Arsenal and Slegers need a north London derby turning point

Arsenal and Renée Slegers go into the north London derby against Tottenham needing a result in the Women’s Super League. After six matches, Arsenal are 12 points behind the leaders. The goodwill the Dutchwoman earned by guiding Arsenal to Champions League glory in May 2025 does not erase the expectations facing a club with one of the world’s biggest budgets.

Arsenal have gone five WSL matches without a win, a first for the club, the British press notes. Last Saturday’s home draw with Birmingham City cost Arsenal points against a promoted side once again. Possession has not been enough to make the difference: Arsenal have the league’s lowest shot-conversion rate, at 4.1%. Stats Perform figures also put them among the three least accurate teams (30.6%) and third-lowest for average expected goals per shot (0.09), despite averaging more than 60% possession.

The stakes go beyond the derby. The draw with Birmingham, the British press writes, has severely dented Arsenal’s title hopes and weakened their other domestic target, Champions League qualification. Arsenal are also nine points behind third-placed London City Lionesses. A win on Saturday is essential, but Arsenal also need a run of victories to reverse their slide. The club’s hierarchy are reportedly still behind Slegers, though the derby result could influence what follows.

Alessia Russo’s role is another point of debate: Slegers continues to deploy her as a number 10, a choice that has baffled supporters and observers, even though Russo has scored more WSL goals against Tottenham than any other opponent: eight. Arsenal have, however, struggled against low blocks for several seasons, so Slegers does not bear all the responsibility. The club also backed her heavily in the summer transfer window, described as one of its strongest in recent years.

After last weekend’s draw, Slegers maintained her belief that Arsenal could recover by correcting «certain details and margins». Tottenham manager Martin Ho, meanwhile, acknowledged defensive errors but said he was not worried in the long term. He also warned: «If you underestimate a team with Arsenal’s quality, you’re in trouble.» Tottenham have conceded at least six goals in two consecutive WSL matches, a run matched by only one other team in the competition’s history, according to the British press. The derby gives Arsenal a chance to halt their poor run, but the result remains to be seen.