Alessia Russo‘s second-minute opener in Arsenal‘s 3-0 north London win over Tottenham represented just about everything René Slegers has been trying to do since taking over as interim manager last month.
The former Netherlands international, who took over after the departure of Jonas Eidevall, focused on three things ahead of his short visit to Tottenham: “Bcalmness, precision and cruelty.
The three included Russo’s shot when he quickly decided to go past Becky Spencer with his left foot and reach the bottom corner. It continued the confidence seen in both Russo and the Arsenal team as a whole, especially after the October break.
During the break, Rousseau and his team struggled to convert meaningful chances into goals, which contributed to Eidevall’s departure. Arsenal’s xG team has grown year after year with the Swede, but they haven’t surpassed those numbers. In five games (excluding qualifiers) in the Women’s Super League and Champions League with Eideval this season, they conceded just six goals with an average of 8.6. This has since increased from 1 goal to 19.3.62xG In six games with Slegers.
Rousseau has scored 1.4 goals per xG in games with Eideval this season. At times he seemed to think too much about what he did instead of acting on instinct. Unfortunately, it was a common theme that the striker exemplified in the opening day’s draw against Manchester City, when he was gifted the opportunity to open the final third, only for himself found it late and the keeper was fouled for a direct hit. On the other hand, the chances he took gave Arsenal an advantage against Spurs, with only 0.06 xG, but his pace did not give Spencer time to react.
The 25-year-old showed signs of increased accuracy and strength in Arsenal’s first game back from the break against Manchester United in October. He made eight tackles that day, most for his goal in the North London derby, and scored his first goal of the season.
Since then, much of Arsenal’s game has become more intellectual.
His first goal against Juventus in midweek was a great example of how quick movement and good movement without the ball can open up a defence. The same could be said for her second goal against Tottenham, Frida Maanum scored again after good play by Leah Williamson and Kim Little.
He settled at home @FMaanum 🙌#BarclaysWSL @ArsenalWFC pic.twitter.com/aEUyVFlDUP
– Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) November 16, 2024
Her third goal, the first pass from Mariona Caldentey to Stina Blackstenius, was another example.
“I think so,” Slegers said at the post-match press conference when asked if less thought was put into the final third. “The quicker football is played instinctively (the better). But there must always be a foundation. That is always the most difficult part of training, finding a balance between basics and structures, and then giving freedom and creativity to the players. At the moment, this seems to be the case for players.
“We want to find some variety in the way we attack and when we are on the field, we want to understand a little better what they (the players) are investing and where the t -place. Where are the new places for us? We tried to play with that and the players understood it very well today.
Importantly, it wasn’t just Arsenal’s goals that mattered. Russo received the ball very well and linked up with his teammates to create space throughout his 64 minutes.
Apart from Rousseau, the right half of the field with Maanum, Little, Caitlin Furd and Emily Fox, the unit also ran smoothly. Quick forward passes, as well as corner bends and failed third-man plays, caused serious problems for Spurs and have become a growing feature of Arsenal’s play of late. On the other side, Caldentey kept his width with Rousseau on the field, but Blackstenius fell more centrally after the advanced position of England.
Slegers said that when he stepped forward to replace Eideval, much of the foundation was already in place for the uniform under him. However, it seems that the interpersonal skills he has seen working as an individual coach have allowed him and his staff to build more confidence in a team that needs it. He also said that he would force the players to take control of the situation ahead of the derby in north London.
Arsenal celebrate their 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Looking forward to another international break, he said: “We try to help them as much as we can by getting them on the way. But, for example, how much can we ask them to participate in meetings instead of presenting them? Can they activate their brain and see what they are thinking, because they often have good ideas?
“The lockdown has been very good so far. Now we have one more game to play and we will do everything we can to do well and get a result in that last game. That’s when we start to catch our breath. That’s all we can do. Focus on this moment because we have a lot of hard work ahead of us.”
The game is a Champions League match against Juventus on Thursday at the Emirates Stadium. This is Slegers seventh game as head coach and could be his last. Thanks to the 35-year-old’s impressive record of five wins and six draws, outside support is growing for him to take on the vacant role full-time. He has not publicly distracted himself from the task of steadying the Arsenal ship, but he has a consistent message. “be at the same time“.
This mindset has helped Arsenal secure a place in the WSL as they currently sit third behind Brighton and four points behind second placed Manchester City. However, Slegers’ next goal is to top Arsenal in their Champions League group, where they currently sit in second place, three points behind Bayern Munich and three behind Juventus.
2024-11-17 05:46:00
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