Spurs aim to outclass the Red Devils in final WSL away day of the year
Tottenham Hotspur Women aim to make their best ever start in the Barclays Women’s Super League with three points against Manchester United this weekend.
Spurs are set for back-to-back trips to Leigh Sports Village: in the WSL, then again next week in the Subway Women’s League Cup quarter final.
Ahead of the league match, head coach, Martin Ho addressed the media to share his overview on the fixture and his ambitions are high.
Jess Naz ACL
Young star, Jess Naz suffered an ACL rupture to her right knee in last weekend’s WSL fixture against Aston Villa. When asked about her situation, Ho empathised with the academy graduate and spoke about the positive progress already made:
“Yeah, she’s doing okay. For any player who suffers an ACL injury, it’s obviously disappointing and frustrating, especially when she has done one before, but she’s been in good spirits the last few days. She’s been able to see specialists and spend time with the players. She has been in good spirits, although we know she will be disappointed inside.”
Everyone at the club is in full support of Naz, as she navigates the challenging road to recovery, the second ACL rehabilitation process she must endure.
On an in-form Manchester United
There is no doubt that facing Manchester United back-to-back is an easy challenge. Ho was full of praise for the Red Devils and acknowledged the huge battle his side will have in earning 3 points against them.
“They’re a team competing for the title. They have world class players and they’re playing on the big stages of the Champions League. They’re a top team in this league. We know it’ll be a tough test, but we need to turn up with the right attitude and apply ourselves correctly.”
Despite several long-term injuries knocking Spurs’ squad depth, Ho expressed the full faith he has in his team. The head coach believes they can get a positive result no matter the size of the squad, and maintained the importance of confidence and belief when facing a top side:
“We can be competitive - we always will be. Whether we have 20 players or 12, we’ll go into the game organised and effective. I have full faith in the group. It’ll take everything from us, but we’ll go in with confidence and the belief we can win.”
Drew Spence’s contract extension
Experienced midfielder, Drew Spence extended her contract with the club this week. The head coach spoke very highly of the Jamaican international and expressed his immense joy in her long-term contract extension:
“I’m really excited. Drew is someone I’ve spoken about a lot. She goes under the radar in terms of her performances, professionalism, and how she conducts herself. She’s fully deserving of the contract. Her performances have shaped parts of our game - how we approach matches and how we play since I came in.”
In particular, Ho recognises the experience and leadership she brings to his Tottenham side, which drives the midfield and ignites a new level of ambition from the field:
“Her professionalism, leadership, and presence in the dressing room are important for the whole group, both younger and older players. I’m absolutely delighted she’s decided to stay.”
On Spurs’ positive start to the season
Spurs have already shown progress in their performances against the top four sides this season in terms of results. Ho reminded the media about the importance of staying in control and perform to the highest level against all teams:
“Any of the so-called ‘big four’ games, we go in wanting to win. There’s no game we ‘should’ win - you must earn it. Sometimes we’ve been dominant, sometimes we haven’t. But we’re building a winning culture.”
Facing United this weekend will be challenging, but the head coach is set on instilling an ambitious and positive mentality that pushes Spurs to fight for every point. He believes this is the key to unlocking the Lilywhite’s full potential, and securing results against top sides:
“Going into Manchester United, as I said, they’re a world class team competing for the title. We need to control what we can control. If we perform to the levels, we know we can, with and without the ball, we can match anyone. If you look at the progress from our games against Man City, Chelsea, and Arsenal, we had progress in those games, understanding what those mean, the feelings, the experience and going in with a different mentality. We now go into these big games with a different mentality.”
Further speaking on this improved form from Spurs, Ho addressed both the players and new staff as the factors in Spurs’ huge improvement in form:
“The players’ attitude and mentality, the staff’s efforts, and Adam [Jeffrey] and Lawrence coming in with huge knowledge and impact. All of this combined has made us more together, more competitive and enabled us to perform on the pitch.”
Confidence from three points last weekend
Spurs came back from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the WSL last weekend. A 90+5-minute winner proved the resilience and drive within this Tottenham side.
Ho was delighted with last week result and praised the team’s attitude and resilience in coming from behind to win late on:
“Huge. When you’re not at your best - and we knew we weren’t - you have to own that. But winning when not at your best is a sign of a good team in the making. Our attitude and resilience were excellent, we faced adversity with injuries from the international break, but the players stepped up. I was delighted for them.”