Slegers calls big Arsenal squad a 'luxury problem' as Gunners eye Champions League opener against Koge

Renee Slegers believes Arsenal's strength in depth is a "luxury problem" as the Gunners prepare to open their Women's Champions League campaign against Danish champions Koge.

European champions in 2024-25, Arsenal fell at the semi-final stage last season when Lyon came from behind to beat them on aggregate, and they also finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the Women's Super League. Determined to fight for silverware once again, the Gunners bolstered their squad over the summer with eight new signings, including Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle and Misa Rodriguez.

So far, the new arrivals have not had the desired effect, with Arsenal winning just one of their three WSL games so far this term (drawing the other two). But with a daunting week ahead — a Champions League date with Koge followed by a WSL clash with Chelsea — Slegers insisted her side are built to cope with a packed schedule.

"It's a luxury problem, of course. We have so many different options. The balance becomes, or the challenge becomes, how do you then choose certain things for certain games?" Slegers said when asked if a big squad was a nice problem to have.

The Dutch coach is ready to rotate but stressed that consistency of approach will not be sacrificed. "We're still keeping the main ideas and consistency within the team. You don't chop and change everything," she added.

Slegers believes the level of understanding across the squad makes wholesale changes safe. "At the same time, if I look at where the players are at and where we are, from a game model understanding and players playing their roles, it's on a really high level throughout the squad," she said.

"That also makes me really confident to say, 'I can make changes. These partnerships are working. This is working. This player knows her role on the pitch'. It's in a really good place, and that's where we wanted it to be. For the length of the season and all the games that we're going to play, we are able to do these things. The reason why we have the size of the squad with basically only senior national team players, so much quality doubled up in every position, is that we can use the whole squad. Especially when it's short turnarounds and we need freshness."

Favourites, but wary of an opening-day hoodoo

Arsenal are heavy favourites for the visit of Koge, with the Opta supercomputer giving them an 81.1% win probability. The Gunners won both of their previous meetings with the Danish side, beating them 3-0 at home and 5-1 away during the 2021-22 group stage.

However, there is a warning from recent history: Arsenal have lost their opening game in each of the last two Champions League seasons, going down 2-5 to Bayern Munich in 2024-25 and 1-2 to Lyon in 2025-26.

Slegers herself knows the opposition well, having faced Koge during her time in charge of Rosengard, and she is expecting a difficult assignment.

"They're, of course, top of the league in Denmark. They're a good team. I think they have a really good counter-attacking threat with the two players up top. They will try to close down spaces. We're expecting that, whether it's a back four or back five, we'll see when they come out. We're definitely respecting the threat that they can pose from fast attacks and counter-attacks. But, again, we're expecting to face a low block," she said.

With silverware on the agenda at home and abroad, Slegers will lean on her enviable depth — starting under the lights against Koge, before the acid test of Chelsea.