Interim manager Renee Slegers praises Arsenal's mentality in Valerenga win after 'hectic' Jonas Eidevall departure
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/09/16/image-4414b260-c386-47c6-af98-0a2675a5a091-68-310-310.jpeg)
Published 16/10/2024 at 23:45 GMT+1
Stand-in Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers was delighted with the way her team handled the surprise resignation of Jonas Eidevall less than 48 hours before their second Champions League outing of the season. The north London club ran out 4-1 winners over the Norwegian champions at the Emirates, with goals from Emily Fox, Caitlin Foord, Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo securing the three points.
‘Sorry I have a German passport’ – Tuchel hopes to defy critics by ‘putting second star on shirt’
Video credit: SNTV
Interim manager Renee Slegers was pleased her Arsenal side managed their emotions in their 4-1 UEFA Women's Champions League win over Valerenga, their first game without Jonas Eidevall at the helm.
Resigning in the midst of patchy form at the start of this season, Eidevall left the north London club less than 48 hours before their second Champions League group match.
It brought an end to over three years of management under the Swede, but goals from Emily Fox, Caitlin Foord, Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo got the post-Eidevall era off to a winning start.
And despite a “hectic” couple of days, Slegers thought her team handled the disruption in the perfect manner.
“There have been a lot of emotions,” Slegers told Tim Stillman. “I have always respected Jonas a lot and I have always enjoyed working with him.
“I think he did good things for the club for three or four years. I was sad and many others are too.
“It has been about managing emotions and trying to stick to the task ahead of us and what we needed to do to perform. It has been a couple of hectic days.”
Slegers confirmed that the recent instability was the reason for naming an unchanged starting line-up from their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
But the Dutch coach could not fault her squad’s togetherness, noting that they organised a meeting after Eidevall’s announcement to discuss the “drastic” news.
“I am happy for them and credit to them. They also got together yesterday and felt that they need to step up and I think that is what you see today on the pitch,” said Slegers.
“All credit to the team, you don’t want this drastic thing to happen to them and for them to get into this self-reflection moment, but I think it was good they did it and now it is about maintaining that.”
Lina Hurtig made her long-awaited return to the pitch for Arsenal, having not played since November 2023 due to injuries and personal issues.
And Slegers was delighted for the Swedish international, whose workload has been managed carefully to ensure a safe reintroduction.
“We are super happy for her,” said Slegers. “She has been away from football for a long time, we have been progressing her very carefully back into training.
“This was her first time back in the match squad. You see the rest of the players are very happy for her and seeing her with her daughter on the pitch with the fans was amazing to see.”
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
React to this story
Share this article
Related Topics
