Read Renée’s Lyon programme notes | News

Before every home game, Renée Slegers gives her thoughts around the team and our upcoming game in her manager’s notes published in the matchday programme.

Ahead of our UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Lyon at Arsenal Stadium, the head coach says the players are ready, and will draw on their experience and our home advantage this afternoon.

Good afternoon and welcome to Emirates Stadium for another chapter in this great club’s European history and a UEFA Champions League semi-final against OL Lyonnes.

The mood has been excellent in the camp since the squad returned from the international break. It was a long period away from Arsenal for a lot of them and that process of settling back in is always quite intense, both for staff and players. This is an intense environment with high demands for high performance. The coaches and I were very mindful of this, but it didn’t take long at all for everyone to get back to the Arsenal way. They are top professionals.

These first few days together have been very buzzy and energetic, with great engagement and application from the players. It has been a really positive week.

We like the rhythm of games, so when we’re in a lot of competitions and matches come thick and fast, that’s where we want to be. But there is a balance to strike. With these international breaks being so long and demanding for the players, and when we have to travel so much in this final block, it’s really good for us to have a full week to prepare.

Today we face Lyon, a team with so much quality and history. We’ve been here before, at this exact moment of the competition last season, but no match-up will ever be exactly the same. Lyon have a new manager and a lot of new players, so it will be a very different challenge this time.

They are different now, but we are also different now. I think what they do really well is their aggression. They’re very explosive, with strong, fast players who can press and transition so smoothly. They’re also a threat from set pieces, so there’s a lot they can bring to this game. But there’s a lot of quality we can bring as well. The team’s task is to manage our opponent really well across both legs.

If you look at where we are now as a team and the tools that we possess – the ideas, the alignment, the individual qualities – I think we’ve grown so much. What we achieved last year against Lyon, coming back the way we did, was amazing. Although we can’t think or rely on previous victories too much, what that semi-final did provide us with was belief with proof.

When we went to Lyon, a goal down in the tie, we had to find the belief that we could turn things around. Of course, the team had performed really well and beaten Lyon two seasons before, but a lot had changed.

Now, if you look at the squad that we have, there are a few new players in, but our core is so similar. So there is belief, but there’s also shared experience to draw on now. I don’t underestimate that.

It was also really important that we managed to get that first-leg lead against Chelsea in the last round. What we showed last year was our ability to come back, both against Real Madrid and Lyon, but we have to find every way to win.

We maximised the game against Chelsea at Emirates Stadium. We wanted to start that game really well at home and play off the power of our fans. We did that, we won 3-1 and that was decisive in getting into the semi-finals.

That was crucial across the two legs, so we want to use that opportunity and home advantage again now. We all absolutely love playing at the Emirates. We know for a fact that this will be the last time this season we’ll play at home in the Champions League, so it’s such a special occasion.

We have to do everything just as we usually do, but it’s also vital to feel the occasion. It’s going to be a special moment for the players. Embracing this moment is going to be important. Being together in everything is going to be important. That’s what we always feel at the Emirates. We feel so empowered by the fans, so everyone’s looking forward to it.

Enjoy the match, and COYG!

Read more about the game, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v Lyon programme either around the stadium or online.