After Arsenal’s commanding 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in midweek, head coach Renée Slegers returned to media duties today ahead of the Gunners’ WSL clash with Crystal Palace.

Speaking from London Colney, she offered insight into team news, the squad’s current momentum, and the challenges Palace might pose.

Here are five things we learned from her press conference.

Injury Setbacks Continue for Lina Hurtig and Laia Codina

Despite positive signs in training this week, both Lina Hurtig and Laia Codina have been ruled out of Sunday’s match. Hurtig, who has endured an injury-ridden year, faces yet another rehabilitation spell, while Codina is managing the after-effects of being pushed to feature against Madrid.

“Lina Hurtig is not available. Laia Codina, we pushed her for the Madrid game, but [she had] some reactions, so she won’t be available either,” Slegers confirmed. When asked how long the pair might be out, she simply added: “Nothing to share at the moment, no.”

Emirates Stadium is Becoming Arsenal’s Fortress

Wednesday night’s Champions League win was another example of Arsenal thriving under the lights at the Emirates, and Slegers was full of praise for the environment both the club and fans have created.

“It’s a great place for us to be at, we love to play there. The pitch is fantastic, the facilities are really good, it’s all optimised for performance,” she said.

“And the fans, they were so loud last Wednesday. If we play in big stadiums like Emirates, we can have a lot of fans, so we can create something together which is very important for us.”

Palace Will Be Fighting for Every Point

Slegers made it clear that her side is not underestimating Sunday’s opponents. While Palace sit at the bottom of the WSL table, their hunger for points makes them dangerous.

“They are obviously fighting for points, so they will put everything on the line… that’s what we’re preparing for,” she said. “For us, it’s important that we did really well last Wednesday, we set ourselves some new standards. We want to live up to those again on Sunday.”

Set-Piece Planning Shows Growing Squad Unity

One of the more revealing insights came when Slegers spoke about the detailed set-piece preparation that has been key in recent games. She highlighted the importance of collaboration between coaches and players.

“We want to create an environment where we have a lot of player engagement, and I think that’s on a hight level at the moment,” she explained. “Chris [Bradley – set-piece coach] has been doing really well… he always tries to work with all the detail in all the games. Players are engaged, and we know it’s an important part of the game.” 

Ruthlessness and Consistency Must Define Arsenal’s Run-In

The win over Madrid may have been a statement performance, but Slegers was keen to shift the focus back to the domestic task at hand. Consistency, she stressed, is what matters most now.

“We were of course very happy with Wednesday’s performance and result,” she said, “but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t keep on going and continue in that way… Sunday is going to be the important one.” She added: “We want to be hard to beat, create dilemmas, wear teams down and capitalise when opportunities are there.”

Final Thoughts

Renée Slegers continues to impress with her clarity and calm leadership, and her message ahead of the Palace game was simple: maintain the standard. Arsenal may be riding high after European triumph, but the WSL is unforgiving. Sunday is another test, and the Gunners are determined not to let their momentum slip.