Arsenal face Barcelona in the Women's Champions League this week - the first time the two have met since the 2025 final when the Gunners were victorious against all odds.
Renee Slegers had taken charge on a permanent basis just four months before, and the showpiece finale in Lisbon - which Arsenal won 1-0 - was by far her greatest tactical victory and arguably Arsenal's most complete performance of her tenure."It's one of the proudest moments. That performance was immense and it had so many facets to it... We've studied Barcelona and we're in the here and now.
This is a new game, a new moment," she said in her pre-match press conference.Transfer Centre LIVE! | WSL latest news and transfersWomen's Champions League table | Fixtures and scoresGot Sky? Watch WSL games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream WSL games with no contract📺Slegers could do with a replica on Thursday.
The Gunners boss is under pressure to produce results after yet another struggling start to the season.
They are already six points behind the top three in the WSL, and 12 points from league leaders Manchester City.The Dutchwoman needs something to kickstart Arsenal's campaign - a big win to remind everyone just who this team are would help.How Arsenal beat Barcelona in LisbonArsenal went into the game in May 2025 as heavy underdogs.
Few gave them a chance to stopping a team that had beaten Wolfsburg and Chelsea by a combined score of 18-4 in the quarter and semi-finals respectively.Barcelona were aiming for a third successive Champions League title and had Ballon d'Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati lining up in their midfield.Arsenal, meanwhile, had shipped 13 goals in their final three WSL games preceding the final, thrashed by both
Aston Villa and Brighton.
Not form you want at any time, let alone ahead of facing the best team in Europe for the biggest prize.But as football continually teaches us, form means nothing in a one-off game, especially a final.The Gunners needed big performances across the board, and that's exactly what happened.
Leah Williamson was a colossus at centre-back, Emily Fox expertly marshalled a trio of Putellas, Claudia Pina and Fridolina Rolfo and Kim Little had a standout performance in midfield. In fact, it was that central area that Arsenal looked to overload to keep Barcelona from their usual passing play, forcing them out wide.
Every time the ball moved, Arsenal jumped to press, closing down the spaces Barca operate best from.While this kept the Spaniards from their usual flow, it did not entirely stop their creative forces.
Arsenal faced 20 shots, but were able to keep them all out with a mix of calmness, good decision-making and concentration.A key demonstration of that commitment was Williamson's stunning intervention to deny Ewa Pajor in one-vs-one situation that would have resulted in an inevitable goal.
The video went viral that night.Arsenal had their own attacking moments, too - an own-goal from Irene Parades ruled out for a Frida Maanum offside - but it was the introduction of Stina Blackstenius and Beth Mead in the 67th minute that really turned the game in the Gunners' favour. The change saw Alessia Russo move further back as Blackstenius took up the No 9 role.
The Sweden international began to stretch the game more, getting in behind Barcelona's backline and giving them more to think about defensively.As Barca dealt with the new Arsenal threat, they became less efficient at creating their own attacking momentum.
In fact, in her just over 20-minute cameo, Blackstenius had the most shots (3), the most shots on target (2) and the most touches in the Barcelona box (5) of any of her team-mates.And of course, it was her finish from Mead's reverse pass that won it for Arsenal, built on the contributions across the pitch.
Slegers told the club's official website after the game: "We knew that we had to be really disciplined today with everything we did. Not the least in the defensive part of our game, but also in our positioning in possession, on the ball and the decision-making."The decision-making was on such a high level for the players on the pitch, but also the staff working in the background, the analysts up in the stadium.
I think the decisions have been so good. I think that was key for us today, to be able to manage the different phases of the game." Can Arsenal do it again on Thursday? Of course, the defeat did little to stop Barcelona's stranglehold on Europe.
