Arsenal has returned to victory in the female Super League (WSL), suffering only one defeat of the League since Renee Slegers took control last October.
A turbulent start of the 2024/25 season saw the former head coach Jonas Eidevall resign after a WSL defeat against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. Since the defeat against their London rivals, the Gunners have found a new lifetime lease thanks to the replacement coach Renee Slegers.
By progressing in the League of Female Champions and Adobe Women’s FA Cup, arsenal fans have a lot to hope as the season is approaching the end of the company. The Gunners mark on the left, right and in the center, steering wheel recently in front of the rivals of northern London Tottenham Hotspur in a 5-0 victory at home.
Having faced defeats and the shell of Tottenham and West Ham United last season, Arsenal would not dream of doing such a thing this time. The Gunners crossed teams in front of the first four, winning the seven games, scoring 25 goals and not conceding any.
Fans appreciate football again, and it is not only because of a change in the canoe. The attackers shoot, the defense is solid and the noise around the stages is deafening.
90 minutes Take a look at the way Arsenal has turned around their 2024/25 season …
Jonas Eidevall was certain of one thing and it was the fact that he wanted Alessia Russo to Arsenal. The club’s daring offer for the English striker in January 2023 initially presented their intention, which makes his transfer free in northern London this summer an exciting acquisition for fans.
With all the media -up that came with its arrival, its transition to the team did not meet expectations. Eidevall did not know how to deploy his skills, often tilting between Russo and Stina Blackstenius in the starting range from one week to another. Russo was forced to impact the bench for a minute, then was pushed under the spotlight for the next.
The attacker certainly had his moments, rotating at home a world class splint to beat Chelsea 4-1 to the Emirates Stadium in the last stages of 2023. Apart from a few brilliant moments here and there, arsenal fans were still waiting the arrival of the striker that they were promised.
Enter, Renee Slegers. One thing that Arsenal’s head coach made Crystal is his first new choice. Russo will start each match, and in the moments when Blackstenu obtains the call in the programming, it will never be at the expense of Russo.
All the best attackers in the world require two things, confidence and consistency. Russo could not flourish in the Eidevall system because he was never sure of what Striker suited his philosophy at best. The constant playing time and confidence of Slegers have finished Russo transformed, and Arsenal harvested the awards.
The 26 -year -old recorded eight goals and two assists in the WSL this season, as well as four goals in four Champions League games. She plays with confidence and freedom, connecting the midfielder and the line before Arsenal with her live support game and her visionary use of ball.
Despite extremely positive performances, Slegers did not really make a big tactical adjustments to this Arsenal team. The only adjustment that she brought almost immediately after making the post was the decision to definitively move Steph Catley in the center of the defense.
The Australian has been in Arsenal since 2020, mainly considered a left back in northern London. Catley had previously replaced the central defender when Arsenal is low in number, but Slegers made the movement permanent, and that worked.
The 31 -year -old is on the left, which, as simple as it seems, has in fact transformed the Arsenal distribution force. Too many right -handers on foot led to the team’s ability to break down an aggressive press, often grooved passes out of the defensive third party. Catley’s high passage of pass opens the left side of the Gunners, which means that wide players are available for a faster outing when you play the ball in front.
In addition to that, the profile of Catley players compliments the strengths and weaknesses of Leah Williamson at the heart of the defense. The partnership collected 12 clean sheets of SWITCH.
When the pillars of midfielder Kim Little and Lia Walti were sidelined, panic settled in Arsenal. But with their pivot partnership aging near its expiration, Slegers found a new spark in Australia International Kyra Cooney-Cross.
After intervening under Eidevall during the absence of Walti, Cooney-Cross had already proven his midfielder capacities. Under Slegers, her responsibilities have increased and she executed them almost perfection.
By picking up 11 departures on a row, the solid performance of Cooney-Cross was recognized as the player of January of Arsenal. The 23 -year -old has chosen teammates with punctual precision, provided assists in three of the last four games.
Its distribution is not the only thing to help Arsenal withdraw their shape, but its dynamic press allows the team to be aggressive out of possession. Slegers tends to deploy Cooney-Cross on the side where it can feel blood in water, allowing the space to decompose the accumulation of opposition. Cooney-Cross has room to improve in its defensive game, but its ability to cover the terrain has proven to be a real asset for Arsenal.
While the former target of Arsenal Keira Walsh again starts again in the WSL with its Chelsea rivals, Cooney-Cross shows the fans of Gunners why they simply don’t need it. The redesigned midfielder has injected a new life, bringing new energy to an arsenal side in difficulty before.
The most important thing that has been said about this new Arsenal look is energy in the locker room. When the team fell to a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea in October, the players fell on their knees and surrounded the field to thank fans inside the Emirates Stadium. Quick advance until today, and it is a completely different image.
Before she was the head coach, Slegers worked behind the scenes of Arsenal as a players’ development assistant. This meant that she worked head-on with the players in order to provide them with individually treated comments to help them know their role and improve their development. This ability to connect with the players was transpired in the morale of the Slegers wardrobe, a really positive impact, having a really positive impact on the side as a whole.
Leah Williamson has already said 90 minutes That she “likes to get to work every morning” and praised the environment that Slegers had created at the club. Players like Beth Mead and Alessia Russo had all echoed the feeling, telling the media that the turn of culture was the catalyst for Arsenal’s success.
An analysis of the arsenal culture change raises the question: have tactics ever been the real challenge of Eidevall, or did the team simply need a new perspective to trigger a new era of success?
