Renee Slegers appears more composed than the situation might suggest when it comes to Arsenal’s uneven start to the Women’s Super League campaign. The Gunners have already slipped off the pace after just three matches, and a familiar weakness has resurfaced at the Emirates Stadium, threatening to derail their early‑season ambitions. The team began the season brightly, securing a win at Brighton – a match that, in the previous campaign, had handed Manchester City the title after they dropped two points.
However, that optimism was quickly tempered by consecutive draws: one against newly‑promoted Crystal Palace and another versus a Manchester United side that had also lost its first two fixtures. These results have amplified the pressure ahead of the upcoming clash with Chelsea, which will be televised live on Sky Sports.
Arsenal’s recent encounters with low‑block defensive systems – a tactic the Gunners seemed to have mastered last season – have left them with the poorest expected‑goals (xG) performance in the league at this early stage, despite the abundance of attacking talent at Slegers’ disposal. While analysts and pundits will undoubtedly offer a range of explanations, the head coach believes the core issue is more psychological than tactical.
With that perspective in mind, Slegers is determined to shift any lingering pressure away from her players and onto herself, hoping to give the squad the mental space needed to rediscover solutions on the pitch. In her own words, she strives to remain the calmest figure within the club. "It’s frustrating that we’ve dropped four points," she acknowledges, before adding, "We can’t change that now. It’s about focusing on the positives and the things we can improve, looking ahead." She continues, "I’m happy to take the pressure off the players where it’s needed.
If anyone has to carry the burden, it should be me. I want the players to be free on the pitch, to play with clear heads, clear minds and trust their instincts." Slegers also reflected on the team’s previous success against low‑block setups, noting that Arsenal had once found the tools and solutions to break them down. "We had gotten away from finding low blocks difficult to play against; we had found the tools and solutions. But there are other things we can try to capitalise on, like set‑pieces." She explained her coaching philosophy: "As a coach you can go one of two ways – you can dive deeper into detail and make things more complicated, or you can strip things back and return to basics." "Ultimately actions speak louder than words, and there’s been a lot of talking.
We just want to show things now and look forward," she concluded. A sense of déjà vu washed over Arsenal during their Champions League opener at home against Koge on Tuesday.
After an early goal from Chloe Kelly was disallowed by VAR, the Gunners struggled to regain momentum and eventually needed a 93rd‑minute penalty from Mariona Caldentey 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 eased the subconscious feeling of "here we go again" among the players, rather than the near‑miss that unfolded.
Slegers repeatedly stresses the importance of quick starts to win the mental battle. "It’s something we are really hungry for and it’s something we need," she says. "We are continuing to drive it and go after it in games and look after everything that is in our control." She praised the team’s resilience after the Tuesday match: "Tuesday showed mental resilience – the endurance of the belief that we could get the win.
We said before the game we didn’t know if the goal would come, or if it would be early or late, and had we scored early I think it would have been a very different game." Regarding low‑block defenses, she added, "Low blocks are hard to break down for anyone; only a select few are really good at it, but we know it’s something we have to be able to do better." Looking ahead, Arsenal can anticipate a brief respite from the low‑block grind when they face Chelsea. Unless the Blues adopt an unexpected tactical shift, they are unlikely to sit deep for long periods at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Of course, Chelsea will bring their own attacking threats, but the match should also provide Arsenal’s forward line an opportunity to showcase their abilities – something that has been lacking so far this season.
The fixture also offers a platform for young talent Lisa Baum, the 19‑year‑old winger signed from RB Leipzig over the summer. In her three starts in the WSL, Baum has already begun to make an impression. "She’s earned the right to play," Slegers affirmed. "I have trust in her already; the way she’s been training, behaving and performing, she deserves it.
She’s becoming an important player in the squad. She’s only young, but credit to her." Four games into any campaign, the phrase "must‑win" feels excessive; perhaps "must‑not‑lose" is more realistic, especially in an expanded league. Dropping seven points to the leaders by the end of September would have been a nightmare scenario in pre‑season planning – a scenario that now seems plausible.
Slegers summed up the upcoming challenge: "Playing Chelsea away is always the same game. It’s always charged; it’s a London derby. That’s already there, and we’re prepared for it. As with everything else, if there’s any pressure, I want to be the one taking that." Fans can tune in to watch Chelsea versus Arsenal on Sky Sports Premier League from 4.15 pm on Sunday, with kick‑off at 4.30 pm.
The match promises a test of Arsenal’s mental fortitude, tactical adaptability, and the ability of newcomers like Baum to step up when the stakes are highest.