Arsenal 10 points adrift after 4-2 loss to City as Slegers faces heightened scrutiny
Arsenal sit 10 points behind Women's Super League leaders Manchester City after a 4-2 defeat at the Etihad on Sunday, five matches into the WSL season. That form — two wins from their opening seven matches in all competitions — has intensified questions over manager Renee Slegers' future.
The Gunners occupy 10th place in the WSL table and have not won the league since 2019, with slow starts a recurring issue for the club. Slegers led Arsenal to the Women's Champions League title in 2025, but last season the side secured no trophies while finishing second in the WSL and reaching the semi-finals in their defence of the European crown.
After the loss on Sunday Slegers gathered the players in a team huddle and then walked over to the 2,500 away supporters at Etihad Stadium, applauding as they sang "North London Forever." She was greeted warmly by those fans, though outside the stadium there has been growing discontent among some supporters; sources at the club insist she retains their full backing despite the poor results.
On her contact with travelling supporters Slegers said: "I mostly went there to thank them, connect with them and show them I care for them and I appreciate them coming out to Manchester. "I also wanted to show that – not that I feel sorry for them as I'm a big part of it too – but they are coming here and not getting the rewards, just like the team. "I just wanted to connect with them instead of walking away and hiding. I don't know how they are going to react to me! I just wanted to thank them for being there for us."
The club invested in the transfer window, bringing in England international Georgia Stanway, Spain full-back Ona Batlle and young Germany forward Lisa Baum, and those signings were made early so most players returned to Arsenal from their holidays in mid-July. The early recruitment and pre-season preparations have not prevented the slow start, and Slegers has said she will use the upcoming international break to examine where the problems lie. "There will be a big review of our season so far," she added, when asked if there was a wider club issue regarding their continuous slow starts to WSL seasons.
On-field issues have been clear: Arsenal had scored just twice in the WSL prior to Sunday's match, and Alessia Russo's goal in the 49th minute against City was her first in the league this season. That lack of cutting edge has left the club without a WSL victory in their past four games — their worst winless run since October 2023 — and confirmed their second-worst start after five games in the WSL, only picking up fewer points (four) in 2014. Wednesday's bizarre error from defender Leah Williamson and the 2-2 draw with Paris FC in the Women's Champions League, after which Slegers did not attend post-match media duties, have contributed to the sense of a chaotic opening to the campaign; she later explained she was angry and felt the team needed her in that moment.
Slegers defended her position on Sunday, saying: "First of all, it's not about me anyway. I have energy, I feel the connection and I think we're going through a really difficult time but we also see perspective. "We look forward and see solutions. We see the closeness [of the squad]. It's not that we're totally away from it or off it, it's been consistently about margins. "We have to work to get them on our side but when we do, I think we'll be really good. Of course, it's been a long run without the results we wanted. "It's not about me, it's about the club and I care about the club."
An international break is approaching and, as Slegers put it, "It's good to have an international break coming up. It's good for the players to change environment, play their football elsewhere, then come back in with new energy." The scheduled pause will be used to carry out the review Slegers has promised and to assess whether the club's response keeps her in charge.
