RENEE SLEGERS wants Arsenal to keep the pressure on Chelsea with her players ready to pounce if the WSL title chase goes to the wire.
And the Gunners’ storming run to this year’s Champions League final has given the Dutch coach “goosebumps”.
3
3
Arsenal return to domestic league action away at Aston Villa at 6:00pm today, with the team six points off leaders Chelsea.
With just three WSL games remaining this term, Sonia Bompastor’s Blues are eager to defeat Manchester United away tonight.
Having lost their Champions League semis tie against Barcelona, her players, who are unbeaten in the top tier this term, hope to win a trophy treble.
However Arsenal, who face Brighton and Man United after Villa, are looking to keep up the heat should the leaders drop points at Leigh Sports Village.
Read More Football Stories
Slegers, 34, whose side will play Barcelona in the Champions League decider on May 24, said: “With a couple of games left in the WSL, we want to keep the pressure on.
“We want to end with as many points as possible from where we’re at.
“I’m happy with where we are, but no job is done and there is still a lot of work to do and that starts on Wednesday.
“All we want to do is get three points because we want to keep up the pressure on in the WSL
“You want to be in this position at the end of the season where you’re competing and I’m happy we are.”
Arsenal’s Wednesday evening Villa visit comes three days after Slegers guided them to their first Champions League final in 18 years.
While the Gunners boss values calmness at the helm, steering her team to a battle for Europe’s top club prize has stirred up a lot of emotion.
Slegers adds: “We’ve been very good at regulating our emotions in games.That’s a quality that the team has.
“I also think we don’t want to neglect emotions. They can be turned into a lot of positive energy. That’s the balance we try to find.
“I really feel what I’m doing and what we’re working towards. But again, calmness is important for us. I think it’s the way we perform at our best.
“But within that, there’s a lot of intensity and passion as well.”
Tomorrow’s game will see Villa enter their final three games of this season having won their battle to avoid relegation.
And head coach Natalia Arroyo wants her side to remain committed on the pitch in their closing fixtures.
3
The Villa boss said: “With the relegation problem behind us, we still need to be as committed as we were, working as hard, believing and fighting with the same energy.
“We will try to keep the good things of being under that pressure.
“But we also want to get the nice things of approaching the next three games with different ambitions.”