Renee Slegers allowed herself a moment to pump her firsts on the touchline. Arsenal left it late but the job was complete. After near-dominance of the game against Juventus, substitute Lina Hurtig’s 89th-minute winner secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare. It’s been quite the recovery for a side thrashed 5-2 by Bayern Munich on the opening night of the competition and who looked in disarray under Jonas Eidevall. “It’s surreal,” Slegers said, the interim manager who has turned the season around.
After leading a resurgent Arsenal around the Emirates at the end of this 1-0 win, Leah Williamson remained deep in conversation with Slegers, remonstrating with her hands to suggest her team could have played quicker against the Italian’s packed defence. Clearly, there is more work to do. But Slegers has now overseen all three group wins since taking interim charge, as part of an unbeaten seven-game block following Eidevall’s resignation a month ago. Arsenal will be in the Champions League come March. Slegers, who was part of Eidevall’s coaching staff, described it as the “perfect end” to the seven games she was given.
The question now is whether Slegers will be there to continue the journey. The interaction with Williamson suggested the England captain is intent on Slegers progressing her work, with the Dutchwoman keen to point out that she has been building on the “foundations” set by Eidevall. The improvement under Slegers though, to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals while stabilising in the Women’s Super League, still represents a remarkable transformation. The season is far from over, which is how it felt after the defeats to Chelsea and Bayern Munich last month.
The change under Slegers is not only seen in results, either. Performances have lifted, with the players enjoying the release and involved in contributing attacking ideas. The return of Juventus was undoubtedly Arsenal’s toughest test yet, and for a while it appeared as if they would again be unable to break down the low block. Juventus certainly didn’t want to be beaten 4-0 again, after the mauling in Turin last week. The Italian side changed their approach and were far more compact in their back five. Arsenal had more than 70 per cent of the ball but the majority of their build-up was contained to the area in front of the penalty box.
Arsenal, though, kept going, as Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey continued to look for the intricate passes inside. Eventually, it was Slegers’ substitutes that helped unlock the door, with Stina Blackstenius setting up the winner for Hurtig, who profited when Juventus failed to clear their lines for the first time all night. Arsenal had stepped it up after a first half that passed them by completely. The irony was Hurtig had spurned the best of the opportunities with a header directed over the bar from inside the six-yard box, with Little’s cut-back arriving too quickly for the substitute, leading to the redemptive moment from the Sweden international.
Hurtig’s impact in both matches against Juventus can illustrate how Slegers has helped bring the different components of Arsenal’s attack together. There has been a freedom at times, and progression of overall play, culminating in big wins of scoreline and importance. It’s been a good week. If the comprehensive north London derby victory over Tottenham will have further endeared Slegers to the Gunners supporters, progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League and securing a big knockout tie at home in March so efficiently will have impressed the wider club as well.
By the time Arsenal next play, at home to Aston Villa on Sunday 8 December, it will have been almost two months since Eidevall quit. If international breaks appear to be optimal moments in the season for a new coach to begin, Slegers has already made it past one and Arsenal appear no closer to appointing a new coach as another approaches. That was the expectation, at least, when Eidevall resigned and Slegers was initially given the games against Valerenga and West Ham while the club began “the process of appointing a new head coach”.
Slegers has only enhanced her claim to remain in charge. Purely in terms of form, the former Netherlands international merits the opportunity to continue, in what is her first senior role.
At the same time, there may be those within Arsenal who believe the club should be aiming higher in their ambitions. Arsenal, after all, have the largest average attendance in Europe and have previously submitted world-record bids in the transfer market. Should they not be aiming for the calibre of coach who can match that? An example can be found across London. When Emma Hayes left Chelsea, the club went for one of the best coaches in Europe in the Champions League-winning Sonia Bompastor, and the Frenchwoman has since won her first 11 games in charge in all competitions. Either way, Arsenal have a decision to make.
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