Arsenal ready to start from scratch in Champions League, says Slegers | OneFootball

Arsenal win the UEFA Women’s Champions League (Arsenal.com)

Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers says her team will not be complacent as they begin the defence of their UEFA Women’s Champions League title.

The Gunners play Lyon at Borehamwood on Tuesday evening, and Slegers told the media that despite the excitement, there was a lot of hard work to be done.

“It all starts over again, so we start from scratch,” she said in her pre-match press conference. “We’re very proud of what we did last year and there was a lot going into that, but we all start over again, and everyone is constantly developing.”

Arsenal faced Lyon in last season’s semi-final, beating them 5-3 on aggregate. They lost the first leg at the Emirates, 2-1, but seized a famous away win, 4-1, to see themselves through to the final in Lisbon.

Since then, Lyon have a new manager, with Jonatan Giraldez replacing Joe Montemurro, but Slegers said that the squad had not changed too much so they knew what to expect.

“Preparation is always looking at ourselves, where we are at, what we want to prepare, our own changes and our own squads, and then looking at the opposition, what they’ve been doing lately. But of course it’s only a couple of months ago we played against them, and they still have similar players, so that’s something we definitely look at, but then, also look at the most relevant games from ourselves.”

Slegers: The Champions League is special

Arsenal’s Champions League triumph last season contrasted with their performance in the Women’s Super League – a competition they have not won since 2019. Slegers was unable to explain exactly why they had done so well in Europe when they could not replicate the results domestically.

“I think the way we prepare, everything is the same. Whatever the competition or the opposition, we always try to prepare on a very high level, but of course it’s big to get the opportunity to play in the Champions League, so it’s of course a very special occasion.

“You know that you’re going to be in the league every single year in the WSL, but you have to qualify for the Champions League. So when you then make it into the Champions League, it’s a very special stage.”

And after two draws and a defeat in the WSL, Slegers wants her team to get back on track in Europe.

“Of course, we’re not happy with the last three results, but the only thing we can do is now look forward and keep on bringing energy and belief into the group to go into these next couple of games.”