Renee Slegers is calmer than she might be about Arsenal’s start to the season.

Not only have the Gunners already been off the pace after just three games into the Women’s Super League season, an old kryptonite has begun to rear its head again at the Emirates Stadium.

After a bright opening, victory at Brighton where two dropped points had guaranteed Manchester City the title last season, back-to-back draws against newly-promoted Crystal Palace and a Man Utd side who had lost their first two matches has already ramped up the pressure on this weekend’s trip to Chelsea, live on Sky Sports.

Sunday 27th September 4:15pm


Kick off 4:30pm

Those two opposing low blocks, which the Gunners had briefly looked like they had got to grips with last season, have left Arsenal with the worst xG underperformance in the WSL at this early stage despite the wealth of attacking talent at Slegers’ disposal.

Others will have their own views, but the head coach believes the Gunners’ problems are more psychological than tactical.

And with that in mind, she is desperate to draw any pressure away from her players and onto herself to help them find solutions. That means remaining the calmest person at the club.

“It’s frustrating that we’ve dropped four points,” she does admit, before adding, “We can’t change that now. It’s about focusing on the positives and the things we can do better, looking forward.

“I’m happy to take the pressure away from the players where it’s necessary. If someone is going to carry the pressure, it should be me. I want the players to be free on the pitch, to play with clear heads, clear minds and use their intuition.

“We had got away from finding low blocks difficult to play against, we had found the tools and solutions. But there are other things we can try to capitalise on like set pieces.

“As a coach you can go one of two ways – you can go into more and more detail, and make things more complicated, or strip things back, go back to basics.

“Ultimately actions speak louder than words, and there’s been a lot of talking. We just want to show things now and look forward.”

It was almost another case of déjà vu when Arsenal began their Champions League campaign at home to Koge on Tuesday.

After an early Chloe Kelly goal was chalked off by VAR, the Gunners visibly struggled to regain their momentum and needed a 93rd-minute Mariona Caldentay penalty to see off the Danish minnows who had previously lost all six of their Champions League games in their one prior appearance.

Had Kelly’s strike stood, it would have naturally eased the subconscious sense of ‘here we go again’ among Slegers’ players instead of, as played out, coming within seconds of playing out.

If there is one thing Slegers is still keen to remind her players of, it is that importance of fast starts to beat that mental battle.

“It’s something we are really hungry for and it’s something we need,” she says. “We are continuing to drive it and go after it in games and look after everything that is in our control.

“Tuesday showed mental resilience. The endurance of the belief that we could get the win. We said before the game, we didn’t know if the goal would come, or if it would be early or late and had we scored early I think it would have been a very different game.

“Low blocks are hard to break down for anyone, there’s only a select few who are really good at it, but we know it’s something we have to be able to do better.”

Some respite will come from the space with Chelsea, who barring a surprise change in tack, are unlikely to sit behind the ball for long periods at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Of course, the Blues will also present more danger themselves but it will still present an opportunity for Arsenal’s attacking talent to shine in a way they have not so far this season.

That likely gives young Lisa Baum, the 19-year-old winger recruited from RB Leipzig over the summer, as much of a chance to show her talents as she has had in the three out of three games she has started in the WSL since her arrival.

“She’s earned the right to play,” says Slegers. “I have trust in her already, the way she’s been training, behaving and performing, she deserves it.

“She’s making herself an important player in the squad. She’s only young, but credit to her.”

Four games into any season, the word must-win naturally feels excessive. Even must-not-lose at this point, especially in an expanded WSL.

But the potential to drop seven points off the top by the end of September would have been a nightmare scenario in pre-season planning – which could be about to turn into a reality.

“Playing Chelsea away is always the same game,” says Slegers. “It’s always charged, it’s a London derby. That’s already there, and we’re prepared for it.

“As with everything else, if there’s any pressure, I want to be the one taking that.”

Watch Chelsea vs Arsenal on Sky Sports Premier League from 4.15pm on Sunday, kick-off 4.30pm