Renee Slegers has stated Arsenal’s qualification to the knock-out levels of the UEFA Girls’s Champions League feels “surreal” after a turbulent few months.
The Gunners’ eventual 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday evening at Emirates Stadium, coupled with an earlier 1-1 draw between Bayern Munich and Valerenga noticed them seal a spot within the quarter-finals of the European match, with two video games to spare.
The outcome additionally marked interim head coach Slegers’ sixth win from seven video games since taking on the reigns at Arsenal from the now departed Jonas Eidevall.
“It is all very surreal,” she instructed 90min. “I by no means thought we would get to this and we have completed very well. I used to be a part of Jonas’ employees and there is so many issues from his time that we’re nonetheless utilizing, that is the inspiration of the whole lot we do. “I do not need to separate that, but it surely’s surreal in some ways and I am very pleased with the way it’s gone.”
“It is the last word finish to a really busy and intense block,” Slegers added. “It is the proper ending and it means loads. All the gamers deserve it due to all of the work they’ve put in. We clearly now have some respiratory house for the final two video games.”
Leaving it late in north London 🤩 pic.twitter.com/rw4aTM5tra
— Arsenal Girls (@ArsenalWFC) November 21, 2024
Regardless of what the rating traces may recommend from their earlier group stage matches, it is not all the time been simple for Arsenal within the match. They suffered a troublesome 5-2 loss of their opening sport in Germany, instantly placing them on the again foot.
Nevertheless, two house wins in opposition to Valerenga and Juventus, alongside a 4-0 away thrashing in opposition to the identical Italian aspect ended up being sufficient to get the job completed. They may now journey to Norway for his or her away leg with Valerenga on 12 December, earlier than returning to Meadow Park to hunt revenge on Bayern Munich.
Though substitute Lina Hurtig’s late aim serving to Arsenal safe the win, they struggled all through the match to discover a well past Juventus’ low block.
We’re The Arsenal ✊ pic.twitter.com/zHJEeqD00i
— Arsenal Girls (@ArsenalWFC) November 21, 2024
“That was one of many situations that we might deliberate for, however I wasn’t anticipating it as a result of it is very far-off from what they normally do within the league,” stated Slegers. “We needed to regulate to that. I feel they [Juventus] did nicely. They closed down quite a lot of areas within the first half and we had a tough time discovering house and the proper actions.
“However within the second half we had a clearer thought. Each the employees and gamers spoke on how we get to these areas and we exploited that within the second half.”
Slegers’ place in cost at Arsenal continues to stay unclear after Thursday’s victory marked her final confirmed fixture in cost as interim head coach. Regardless of serving to the Gunners return to their profitable methods, she’s all the time remained targeted on the job at hand, claiming she would not “give it some thought” when requested whether or not she’d have an interest within the function full-time.
The north-London membership are understood to be persevering with their recruitment search, after reviews their ‘main goal’ Nick Cushing dominated himself out.
READ THE LATEST ARSENAL WOMEN NEWS, QUOTES AND MATCH REACTION HERE
