Conditions hurt Arsenal as Wright says pitch a âdisgraceâ

The match was played in teeming rain in Madrid
-
Published
Arsenal boss Renee Slegers says the ânext step for womenâs footballâ is to have better pitches after Gunners legend Ian Wright described Real Madridâs playing surface as a âdisgraceâ.
Wright made his feelings known during Arsenalâs 2-0 Womenâs Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano.
Playing conditions at the home of Real Madrid menâs reserves deteriorated at a rapid rate, making free-flowing football difficult for both sides.
Wrightâs criticism on social media came after complaints from Chelsea players and pundits about the pitch for the Womenâs League Cup final at Derby Countyâs Pride Park last Saturday.
Former Netherlands midfielder Slegers admitted the wet and muddy conditions against Real Madrid played their part in her sideâs defeat on Tuesday.
The return leg will be played at Arsenalâs Emirates Stadium on 26 March.
Asked whether Real Madridâs main Bernabeu stadium should have been used for the first leg, Slegers added: âItâs not on me to criticise.
âItâs obviously a club decision and Iâm sure that Uefa is trying to create the best conditions for the tournament. Of course, the weather is not always in our control.
âBut I think weâve seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions havenât been great and I think thatâs the next step for womenâs football to take.â
Slegers, who was appointed permanent Arsenal head coach in January after an impressive interim spell, added: âWe knew the condition of the pitch. We spoke about it with the players before the game.
âSo we had a plan for it, but then itâs always hard because over a season and over time you work on things and you have an identity, the way you want to do things.
âSo then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden you need to do things differently so thatâs hard.â
-
-
Published3 days ago
-
What did Wright say?

Melanie Leupolz of Real Madrid was covered in mud by the time she was substituted
Former England striker Wright, who scored 185 goals in 288 appearances for Arsenal between 1991 and 1998, posted a video on social media during the womenâs teamâs game on Tuesday.
The conditions in Madrid were not helped by heavy rain that caused the pitch to easily cut up.
âWatching the Champions League quarter-final. Real Madridâs pitch â this is worse than Derbyâs pitch the other day in the Conti Cup final,â added Wright.
âThis is a disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on.â
Former Leeds striker Lucy Ward, who was working on the match for TNT Sports, was also critical.
âIâm watching players who usually deal with the ball well, struggle to come to terms with it in these first 10 minutes,â she said.
âThis pitch is awful.â
Last Saturday Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert said Derbyâs Pride Park pitch was ânot fit for a finalâ after her side beat Manchester City 2-1.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor added: âIâm not sure if it was a menâs final game it would be the same. We just need to make sure we have the best facilities and grass to play the games.â
âIt needs to be betterâ
Former England striker Ellen White says it is important for womenâs football that the standard of pitches improves â to help both the product and for the safety of the players.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Liveâs Womenâs Football Weekly podcast, White said: âWeâve seen the menâs League Cup final at Wembley, and Iâm not saying it has to be at Wembley, but I just think to keep growing our game and the standards you know [we need to] keep hammering that home that I think it needs to be better, it needs to be looked at.â
Unlike the menâs League Cup final, which is played at Wembley, the womenâs has no permanent home, with organisers wanting to bring the event to different areas of the country.
Former Arsenal defender Jen Beattie, speaking on the same programme, said the state of the pitch for Saturdayâs cup final overshadowed the match.
âUltimately, weâre trying to get the best product of football, itâs a huge game, two great footballing teams and you want it to be a good spectacle to watch,â Beattie said.
âI still enjoyed watching it, donât get me wrong, but itâs hard when the conversation after the game is about the pitch, and not about the players and highlighting the performances and how good they are as players, that was the frustration for me.â