Pitch for Arsenal loss at Real a disgrace - Wright
· BBC SportArsenal manager Renee Slegers says the "next step for women's football" is better pitches after Gunners legend Ian Wright described Real Madrid's playing surface as a "disgrace".
Wright made the comments on social media during Arsenal's 2-0 Women's Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano on Tuesday.
Playing conditions at the home of Real's men's reserves deteriorated quickly, making free-flowing football difficult for both sides on a stitched hybrid pitch.
Chelsea players and pundits also complained about the pitch for the Women's League Cup final at Derby County's Pride Park on Saturday.
Former Netherlands midfielder Slegers said the wet and muddy conditions in Madrid played a part in the defeat, which took place three days after the previous game at the ground.
The return leg will be played at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on 26 March.
Asked whether Real's main Bernabeu stadium should have been used for the first leg, Slegers said: "It's not on me to criticise.
"It's obviously a club decision and I'm sure that Uefa is trying to create the best conditions for the tournament.
"But I think we've seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions haven't been great.
"We knew the condition of the pitch. We spoke about it with the players before the game.
"We had a plan for it, but then it's 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.
"Then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden you need to do things differently, so that's hard."
What did Wright say?
Heavy rain caused the pitch, which was deemed playable following an inspection before kick-off, to cut up.
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 game.
"This is worse than Derby's pitch the other day in the Conti Cup final," he said.
"This is a disgrace, the pitches these girls have to play on."
Former Leeds striker Lucy Ward told TNT Sport: "This pitch is awful.
"I'm watching players who usually deal with the ball well struggle to come to terms with it in these first 10 minutes."
Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert said the Pride Park pitch was "not fit for a final" after her side beat Manchester City.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said: "I'm not sure if it was a men's final game it would be the same. We just need to make sure we have the best facilities and grass to play the games."
'Are we prioritising quality pitches?'
Former England defender Anita Asante questioned whether the authorities are "prioritising quality pitches for the women's game".
She told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We're all aware that these clubs have their main stadiums available to them, which would have helped the situation at hand.
"It's a top game between two big teams who want to deliver the best product of football. It also puts them at risk with injuries."
She likened the pitch at Pride Park to "when you watch retro games from the 80s and the 90s".
Ex-England striker Ellen White told BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly podcast: "It needs to be looked at.
"We've seen the men's League Cup final at Wembley - and I'm not saying it has to be at Wembley - but I just think to keep growing our game and the standards, [we need to] keep hammering that home that I think it needs to be better.
Unlike the men's League Cup final, which is played at Wembley, the women's has no permanent home, with organisers keen to stage the match in different areas of the country.
Former Arsenal defender Jen Beattie said discussion about the pitch at Pride Park overshadowed the match.
"Ultimately, 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 to watch," she said.
"I still enjoyed watching it, but it's hard when the conversation after the game is about the pitch and not about the players and highlighting the performances. That was the frustration for me."