Arsenal boss Renee Slegers fears extra gamers shall be injured if matches proceed to be performed on substandard pitches.
The Gunners’ 2-0 Champions League defeat at Actual Madrid on Tuesday night time came about on a rain-sodden floor which was labelled a “disgrace” by former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
It was held on the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, the 6,000-seater residence of Actual’s reserves, whereas Arsenal are assured a greater pitch after they host Liverpool within the WSL on the Emirates Stadium, dwell on Sky Sports activities this Saturday, in addition to the return leg with Actual subsequent Wednesday.
“Of course we like to play on a good surface, I think every team does. It makes football a bit more easy,” mentioned Slegers.
“I think women’s football deserves to play on good surfaces. Not least because of player injury risks.”
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Beth Mead criticised the state of Actual Madrid’s pitch for the Champions League quarter-final win over Arsenal, insisting the ladies’s recreation nonetheless has a ‘lengthy strategy to go’ and that the identical scenario would by no means occur at that degree within the males’s recreation
The circumstances appeared to have brought about a nasty damage to Actual’s Melanie Leupolz, who caught her studs within the mud whereas enjoying a move, with the Germany midfielder departing the sector in tears.
Actual later confirmed the previous Chelsea participant had suffered a torn lateral ligament and shall be sidelined for 2 months.
“That’s not for me to assess and that would be a hard call for anyone to make, why that happened,” mentioned Slegers.
“But there was an injury on the pitch and, yeah, we want good pitches, for player health.”
Actual Madrid’s Signe Bruun through the Ladies’s Champions League quarter-final first leg
There was additionally criticism of the enjoying floor at Derby’s Delight Park, which hosted Sunday’s League Cup closing between Chelsea and Manchester Metropolis, and which Blues midfielder Erin Cuthbert mentioned was “not fit for a final”.
Talking forward of Sunday’s WSL rematch with Metropolis, Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor mentioned: “I think that’s just not acceptable to be able to play on bad pitches, first of all because of the quality, but also, and maybe mainly, because of the safety of the players.
“I believe that is one thing we actually now have to keep in mind, being in 2025, we’re within the fashionable world the place within the girls’s recreation we should always have the perfect pitches doable.
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Chelsea supervisor Sonia Bompastor says that her first trophy as Chelsea supervisor ‘feels nice’.
“It’s never easy to talk about other clubs, but when they have a such a good team in the men’s side and a good stadium, I think they should take some responsibility for having the women’s team play in the big stadium in Madrid.
“UEFA ought to take some choices and they need to impose to the golf equipment to have the ability to have one other pitch, particularly when it is a world break for the lads’s aspect and the massive stadium is obtainable.
“I know it costs money, for sure, but if you want to help women’s football, you need to make those decisions.”
Saturday’s different WSL fixture sees rock-bottom Crystal Palace, who gained solely their second recreation of the season in opposition to Aston Villa final weekend, journey to eighth-placed Everton.
“They were probably thrown a lifeboat last weekend,” mentioned Toffees boss Brian Sorensen.
“They know if they can go on and do the same tomorrow, they will be in a good place for the last five games of the season.”
