Renee Slegers may appear composed on the surface, but she is fully aware of the challenges Arsenal have encountered in the early stages of the Women’s Super League. The Gunners have already slipped off the expected pace after just three fixtures, and an old nemesis – the low‑block defensive system – has resurfaced at the Emirates Stadium, testing the side’s attacking prowess.
The season began promisingly with a win over Brighton, a match that had previously handed Manchester City the title when they dropped two points. However, that optimism was quickly tempered by consecutive draws: first against newly promoted Crystal Palace, then against a Manchester United outfit that had lost its opening two games.
These results have amplified the scrutiny ahead of the upcoming clash with Chelsea, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Arsenal’s struggle against disciplined, compact defenses – the kind they seemed to have mastered last season – has left them with the poorest expected‑goals (xG) performance in the league at this point, despite the abundance of creative talent at Slegers’ disposal.
While pundits will inevitably offer a range of opinions, Slegers is convinced that the root of the problem lies more in the players’ mindset than in tactical nuances. With that belief in mind, she is determined to shift any lingering pressure away from her squad and onto herself, hoping to give the players the mental space they need to rediscover their confidence.
She emphasizes the importance of remaining the calmest voice within the club, even when the results are not reflecting the quality on the training ground. "It’s frustrating that we have dropped four points," she acknowledges, before adding, "We can’t change what’s already happened. The focus now has to be on the positives, on the areas where we can improve, and on looking ahead." She continues, "I’m happy to take the pressure off the players whenever it’s needed.
If anyone has to carry that burden, it should be me. I want the players to feel free on the pitch, to play with clear heads and trust their instincts." Slegers notes that Arsenal had previously found ways to dismantle low‑block setups, developing specific tools and solutions. Yet she admits there is still work to be done, especially in capitalising on set‑piece opportunities.
"As a coach you can either dive deeper into detail and make things more complicated, or you can strip everything back to the basics," she explains. "In the end, actions speak louder than words.
There has been a lot of talk, but now we need to show results and keep moving forward." A sense of déjà vu lingered when Arsenal opened their Champions League campaign at home against Koge on a Tuesday. An early goal from Chloe Kelly was disallowed after a VAR review, and the Gunners struggled to regain momentum. They eventually secured a 93rd‑minute penalty conversion by Mariona Caldentay to edge past the Danish minnows, who had previously lost all six of their Champions League matches in their sole prior appearance. Had Kelly’s goal stood, it might have alleviated the subconscious feeling of "here we go again" that seemed to haunt the team, but instead the match turned into a narrow escape.
Slegers repeatedly stresses the importance of quick starts as a way to dominate the mental battle early in games. "We are hungry for fast starts and we need them," she says. "We keep driving that intention, focusing on everything we can control. Tuesday showed mental resilience – the belief that we could win persisted even when the goal came late.
If we had scored early, the whole dynamic of the match would have been different." She also acknowledges the difficulty of breaking down low‑block defenses, noting that only a select few teams excel at it. "We know it’s an area we must improve," she adds. Looking ahead to the match against Chelsea, Slegers expects a shift in the tactical landscape. Chelsea are unlikely to sit deep for prolonged periods at Stamford Bridge, which should provide Arsenal with more opportunities to exploit their attacking talent.
While the Blues will still pose a significant threat, the reduced defensive rigidity could allow Arsenal’s forwards to express themselves more freely – a chance they have not fully capitalised on in the first three league games. Young winger Lisa Baum, who arrived from RB Leipzig over the summer, is poised to benefit from this potential opening. In the three WSL matches she has started, she has shown flashes of promise, and Slegers believes she has earned her place in the starting eleven.
"She’s earned the right to play," Slegers says. "I trust her because of her training attitude, her behaviour, and her performances.
She’s becoming an important member of the squad despite her age, and she deserves the confidence we are giving her." Four games into any campaign, the notion of a "must‑win" scenario feels premature, perhaps even excessive. At this stage, the more realistic goal is to avoid losing points unnecessarily, especially in an expanded league where every match carries added weight. Dropping seven points to the leaders by the end of September would have been a nightmare scenario that the pre‑season planning aimed to avoid, and the current trajectory suggests that risk is looming. Slegers remains pragmatic about the upcoming London derby.
"Playing Chelsea away is always a special game," she notes. "It’s charged, it’s a derby, and we are prepared for that intensity. As with everything else, if there is pressure, I want to be the one taking it." In summary, Slegers is focused on protecting her players from external criticism, simplifying the tactical approach, and fostering a mindset that values quick, decisive starts. By shouldering the scrutiny herself, she hopes to give Arsenal the freedom to play with confidence, to rediscover the fluid attacking football that fans expect, and ultimately to turn the early-season setbacks into a catalyst for improvement as the season progresses.