Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers has called for an improvement in pitch standards to be a “next step” in the women’s game after her side lost 2-0 to Real Madrid on a surface described as a “disgrace” by club legend Ian Wright.
Goals from Linda Caicedo and Athenea del Castillo either side of half time left Arsenal with a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg at the Emirates Stadium, though they can at least hope that in north London the ball will roll more consistently than it did at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.
Heavy rain had damaged the surface at the ground, also used by Real Madrid’s reserve side, creating conditions in which the ball did not run true. That appeared to have a major impact on the tie when Arsenal captain Leah Williamson failed to controll a through ball that was instead taken on by Caicedo, who rolled the opener past Manuela Zinsberger. Real Madrid midfielder Melanie Leupolz also appeared to suffer a knee injury after connecting with the surface while playing a long pass.
The second leg will be played at Arsenal’s main stadium, but the Santiago Bernabeu was not chosen to host Madrid. The men’s team have not played a game at the stadium since March 9 and will not play again until March 29. Asked about the decision not to use the Bernabeu, Slegers seemed to make reference to the League Cup Final at Derby County’s Pride Park last week, where pitch conditions were also widely bemoaned. She said: “It’s not on me to criticise. It’s obviously a club decision and I’m sure that UEFA is trying to create the best conditions for the tournament.
“Of course, the weather is not always in our control. But we’ve seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions haven’t been great and I think that’s the next step for women’s football to take.
“We knew the condition of the pitch so we had a plan for it. It’s always hard because you work on things over a season and you have an identity. Then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden we need to do things differently so that’s hard …
“All credit to [the players] for trying and the work rate. We are confident that we can do something against them at the Emirates [Stadium] because it’s only half-time.”
Arsenal were evidently hampered by conditions, a side that had completed 88.9 percent of their passes in the Champions League beforehand registering only 83.1 percent on Tuesday night. Misa in the Real Madrid goal only had one save to make all night while her team mates ahead of her were hardly at their best in attacking terms.
Posting on Instagram in the first half, Arsenal great Wright said: “Watching the Champions League quarter-final … Real Madrid pitch – this is worse than Derby’s pitch the other day in the Conti Cup final. This is a f—ing disgrace, the pitches these girls have to play on.”
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