By OkayGoal
Arsenal’s disappointing start to the 2026/27 season has raised serious questions about Renée Slegers’ future as head coach. After challenging for major honors in recent seasons, the club has struggled to produce consistent WSL results, leaving supporters increasingly frustrated.
The latest setback before the North London derby against Tottenham came on October 17, when Arsenal drew 1-1 with Birmingham City at the Emirates Stadium. The result extended their winless league run to five matches and left them eighth in the table, with just six points from six games. Manchester City, meanwhile, had established a substantial lead at the top of the table.
However, Arsenal finally responded on October 24, beating Tottenham 2-1 on the road. The victory ended their five-match winless league run and lifted them to sixth place with nine points from seven matches. Although the result eased some pressure on Slegers, it did not erase the concerns raised by the team’s earlier performances.
Arsenal’s problems have been difficult to ignore. Their attack has often lacked efficiency, defensive mistakes have proved costly, and the team has struggled to turn possession into wins. While Slegers has earned considerable credit for her previous achievements, the club cannot afford to let its ambitions slip away.
So, is it time for Arsenal to part ways with their manager? Although there are legitimate reasons to question whether Slegers can reverse the team’s decline, dismissing her immediately may not be the right decision. The victory over Tottenham gives her a chance to rebuild momentum, but she still needs to demonstrate that she can address Arsenal’s problems consistently.
Arsenal’s Results Are Becoming a Serious Concern
Arsenal’s recent league results paint a worrying picture. They lost 1-0 away to Chelsea on September 27, then suffered a 4-2 defeat to Manchester City on October 4. The loss to City was particularly frustrating because Arsenal took the lead twice. First through Lisa Baum shortly before half-time and then through Alessia Russo four minutes after the break. Lauren Hemp scored twice for City, while Kerstin Casparij and Bunny Shaw completed the comeback.
“There’s a lot to review. How we’ve been doing things, from all aspects. Training programme, bigger things in the background. We’re going to do everything we can to see where we can be better,” the manager said following the defeat to Manchester City, according to Sky Sports.
Arsenal subsequently had an opportunity to regain momentum against Birmingham City, but they couldn’t make the most of it. Océane Hurtré put Birmingham ahead in the second half before Olivia Smith produced a superb equalizer. Despite creating chances and pushing for a late winner, Arsenal settled for a draw.
The result extended a winless run that included a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on September 19. Arsenal have continued to show flashes of their attacking quality, but their inability to turn promising performances into wins has become a recurring problem.
Repeated Problems in Both Penalty Areas
The concern wasn’t simply that Arsenal had dropped points. The same weaknesses kept reappearing. They struggled to finish chances, let opponents punish defensive lapses, and often lacked the urgency to break down organized defenses.
A team with Arsenal’s ambitions can’t expect to challenge for the league title while repeatedly failing to overcome opponents it should be capable of beating. The WSL is highly competitive, and every dropped point can decide the title race and European qualification.
If Slegers can’t find a way to make Arsenal more effective in both penalty areas, the club risks losing further ground in the league. The win over Tottenham was an important response, but one victory doesn’t prove that these problems have disappeared.
The Champions League Has Offered Little Reassurance
Arsenal’s European campaign has also highlighted issues affecting the team domestically. They opened their 2026/27 UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase with a 1-0 victory over HB Køge on September 22.
Although the win secured three important points, Arsenal struggled to turn their performance into a more convincing result. Their display raised concerns about their finishing, even against an opponent they were expected to beat.
The problems became more apparent in the next match against Paris FC on September 30. Arsenal took a 2-0 lead through Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway, but their opponents recovered. Clara Mateo reduced the deficit before Maeline Mendy converted a late penalty to secure a 2-2 draw.
Arsenal Must Learn to Protect Their Leads
Losing a two-goal advantage is difficult to justify for a club seeking to compete with Europe’s strongest teams. Arsenal showed they could create chances and control the game, but they failed to maintain that edge when Paris FC increased the pressure.
The European results aren’t disastrous on their own. Arsenal remain in a position to build on their opening performances, and the victory over HB Køge demonstrated that they can still find ways to win. However, the draw against Paris FC reinforced the impression that the team was struggling to manage matches consistently.
Arsenal will face Benfica on October 28, giving Slegers another chance to show the team can turn its European performance into a more convincing display. The bigger challenge is to ensure the club does not keep making the same mistakes that undermine it across competitions.
Has Renée Slegers Run Out of Time?
A reasonable argument is that Arsenal should consider a managerial change if their performances don’t improve. The club has invested in building a squad capable of competing for major trophies, and its expectations should reflect that ambition.
Arsenal can’t afford to spend an entire season waiting for the team to rediscover its form. The earlier struggles exposed problems with finishing, defensive organization, and the ability to respond when opponents disrupted their rhythm. A manager must address these areas, particularly when the squad has the individual quality to perform better.
Continued poor results also risk damaging the players’ confidence. Each disappointing performance adds pressure to the next fixture, making it harder for the team to play with the freedom and conviction required to recover.
