Last month, Arsenal parted ways with Arsenal Women manager Jonas Eidevall after a poor start to the season. The Swedish tactician opted to resign before the Arsenal decision-makers bowed to pressure from fans who wanted him sacked.
Renee Slegers, Eidevall’s assistant head coach, has guided our Gunner women since then. In her three games in charge, Renee Slegers has led our Gunner women to two wins (over Valerenga and West Ham) and a 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday.
One could argue that interim manager Slegers is doing an excellent job, but there’s a debate: if she’s not the Arsenal women boss, are our Gunners risking their season by keeping her longer?
In the press conference for the United game, on Friday, Slegers revealed that “I’ll be in the interim role for this block. That’s what I know,” therefore she’ll lead the Arsenal women for at least the next five games. We hope she can maintain her current unbeaten streak and consistently deliver wins.
That said, with Gooners’ desire to win something, don’t you think the Arsenal decision-makers should have been quick to bring in the new manager?
Against Manchester United, Arsenal women demonstrated their struggles to make wise decisions in the final third, not knowing when to hold onto the ball and when to make crucial passes. As Slegers was deputizing for Eidevall and couldn’t assist him in resolving that issue, would she be able to provide a solution?
Arsenal are facing a challenging situation; they should have appointed a new head coach by now, and he or she should have already been implementing their tactics to help them salvage any title hopes this season, don’t you think?
A new manager may require a transitional period to settle in, and expecting them to win the league would be excessively ambitious (it’s probably already pretty much out of reach anyway). After the October international break, Arsenal women should have brought on board who they thought ought to be their new manager unless they are planning to trust Slegers with the job (even if she didn’t hint she is keen on taking it before).
That said, let’s wait and see who takes over as the next permanent Arsenal women’s manager. Ex-Gunner Casey Stoney and ex-Manchester City manager Nick Cushing are the top two candidates, as per speculation. But it is still a mystery who of the two, or who else, will be trusted to coach this Arsenal women’s team back to greatness.
What’s your thoughts Gooners? Can we really just continue as we are?
Michelle M
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Renee was asked to do an interim holding job, in the midst of great upheaval, with the boss she was loyal too leaving, so far she s won 2 games and drawn away from home against the top of the league in a game we fully deserved to win,the top players are performing well for her, she knows them and their fitness levels better than anyone coming in from outside, she hasn t totally changed everything, but made small smart changes….if we get beaten in her remaining November games, i will admit to being wrong, i m good at that, lol, but otherwise i would prefer if we all get fully behind her.. i give her 9 out of 10 so far, we can t expect a lot better than that
If you believe the league title is already out of reach. Why rush things? With news of Edu’s departure who is leading the appointment process anyway?
Renee has managed wonders in three games. I’d like to see her stay for the rest of the season instead of being rushed into appointing someone like Cushing who would not be a popular choice amongst the AWFC fans I associate with.