“ Renée Slegers as the permanent successor to Jonas Eidevall”

• by Lauren Casey
• Frank Scheuring - PHOTO
• JAN 17 2025
  

Sometimes, the best solutions are closer than they appear. That rings true for Arsenal's search for a new manager, culminating in the appointment of Renée Slegers as the permanent successor to Jonas Eidevall. Despite the club emphasizing a rigorous recruitment process, settling on Eidevall's assistant underscores the strength they recognized within their own ranks.

Anyone who has witnessed Slegers during a press conference would recognize her exceptional qualities. Leah Williamson shared how Slegers was "exceptionally uncomfortable" when her appointment was announced, quickly diverting attention to Amanda Ilestedt's birthday. Despite her discomfort with the spotlight, Slegers naturally commands respect. At her first official press conference as Arsenal's permanent manager, she defined her leadership through three key values: "empowerment," "enjoyment," and "respect."

“I have very clear values,” Slegers stated. “I spoke to the players this morning about that. Empowerment is very important: all the strength that we have in this building, let’s get the best out of those people. Enjoyment is very important for me too, because if you enjoy things in life, you’re going to get the best out of yourself and others. Then, we want to be respectful, towards coaches, staff, teammates, and equipment, because we are very privileged.”

These principles have been evident throughout Arsenal's recent unbeaten run. Williamson expressed her support, saying: “I am glad she’s got the job. Obviously results have been great, but the environment’s been nice. It’s a nice place to come to work. Her greatest quality in that role is the empowerment you feel. Naturally with an interim you distribute responsibility but she has alluded to the fact that won’t change, and she won’t change.”

Slegers' attention to players has been her standout strength, transitioning from her head coach role at Rosengård—where she won back-to-back titles—to Arsenal in 2023. Although she last played eight years ago, she acknowledges the importance of understanding players' perspectives.

“I feel like I’m very far away from my playing career; it was eight years ago that I played my last game, against England. In those eight years I’ve been coaching... I maybe floated away from the player’s perspective a little bit. That’s where I’m going back to now.”

Williamson playfully remarked how Slegers often ends up in the middle during rondo drills in training, highlighting her closeness with the squad. Her leadership has led to remarkable results: 10 wins and one draw in 11 games, with 31 goals scored and only five conceded.

Interestingly, it was the 1-1 draw against Manchester United that made Slegers realize she wanted the role permanently. “We didn’t get the three points, we get one point, but we performed really well and the fans backed and supported us. That was a critical moment for me. I could see there’s something we can create here; there’s something positive that we can create.”

Arsenal's director of women’s football, Clare Wheatley, confirmed that Slegers was the standout candidate in a selection process that narrowed down from 35 managers to six, then four, and finally two. “The club have been really critical and have really put me into challenging situations in interviews,” Slegers reflected.

Looking ahead, Arsenal faces tough challenges with consecutive away games against Chelsea and Manchester City. These fixtures will test not only Slegers' tactical acumen but also her leadership and communication under pressure. Yet, given her composure and the culture she has fostered, Slegers seems well-equipped to navigate both victories and setbacks.

As she continues to lead, Slegers has earned the right to prove she can maintain Arsenal's momentum. If her response to adversity is any indication, she will embrace every challenge ahead.

普通话

有时候，最好的解决方案比看起来更近。这句话在阿 森纳寻找新任主教练的过程中得到了验证，最终俱乐部任命蕾妮·斯莱格斯（Renée Slegers）为永久继任者，接替乔纳斯·艾德瓦尔（Jonas Eidevall）。尽管俱乐部强调了严格的招聘流程，但最终选择艾德瓦尔的助理教练，凸显了他们对内部人才的信任。

任何在新闻发布会上见过斯莱格斯的人都会注意到她的卓越素质。利 娅·威廉姆森（Leah Williamson）透露，当她的任命被宣布时，斯莱格斯感到“极度不适”，并迅速将注意力转移到阿曼达·伊莱斯泰特（Amanda Ilestedt）的生日上。尽管她对聚光灯感到不自在，但斯莱格斯天生就能赢得尊重。在她作为阿森纳正式主教练的首次新闻发布 会上，她用三个关键价值观定义了自己的领导风格：“赋能”、“享受”和“尊重”。

“我有非常清晰的价值观，”斯莱格斯表示。“今天早上我已经与球员 们讨论过这个问题。赋能对我来说非常重要：我们要充分发挥这座大楼里所有人的力量。享受对我来说也很重要，因为如果你享受生活， 你就能发挥自己和他人的最佳水平。最后，我们要尊重教练、工作人员、队友以及设备，因为我们非常幸运能拥有这些资源。”

这些原则在阿森纳最近的不败战绩中得到了充分体现。威廉姆森表示支 持：“我很高兴她能担任这个职位。显然，最近的成绩很好，但更重要的是环境很棒，大家都很享受这份工作。她在这个职位上最伟大的 品质就是赋能。通常情况下，临时教练会分散责任，但她已经表明，这种风格不会改变，她自己也不会改变。”

斯莱格斯对球员的关注是她最大的优势之一。从她在瑞典的罗森加德 （Rosengård）担任主教练并赢得两连冠，到2023年加入阿森纳，展现了她的过人能力。尽管她在八年前就结束了球员生 涯，但她深知理解球员视角的重要性。

“我感觉自己离球员生涯已经很遥远了。我最后一场比赛是八年前对阵 英格兰。在这八年里，我一直从事教练工作……或许我已经有些偏离球员的视角了，而现在，我正试图重新找回那种感觉。”

威廉姆森开玩笑说，在训练时的“抢圈”游戏中，斯莱格斯经常站在中 间，这也展示了她与球队的亲密关系。在她的领导下，球队取得了非凡的成绩：11场比赛中10胜1平，攻入31球，仅丢5球。

有趣的是，正是对阵曼联的1-1平局让斯莱格斯意识到自己想要长期 担任这个职位。“我们没有拿到三分，只拿到一分，但我们的表现非常好，球迷也给予了支持。这对我来说是一个关键时刻。我能看到我 们可以创造一些特别的东西，一些积极的东西。”

阿森纳女子足球总监克莱尔·惠特利（Clare Wheatley）确认，在从35位候选人筛选到6位、4位，最终到2位的过程中，斯莱格斯一直是最突出的候选人。斯莱格斯回忆道：“俱乐部在整个选拔过程中提出了很多挑 战性问题，真的让我经历了严格的考验。”

展望未来，阿森纳将迎来与切尔西和曼城的连续客场比赛。这些比赛不 仅考验斯莱格斯的战术能力，也考验她在压力下的领导力和沟通能力。然而，考虑到她的沉着冷静和营造的团队文化，斯莱格斯似乎已准 备好迎接胜利与挑战。

随着她继续执教，斯莱格斯已赢得证明自己能够保持阿森纳势头的权 利。如果她对逆境的反应能说明一切，那么她将勇敢迎接未来的每一个挑战。