For that theme to have continued this season maybe isn’t a huge surprise in hindsight. After all, this summer brought with it the most change this squad has seen in a long time, with eight new arrivals combined with 10 departures.
On paper, it has bolstered the squad massively, but it has also come with a need to adjust. That’s not just for the players either. Slegers is working with a squad this stacked for the first time in her coaching career, and figuring out how to best utilise that, particularly when and how to rotate, is something she is learning about each week.
Over time – which the club is clearly happy to give her despite a slow start – as she grows more accustomed to that challenge, and the new players become more settled, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this Arsenal team become a serious force. By then, the WSL title is likely to have got even further out of their reach, but the Champions League, and the FA Cup, should still be on the table.
