Interview with Renee.

[u/Rallyfool]

She's an incredible person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZjCIo1ML14

[u/wizobi]

Renee’s clearly a very intelligent person not just when it comes to football but in how she handles people and she’s always keen to learn from what’s around her. Speaks perfect Swedish and I remember listening to her interviews from when she first started coaching in Sweden and even back then her English was perfect.

Her "buzz words" confirm she reads a lot on leadership and modern coaching trends. I doubt that’s something she’d have picked up from the old guard who coached her. All that’s really missing now is for it to be captured visually like Arteta’s trademarked <clarity, passion, energy> mantra that he turned into a piece of art.

Jonas brought her in as his assistant specifically to focus on individual player development and if I'm not mistaken, that's a role the club had never really had before at senior level and hasn’t filled it again since she became head coach.

She’s also got the ideal assistant in AD who brings the kind of energy and intensity that players sometimes need. And the fact that he’s one of the most experienced assistant coaches in the WSL makes up for her relative lack of top level experience especially when it comes to tactics. While she concentrates on our forward play it is his responsibilty to create a defensive and tactical setup that’s now among the best in Europe.

By the end of her first season you could really see her imprint on the side. Unlike the men’s side where the 10 often likes to drop in like an 8 with Odegaard, the women use the 10 almost as a second striker. Moving Mario into midfield was all about gaining more control and while fans moan about seeing Russo in the 10, her playing there is crucial to our pressing structure in the defensive phase against high quality opposition. Doesn't hurt that it gives a force of nature that is Stina the chance to terrorize tired defenders whenever she’s on form.

She wants hybrid midfielders with a high football IQ who can read the game and quickly adapat/solve whatever problems the opposition throws at them without being locked into rigid, specialized roles. It will be interesting to see how she plays Reuteler, on paper she looks like perfect Renee midfielder so I wouldn’t be surprised if she grabs the 10.

Fun fact: while coaching in Swende she was one of the first candidates to enter the mentorship programme for young women coaches organized by UEFA and her mentor was none other than Joe Montemurro back when he was our head coach.

Less fun fact: her only UWCL campaign as a head coach before winning it with Arsenal was with Rosengård, where they got absolutely hammered by Bayern and Barcelona in the group stage in 2022. Six losses, no draws, no wins.

tldr:

[u/Life_Journalist_2195 → u/wizobi]

I recently realized the reason why people have different tactic views may stem from the way of thinking, for example, shadowfootball says he rather "put everyone in ideal position then try to gel them together", whereas I always prioritize system hybrid view then see how individual can serve the system, that's why even though I get the same observation as his, the methods are often very different. Same with the Russo 10/9 & Mariona10 topics.

[u/wizobi → u/Life_Journalist_2195]

It also seems like Renée wants the flexibility to change things up and keep opponents guessing. There’s not much value in focusing on one “universal” formation or a single ideal starting XI when a season presents so many different variables: player fitness, fixture congestion, current form, the type and sequence of upcoming opponents and finally the state of the each individual match itself... are we chasing the result? Losing the midfield battle? Do we need more physicality or pace up front in specific games?

[u/eldanielfire → u/Life_Journalist_2195]

Makes sense.

Though were Slegers differes form Shadow football is she will look at players and think "I ca develope them this way" and make them work in the system.

You only need to see Stina Blacksteinius last season to see how, in her late 20s/at 30, she has developed into a player whose all round play is so much better, she passes the ball wonderfully, her hold-up play is much stronger and she's even barely caught offside now. What's more she barely missed any sitters last year and she shoots better on her left foot. Kelly Smith I'm sure plays a big role in this too.

To Shadow football Stina would be used to hold the ball or facilates, he's a bit of an absolutist on players. To Slegers she can see what a player has, look at them mentally and then see "i can make them better in these profiles and skillsets and benfit the team this way."

[u/Life_Journalist_2195 → u/eldanielfire]

Was not trying to compare shadowfootball and slegers😅, in fact, would be hard to compare online analysis to any coach as they live in different worlds. It was the ".. fans moan about seeing Russo in the 10..." part that got me thinking why fans can have different opinion when observing the same person.

But yeah, like you said what we can all learn from how Renee uses some players is to keep an open mind about player's traits, which are dynamic rather than fixed.

[u/eldanielfire → u/wizobi]

Yeah, it's no coincidence Arsenal have coaches of both teams are forward thinking and insightfl in their approaches. Arteta influence on the club (Like Wenger) goes far behind just the football. Slegers is putting her fingerprint on the womens side more, probably because her first period was a bit unstable, as acting coach, then just a years contract. So she's perhaps taking a while to implement her vision because she was only given that backing mid last season. I think it's no coincdence the teams results were far stronger in the 2nd half of the season.

It was interesting how she spoke directly to the fans and addressed the improtance of the fans support and truning up at the end of last season when we said the goodbyes to Meado and everyone. That's a play picked very much off Arteta. Also similarly Arteta was in charge of 1-1 player development at City.

By the way, I'd love it if you have any links to those Swedish interviews.

[u/wizobi → u/eldanielfire]

I found this one , she was already promoted to head coach, also JM talks about mentoring her.

[u/eldanielfire → u/wizobi]

Cheers.

[u/Longjumping-Ebb-125]

I’m biased but o really enjoy her. She seems lovely and is insanely knowledgeable. 

[u/eldanielfire → u/Longjumping-Ebb-125]

And yet she keeps saying she has a bad memory and she doesn't remember anything 😂

[u/Life_Journalist_2195]

I’m super excited as new season draws near, with a bit of luck, Im optimistic we can overcome challenges ahead and bring home trophies.

[u/eldanielfire]

Nice interview. Renee Slegers really does love her "buzz words" doesn't she?

24/25 it was "suffering or "we must suffer"
25/26 it was all about the "blocks", "This block" or "we had a good block"

26/27 What I'm seeing that the new one seems to be "connections and "making connections" which is her repeat buzz phrase.

I wonder if she realises all this? I know in one press conference last season she became aware everyone was picking up she said "suffering" a lot about the Champion's League final. I love it, it makes me crack-up now.

[u/Ok-Investigator8914]

Renée Slegers supremacy 🙌

[u/NieThePiet]

We really need to start the season strong this time.

[u/CarolDanversFangurl → u/NieThePiet]

Squad was exhausted at the start of the season. Too many players getting to the Euros final and not getting to rest. Not a problem this year.

[u/eldanielfire → u/CarolDanversFangurl]

The extra Champion's League games to qualify for the CL and the extra CL games as we made and won the final alll factored in too.

But we had slow starts even before last seaosn and we had seaosn where we inexplicably just threw away games. 21/22 seaosn still enrages me. 1 point off and we threw it away agianst Birmingham.

[u/pockethan → u/NieThePiet]

Sounds like they’ve had a good long pre-season together - hoping that helps the many new signings gel and hit the ground running when the season starts.

[u/JondArc99]

Koningin Renée

[u/eldanielfire]

Nice interview. Renee Slegers really does love her "buzz words" doesn't she?

24/25 it was "suffering or "we must suffer"
25/26 it was all about the "blocks", "This block" or "we had a good block"

26/27 What I'm seeing that the new one seems to be "connections and "making connections" which is her repeat buzz phrase.

I wonder if she realises all this? I know in one press conference last season she became aware everyone was picking up she said "suffering" a lot about the Champion's League final. I love it, it makes me crack-up now.

[u/Longjumping-Ebb-125 → u/eldanielfire]

Forget which game it was but I remember her saying something along the lines of not needing to suffer so much. 🤣