “it would be worrying if weren’t playing the Arsenal way.” Questioned on what the Arsenal way is and how the team are currently playing that way, Slegers said: “I think how we look to dominate in possession, how we look to be unpredictable and fluid with our positioning, how we want to break lines, get a lot of bodies forward on the pitch on the attack, all those things.”
“And then the same on the other side of the ball, just be aggressive and be really compact and a hardworking team. I think it’s about both boxes where we’ve been vulnerable, vulnerable at the back with a couple of breaks. I think we still have the lowest shots conceded in the league, but when opposition comes through, it goes fast, and we need to manage that better.”
“So, it’s really about both boxes and what happens in between. We absolutely need to maintain, but the start and the finish on both sides of the ball can be and must be better.”
The derby will be the first time Victoria Pelova has faced her former team since leaving at the end of last season. “I think sometimes what you need in life is something else, a new environment, change, and can get something new out of you,” Slegers said about Pelova’s current form, having scored five goals in her first six games for Spurs. “It’s good to see that she plays and that she does well.”
Following boos from the crowd at the end of the 1-1 draw against Birmingham City, Slegers said the fans’ reaction was “the sound of care and frustration, which was right.” When asked if she was worried about the reaction if the result doesn’t go Arsenal’s way tomorrow, Slegers said, “We are blessed with the fans we have, that they’re showing up and selling out the away section and we’re going to do it for them because I know how much they want it, how much they’re invested and that’s going to be big fuel for us.”
The match will be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium instead of Brisbane Road. When asked if this would give Arsenal an advantage, Slegers said, “I think it will be a fight on the pitch wherever it is. There’s going to be duels and there’s going to be one versus one moments on the pitch, and we have to be really good in those moments. So, we want to see fight from the team tomorrow.”
Slegers provided injury updates on the squad and confirmed that the same squad available against Birmingham will be available for tomorrow., Daphne Van Domselar will be back for the warm-up but is not ready for minutes. Kim Little is managing a knock following an illness, so will be unavailable, whilst Katie Reid is training almost fully with the team and Michelle Agyemang is working in the background. Speaking about Chloe Kelly’s hamstring injury, Slegers said, “She’s still not training with the team but she’s making good progress in her rehabilitation.”
Slegers was asked about the conversation surrounding Alessia Russo’s positioning. She said, “she had her best goal-scoring season for Arsenal last season (when she played in both positions), so she is really good in both positions, and she can finish from both positions. I think we, as a team, have to do everything to get into the right spaces and in good finishing positions to be able to serve all the forwards and all the quality that we have.”
Slegers admitted that, while qualifying for next year’s Champions League is in the back of Arsenal’s mind, the team are collectively focused on the next game. “For where we are now and what we need right now, it’s to get back to winning ways, and we can only do that with the next game in front of us. So that’s why the next game in front of us is the most important right now.”
Slegers final words on facing Spurs tomorrow: “I look forward to seeing our team in red going against them and giving absolutely everything on the pitch, and then again with the fans. So, I look forward to the occasion tomorrow.”
Follow Impetus on social media:
@ImpetusFootball on Threads, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
