Slegers lauds Arsenal's 'incredible' belief in Champions League triumph

Renee Slegers cited Arsenal's "incredible" belief as the key to their Women's Champions League final victory over Barcelona on Saturday. 

Slegers watched on as Arsenal substitute Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the game in the 74th minute to stun the defending champions at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. 

It saw the Gunners lift their second Champions League crown, 18 years after their first, which is the biggest gap between two trophies for a single club in the tournament's history. 

Arsenal also eliminated the winners of the last nine combined Champions League editions (Lyon and Barcelona) this season, capping a remarkable turnaround under Slegers. 

She initially took interim charge of the club after Jonas Eidevall resigned from his position in October, and went on to win her first 11 matches across all competitions at the helm. 

The 36-year-old became the permanent head coach in January, signing a one-and-a-half-year deal, and made history by leading Arsenal to European glory. 

Indeed, Slegers became the first Dutch manager to win the Women's Champions League, and the third overall across the men's or women's competition, after Louis van Gaal (1995 with Ajax) and Frank Rijkaard (2006 with Barcelona).

"We knew it was going to be a game where momentum shifts because we respect Barcelona, who they are, and how good they are on the ball," Slegers told TNT Sports.

"But we also know how good we are. We knew momentum was going to shift. Maybe other people were thinking something else but that's what we believed.

"We spoke about getting through the first 10-20 minutes and managing the game because they normally come out fast.

"They came here confident and with all respect, we had to manage that phase of the game.

"In all the phases that happened we showed the mentality, the resilience, the effectiveness in all our actions and the belief was incredible."

But the defining moment in the contest perhaps came when Slegers turned to her bench in the 67th minute, with Barcelona piling on the pressure for the opening goal. 

The Arsenal boss introduced Beth Mead and Blackstenius, with the pair combining for the match-winning moment, while also making an overall impact on proceedings. 

Despite only playing 23 minutes in the final, Blackstenius had the most shots (three) and touches in the opposition box (five) of any Arsenal player in the contest. 

"We knew that decision-making was going to be key, for the players on the pitch and us as staff," Slegers added. 

"The whole staff had prepared everything so well with so much detail, and we knew at the moment we had to make the decision from the sideline.

"What to do, what not to do, what to change and what not to change. The ones on the field, the ones that came in, everyone did so well."

While the players celebrated around her, Slegers was quick to turn her attentions to next season's Women's Super League, having guided the team to second this year. 

The Gunners last won the WSL back in 2018-19 under Joe Montemurro, and Slegers believes her team's European triumph will be a solid foundation to build on domestically. 

"We want to keep on building from this. We believe in who we are and what we do and we want to keep on building and keep on going next season," she said.

"Of course a club like Arsenal wants to win trophies."