The English giants started the season with one win in four WSL games and a shocking loss at Bayern Munich, but the Dutch coach got them back on track
When Arsenal took on Bayern Munich in their first match of this season's Champions League group stage, they looked anything but contenders for the trophy. As former Chelsea star Pernille Harder ripped through the Gunners fragile defence to bag a magical hat-trick in a 5-2 demolition, you would've been hard-tasked in finding anyone who believed the English side could, just seven months later, reach the final of this competition. And yet, that is where Arsenal are, gearing up to face Barcelona in the showpiece event on Saturday.
It's an even more remarkable turnaround when one considers that, less than a week later, head coach Jonas Eidevall stepped down from his role. It came amid poor form in general, with the Gunners winning just one of their first four Women's Super League fixtures, and as the belief in Eidevall's ideas among the players was visibly fading. In stepped his assistant, Renee Slegers, for what most imagined would be a short interim stint.
Except it wasn't. As each week passed, Slegers' stock grew impressively, owing to an 11-game unbeaten run that featured 10 wins. It culminated in her deservedly earning the job on a permanent basis in January – and the honeymoon period didn't end there. In the four months since, the 36-year-old has continued that in Europe in particular, to guide Arsenal to a first Champions League final since they won this competition in 2007.
She has completely and utterly turned the Gunners' season around – but how?
Getty ImagesRebuilding confidence
One of the first things that was important for Slegers when she became the interim coach back in October was reigniting the confidence in a team that was becoming devoid of it. Poor league form and that thumping in Munich had left the players lacking a lot of self-belief, and the brilliant job the Dutchwoman did in addressing this was evident in how many players immediately pointed to the increase in confidence when asked where Slegers had made an impact since taking the reins from Eidevall.
“She gives us confidence,” Beth Mead said, quite simply, in November. “We are playing good football and as individuals and as a collective we are happy we have got Renee and she deserves the credit for making us feel good and getting the performances on the pitch. It has been a breath of fresh air and it has been very good so far.”
It’s a message Emily Fox continued to share two months later in an interview with . “It was a very smooth transition in that sense and she hasn't stopped,” she said. "I think Renee is just a steadying force and with the team-mates that we have and the girls that we have, I think we're all just very confident and know how important she is for us."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTrust from the players
Slegers’ ability to instil that belief in the team was aided by the fact she knew the group well from her time as Eidevall’s assistant. The players had already got to know her, especially given she was in charge of a lot of individual player development, and that also helped the transition between coaches become an “easy” one, in Mead’s words.
She had the trust of the players and was well-versed in what their strengths and weaknesses were, as well as how to get the best out of them. Slegers wasn’t coming in and having to learn everything from scratch.
Getty ImagesNot a standard interim
Nor was Slegers the typical sort of interim manager. She wasn’t an assistant with limited head coaching experience. Indeed, prior to her move to Arsenal, she succeeded Eidevall as the manager of Rosengard, the 14-time Swedish champions. It was a role she held for two-and-a-half seasons, delivering two league titles and a Swedish Cup before reuniting with Eidevall in north London in April 2023.
As such, Arsenal had the luxury of being patient, as they knew Slegers could handle the job for a little longer than some others might be able to. It was with that opportunity that she could then show why she deserved the role on a full-time basis. Having stabilised things, injected confidence in the team and got a winning run going, she could then start to slowly make her mark.
Getty ImagesTactical tweaks
There are not too many obvious changes that Slegers has made since taking charge of the Gunners. Most are subtle, with there no need to dismantle Eidevall’s work, but instead progress it with some fine-tuning. Her most glaring change, though, has been to regularly deploy Steph Catley at centre-back in a manner that not only brings a left-foot into the heart of defence, but that also frees up Katie McCabe to essentially play as a left winger, rather than a left-back.
It has positively changed Arsenal’s build-up play and how they attack, while also ensuring the cover is there behind McCabe to allow her to push on without fear of being caught out. When Mariona Caldentey has played on the left wing, as has been the case for large parts of the season, McCabe’s direct and wide style has also allowed the Spaniard to cut inside and create from a central position, which is where she is most dangerous.
Another major difference between Slegers and Eidevall has been the consistency of team selection, which has no doubt helped create the momentum that has carried Arsenal to such a turnaround. Indeed, Catley has credited that as one of the reasons for their defensive improvements. Slegers doesn’t often make changes and that has allowed relationships to blossom and players to understand how to play to their team-mates’ strengths, resulting in the consistently brilliant performances and results that have made her tenure so far such a success.
