‘There is a lot we are losing with Katie and Beth going’ – Arsenal boss Slegers pays tribute to departing duo | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers paid tribute to departing duo Katie McCabe and Beth Mead following her side’s 3-1 victory at Liverpool on the final day of the Barclays Women’s Super League season.

Alessia Russo scored a brace while Mariona Caldentey also added her name to the scoresheet as The Gunners finished in second place and automatically qualified for next season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Speaking to the media after the game, Arsenal boss Slegers reflected on how her side performed when facing Liverpool’s high-pressure game.

“We expected that high pressure, it was their last game at Anfield and it is something they have had success with, it is their identity,” Slegers said. “Sometimes, teams adjust against us and they adjusted at the end of the first half and started to drop off and in parts of the second half.

“We were expecting the high jump pressure and finding the tools and getting the details right to get out of their pressure. When we did, it was quite open and we found space. I think we did that really well in the first half.”

It was an emotional day for The Gunners as they said farewell to two of their longest-serving players in Mead and McCabe. Slegers shared what she will miss the most about the duo.

She said “They are both very vocal and create energy when it is needed, they speak up when it is needed, so that is something we will miss along with their energy, their presence and also their football intelligence.

“Football is always like that; players leave and then there is room for new players to come in and everything changes again. I am expecting other players in the squad to step up even more. There are new players coming in who will bring quality too, so I am really excited about how all that is going to gel together.

“There is a lot we are losing with Katie and Beth going.”

Slegers also gave credit to the fans with over 3,000 having travelled to Anfield to support the team, just as they have in their numbers all season.

She said “You don’t get it anywhere else, it’s Arsenal and it really makes it all meaningful for us. If we had been working so hard to get results, to win games and to win titles with no-one there, we wouldn’t feel the same, it wouldn’t feel the same.”

Arsenal end the season with one trophy. The Gunners won the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup at the start of the year.