Martin Ho previews Birmingham City as an opportunity to showcase the talent within his Spurs side
Tottenham Hotspur Women look to come back from a frustrating loss to Chelsea FC Women in the Barclays Women’s Super League last weekend. They face Barclays WSL 2 side, Birmingham City Women in the Subway Women’s League Cup.
Head coach, Martin Ho addressed the media ahead of the match where he looks to build on a positive start to the season.
Progression in the league cup
With two points of a possible three in the league cup, Spurs look to take all three points from Birmingham City. Despite a strong start, the Lilywhite’s drew 1-1 with Aston Villa Women in their opening fixture of the campaign; this was settled by a penalty shootout win for Spurs.
On the importance of going far in the competition, Ho spoke about this in terms of showing that Spurs are a strong side that can compete with anyone:
“It’s a real opportunity to show that Spurs is part of a really strong pack of teams within this league - and not that it's just a one directional competition where a group of teams just seem to win it. I feel when we perform on our day – when we’re organised and we're efficient - I feel we're a match for anyone.”
However, the principal aim is to continue his growth with Tottenham Hotspur. Ho is determined to develop the side into a competitive opposition who can continue to progress across all competitions domestically:
“More importantly, the more we keep growing, developing on the field, the more we can become more of a match for anybody around us, and then we can push more to those latter stages of competition. So, no matter what game I go into, if it's Cup, if it’s league, I always want to win - I hate losing. I need to make sure that we continue those behaviours, that mentality with the group, so Spurs becomes a force within this league and in any competition - that we can go out and win.”
On what to expect from Birmingham City, Ho spoke highly of manager, Amy Merricks and expects a good battle between the sides. Despite playing in the WSL 2, the Blues are side with huge potential and should not be underestimated:
“Amy [Merricks] is a wonderful coach and has a wonderful group of players up at Birmingham, headed up by Hope Powell. They will definitely push for promotion from the Women’s Super League 2, so we're expecting a really tough game, a really efficient game. I think both teams like to have the ball, both teams want to press aggressively, so it should set up to being an entertaining game.”
Reflecting upon Chelsea
Despite the 1-0 loss against Cheslea, Ho proudly applauded his players’ performance against the WSL leaders:
“It was important. I think defensively we were good as we restricted them for large parts in terms of a clear-cut chance. Yes, they had a lot of ball, they had a lot of touches in our penalty area, they had shots, but to limit them to four shots over the whole game, limit them to one shot on target in the first half - I think deserves big credit to the playing group, to stick to something and be really effective. It took a moment of brilliance from Keira Walsh to break that down, but I couldn't have asked anymore.”
Only conceding one goal to a Chelsea side full of confidence and attacking stars is a huge step in the right direction for Spurs. The team are building upon this result, and take several positives from the outcome: in particular, the defensive contributions and hold-up play:
“It doesn’t just set you up for now, but it sets you up for the future, in terms of being hard to beat, and you need that mentality and that organisation to allow that. The players did themselves proud in that game and, apart from the result, we never want to lose, I hate losing, but we can definitely take positives from the defensive performance from the game.”
Squad news
The Tottenham Hotspur academy are developing a promising squad of young talents, with several making their way into the first team set up.
When asked about this, Ho expressed his pride for those players making their way into his first team squad. He highlighted the importance of not pushing them too early and making sure they fit in comfortably with the first team:
“We have a lot of (Under-19s) training with us over the weeks. Jhanaie [Pierre] been in with us, Mia Endacott has been in with us and Sophie Jackson has been in with us quite a lot - she's now just had the call up for the England Under-19s. So there's a lot of young players coming through, a lot of good players coming through, but we don't put them in situations where they're going to suffer because you want to have a good experience in youth development and also in senior football.”
Progressing through the academy ranks comes with several challenges, especially as the intensity of the WSL is a big step up. However, Ho and the staff at Spurs are determined to ensure the young stars are ready for the challenge, nurturing home-grown talent onto the biggest stage:
“We also have to make sure they've got the right characteristics and they’re at the right level before they come in. I'd like to think, throughout my career, my gauge on when a player is ready is quite good in this league. There's also a lot of players training with us and that's the most important thing for me, that we see a group of solid players coming through our Academy. I work really closely with Nick [Hardy] on that, to make sure that we we're using the ethos of the club - which is to develop our own talent. But we have to make sure we get that process right where players want to be a part of it and players want to enjoy what they do - and we don't try and push them too soon, too early, where they fail too much.”
Regarding Jessica Naz’s recent performances this season and the England Squad selection, Ho spoke highly of the winger. She will continue to push and challenge herself to stay on the radar of Lionesses manager, Sarina Wiegman:
“I think Jess has been performing well. What Sarina [Wiegman] chooses, I respect as a coach. She's a national team coach and she picks what she feels is right, but what I do know is Jess has taken big steps. She's definitely in Sarina’s plans and her eyeline because we've spoke. It's just making sure we can continue to push Jess and challenge her to make sure that she's always in that position where Sarina’s thinking of her. She’s had a wonderful start of the season, and we have to make sure that Jess continues with that confidence and belief. I have no doubts that she'll in that England set up in the future.”
Goalkeeper, Lize Kop started the season strong. Being nominated for the WSL Player of the Month award is a testament to all her hard graft both on and off the pitch:
“I think her recognition for Player of the Month is a credit to what she's delivered for the team and, more importantly, it's a credit to herself for getting that recognition. Lize’s getting recognition for performances where we won in the game, but she has also made some big saves and big moments. That's really important for me - knowing I've got a goalkeeper there that can make that big save, that big moment, even when you don't have much to do.”
The head coach was full of praise for the Dutch goalkeeper, praising her strong performances and influence on the team, particularly young goalkeepers, Eleanor Heeps and Sophie Jackson:
“I think her recognition for Player of the Month is a credit to what she's delivered for the team and, more importantly, it's a credit to herself for getting that recognition. Lize’s getting recognition for performances where we won in the game, but she has also made some big saves and big moments. That's really important for me - knowing I've got a goalkeeper there that can make that big save, that big moment, even when you don't have much to do.”
Spurs’ fan forum
On Wednesday, the club hosted a fan forum to discuss the future of the club, with a heavy focus on the development of the women’s side. Ho spoke about the importance of the event for unity , bringing the men and women’s sides together, and meeting the fans:
“It's important. I think for the unity between the Club, between the men's and women's teams, and also the club as a whole, being able to come together to meet the fans, answer questions, and to outline the direction we're going in and where the club's going in with both teams.”
There is also a strong partnership between Ho and Thomas Frank, head coach of the men’s side, which is a positive representation of the collective vision at the club:
“To be there with Thomas [Frank] was more important for me, someone who I've looked up too, and I still looked up as to as a Head Coach, and someone who I have a good relationship with. So, it was a really nice occasion for us - myself and Bethany [England] to be there and be part of that panel.”