Conditions hit Arsenal hopes as Wright says pitch a ‘disgrace’

After former Arsenal player Ian Wright called Real Madrid’s pitch “disgraceful,” Renee Slegers says the “next step for women’s football” is better pitches.

Wright expressed his emotions at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano’s 2-0 defeat in the Champions League quarter-final.

Real Madrid men’s reserves’ playing conditions quickly deteriorated, making it difficult for both teams to play freely.

Following complaints from Chelsea players and experts regarding the pitch for the Women’s League Cup final last Saturday at Derby County’s Pride Park, Wright was criticised on social media.

Slegers, a former Netherlands midfielder, acknowledged that her side’s defeat on Tuesday was caused by the wet and murky conditions that were present.

On March 26, the return leg will take place at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Slegers responded, “It’s not on me to criticize,” when asked whether the main Bernabeu stadium for Real Madrid should have been used for the first leg.

It’s obviously a club decision, and Uefa is making sure to provide the best conditions for the competition. Of course, we can’t control the weather all the time.

However, I believe that the pitch conditions haven’t been ideal for a number of games recently, making it the next step for women’s football to go.

After an impressive interim spell, Slegers, who became Arsenal’s permanent head coach, said: “We knew the pitch’s condition. Before the game, we had a discussion with the players about it.

We had a plan for it, so we knew what to do, but it’s always difficult because you work on things over time and discover your identity.

Wright, a former England international who made 185 goals between 1991 and 1998, posted a video on social media during the women’s team’s game on Tuesday.

Heavy rain that caused the pitch to easily sag in Madrid did not help the situation.

“Watching the Champions League quarter-final.” This is worse than Derby’s pitch in the Conti Cup final the day before, according to Wright.

These girls play on disgraceful pitches, they say.

Lucy Ward, a former Leeds striker and a TNT Sports contributor, also played a role in the game.

In these first ten minutes, players who typically deal with the ball well struggle to accept it, she said.

This pitch is terrible, I say.

After her side beat Manchester City 2-1, Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert claimed the Pride Park pitch was “not fit for a final.”

Ellen White, a former England striker, says it is crucial for women’s football that the pitches’ quality improves in order to improve both the finished product and the players’ safety.

White said on the Women’s Football Weekly podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live: “We’ve seen the men’s League Cup final at Wembley, and I’m not saying that it has to be there, but I just think we need to keep hammering home that we think it needs to be better, it needs to be looked at.”

The women’s League Cup final, which takes place at Wembley, has no permanent home, with organizers aiming to bring it to various parts of the nation.

Jen Beattie, a former Arsenal defender, claimed the match was overshadowed by the pitch’s condition during the weekend’s cup final.

In the end, Beattie argued, “We’re trying to get the best product of football; it’s a huge game, two great footballing teams, and you want it to be a good spectacle.”