‘We’re going to do absolutely everything’ – Arsenal aiming for strong finish says Slegers | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers says that her side are aiming to finish the season strongly as they look to secure their place in next season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The Gunners currently occupy third place in the Barclays Women’s Super League table. European qualification is very much in their own hands given their two-point and two-game advantage on Manchester United in fourth.

When speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s fixture at Aston Villa, Arsenal boss Slegers said that the aim is to finish really well.

“We’re going to do absolutely everything,” Slegers said. “We have it as a target to get the Champions League spot for next year, but then also, at the same time, we put that pressure on ourselves to do that.

“We also have to be very aware that we have to be in the here and now and enjoy what we’re doing together because this group will never be the same again. There will be players and staff leaving at the end of the season, so we really want to cherish these moments that we have together and make the absolute most out of it.”

Opponents Aston Villa are in a patchy run of form but Slegers expects them to be eager to sign-off their home campaign with three points.

She said “What we expect from Villa, it’s their last home game for the season, so I think they’ll want to finish it well at home, in front of their own fans. What exactly they are going to present to us, let’s see both tactically and personnel-wise. Let’s see who’s available for them and how they’re going to attack the game.

“We’ll have to be dynamic, but we’ve been talking about focusing on our own game anyway because we’re so good when we’re at our best. We want to bring our own best game regardless of [the] opponent’s tactical plan, so doing our basics really well.”

With the season’s conclusion upon us, Slegers reflected on some of Arsenal’s highs and lows.

She said “I think the way we’ve grown as a team, the humility of the team and the understanding of what we do every day, how we present ourselves every day, has an effect on the long-term results we can get. For me, the Leicester game, it’s fresh in my head, but it was an important one because that’s what we want to do with the squad.

“We can play different players in different partnerships and the football stays the same. I think we have a couple of examples of that and then from a results perspective, I think we made history by becoming the first team to win the Champions Cup.”

Arsenal’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Aston Villa kicks-off at 12pm on Saturday afternoon.