“FOOTBALL GOES SO FAST” – talking to Arsenal’s Renée Slegers and Laia Codina

Before taking on Leuven in a two-legged Champions League tie – in Belgium then at Meadow Park – Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers and her Spanish centre back (and occasional midfielder) Laia Codina spoke about all these fast turnarounds and decompressing. And speed skating…

The match at the weekend (beating Man City 1-0) was exciting for a neutral; I think you called it rock and roll football. It felt like you’d reached a sort of fantasy fluid football with loads of options, and I wonder if you can play around with it in this kind of match against Leuven? Can you be more experimental and maybe interchange all the forwards etc?

Renée Slegers: Rock and roll football, well… I was referring to the away games we’ve played against City.

I think this one was more controlled, to be honest.

Even though in our reflections we said we’ve had more control in the second half as well.

Even though the control was maybe in moments.

We wanted more, but we managed the game so well as a team.

Yeah, I think the starting point is what we did defensively in the game.

So proud of the team and also the staff working with the game plan and identifying the areas that we needed to stop and the options that we saw.

We did that so well.

I think City had one shot on target, if I’m right.

So that was the starting point for us.

And then we always know we’re very strong at the Emirates.

We’re really good in the way we possess the ball at the moment.

We see that it’s hard for opposition to solve certain things we’re doing.

And we did that against a top team like City.

So happy with that.

And tomorrow is going to be a different game, different opposition, different scenario.

They will set up differently and they will try to find their solutions as well.

So it will be a new game, but we have high belief in the things that we’re doing right now, both on and off the ball.

Laia, do you like the fast turnarounds from one match to another? From one competition to another, three competitions in a few days. I also wonder how you decompress?

Laia Codina: Yeah. I mean, it’s how it is.

We cannot decide.

But if we have that turnaround, it means that we are in almost all the competitions, so it’s a good thing.

And then it’s, we’re professional, so we know how to decompress, we know how to recover.

We know that after the game, probably after tomorrow, we need to start recovering for the game that we have on the weekend.

As a player, I think that’s important, to be ready mentally.

So when probably you are not training, you need to understand your body.

You know, for example, we like to go for walks, decompress and then get ready again because football goes so fast and you always need to be ready.

And how you say like we have lots of games, we have three competitions in 10 days.

But as I said, it’s a good thing.

It means that we’re in all the competitions, it means that we’re doing the right things.

Yeah, I’m happy because it’s what I like.

And I’m sure that if you ask other players, they will say the same.

And Renee, how would you decompress?

RS: I like short turnarounds as well.

I love playing games or coaching. Unfortunately, not playing.

I am staying physically active, time with family.

But then actually there is like the game against City, there’s the Sunday and then we take a drink with the staff straight after, then you go home and watch the game back.

But spending time in the workplace with our colleagues, our workplace is fantastic. So it does it does give me a lot of energy as well.

The big international breaks of course are a little bit bigger windows, but I have my little strategies with workouts and family time.

I recommend watching the Winter Olympics. Very exciting and it’s a good way to chill out.

RS: Yeah, I watched the ice skating yesterday.

That was good, [the Dutch speed skater, Jutta] Leerdam won!