Why a Managerial Change Could Be Necessary
From that perspective, the question isn’t whether Renée Slegers deserves credit for her earlier success. She does. The question is whether she can still lead Arsenal toward the objectives the club set for this season.
If the same weaknesses persist over the coming weeks, Arsenal’s hierarchy will have to consider whether another coach could get more out of the squad. Keeping a manager solely because of past achievements isn’t sustainable when current performances repeatedly fall short of expectations.
However, a managerial change shouldn’t be treated as an automatic solution. Replacing Slegers would bring its own uncertainty, and no guarantee that a new appointment would immediately resolve the team’s problems. The club would need to identify a suitable successor with a clear plan to improve Arsenal’s performances, rather than change solely in response to mounting frustration.
Why Arsenal Should Give Renée Slegers More Time
Despite the mounting pressure, there are compelling reasons not to dismiss Slegers immediately. Her record before this difficult spell shows she has already proven she can improve the team and deliver success at the highest level.
Slegers took charge on an interim basis after Jonas Eidevall resigned in October 2024. She was appointed permanently in January 2025 after an impressive run of results, and she went on to lead Arsenal to the 2025 UEFA Women’s Champions League title. Arsenal defeated Barcelona 1-0 in the final, with Stina Blackstenius scoring the winning goal.
Her Previous Success Still Matters
That achievement matters. Beating Barcelona in a European final required discipline, tactical preparation, and the ability to execute a plan against elite opposition. Slegers had already shown that she can guide Arsenal through difficult challenges and help the team deliver on a major occasion.
The current situation is concerning, but it doesn’t automatically erase that record. Arsenal have also undergone squad changes ahead of this season, with departures and new arrivals. Integrating new players and building consistent relationships on the pitch takes time, but that shouldn’t become a permanent excuse for disappointing results.
A team can also fail to create opportunities, and another can repeatedly fail to convert them. Arsenal created chances in several recent matches, but poor finishing and crucial mistakes kept them from collecting the points their performances might otherwise have earned. Improving those details could change the direction of their season.
The Tottenham Victory Offers a Starting Point
Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Tottenham provided evidence that Renée Slegers’ team can respond under pressure. After five consecutive league matches without a victory, Arsenal entered the derby needing a result to ease concerns about their form and their manager’s future.
Tottenham took the lead in the 13th minute when Cathinka Tandberg headed home from a Victoria Pelova corner. Arsenal responded quickly, with Georgia Stanway equalizing in the 17th minute after Russo set her up.
The decisive moment came in the 56th minute, when Russo converted a penalty after the ball struck substitute Ella Morris’ raised arm in the penalty area. Arsenal held on to secure three valuable points and end their winless run.
The victory mattered not only because of the opponent, but also because of the pressure on the team. Winning a North London derby can lift morale, restore confidence, and give players a much-needed boost after a difficult period.
Still More to Do
However, the performance wasn’t flawless. Arsenal conceded first and still showed defensive vulnerabilities, while the penalty proved decisive in a closely contested match. The result should therefore be viewed as a positive step rather than proof that the team has resolved all its problems.
Slegers needs to build on the win by making Arsenal more consistent. The team must show that it can produce strong performances against different opponents and avoid falling back into the same patterns that cost it points earlier in the season.
The Next Few Matches Could Define Arsenal’s Season
Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures offer Slegers an immediate chance to build on the derby victory. The Champions League match against Benfica on October 28 will be a key opportunity to maintain momentum and show the team can perform consistently across competitions. The club needs more than an isolated victory. It needs sustained improvement, with greater attacking efficiency and fewer defensive errors.
What Arsenal Need to Improve
A strong run could help restore confidence and ease the pressure surrounding Slegers. It would also give the manager a chance to show that the current problems are fixable, not symptoms of a deeper decline.
On the other hand, further dropped points and familiar mistakes would make it increasingly difficult to argue that the club should simply wait for things to improve. Arsenal have already lost valuable ground in the WSL, and the longer they struggle, the harder it will be to recover.
The club’s board should therefore establish clear expectations for the coming weeks. Those expectations should include better results, smarter decisions in crucial moments, and evidence that the team is learning from its mistakes. The objective shouldn’t be to demand perfection in every match, but to see meaningful progress.
The Tottenham victory has given Slegers some breathing room, but it hasn’t removed the need for a broader assessment of Arsenal’s season. She must show that the team can turn this result into the beginning of a sustained recovery.
Arsenal Should Be Patient, But Not Forever
At this stage, Arsenal should still give Slegers a chance. Her Champions League win in 2025 showed what she can achieve with this squad, and the victory over Tottenham has given the team a chance to rebuild momentum.
However, one win can’t erase the concerns raised by their earlier performances. Slegers must show that she can improve Arsenal’s finishing, strengthen their defense, and deliver consistent results across competitions.
For now, giving her more time is the reasonable choice, but patience must have limits. If Arsenal can’t turn the derby victory into sustained progress, the club should seriously consider whether changing Slegers is necessary.
Featured image via @shesaballer