Potter wants to “Keep the Momentum” as Crystal Palace face Tottenham at Selhurst Park

Head coach Jo Potter speaks in her press conference ahead of Crystal Palace’s first game at Selhurst Park this season. The Eagles are set to host London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur in a tough contest.

After a 0-0 draw with Arsenal last weekend that surpassed expectations, Palace are full of confidence heading into this fixture. 

Team News

On the team news front there are no new injuries and a full squad will be available on Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur. When asked about their start to the season and how they were going to keep the team level headed she implied that keeping the consistency is the key to Palace’s success in the WSL this season:

“We don't have to work too hard at it. I think it's just, you know, they're an honest bunch…We know what this league's all about, and we know it can change very quickly. We didn't have the best start last year, and it ended very differently. We've got that lived experience of how quickly things can change.

This league's ruthless and can change very quickly, we're keeping our feet on the ground, we don't get too high, and we don't get too low in those moments…We just try and keep some consistency within the group, and how we go around things, how we do things day to day, doesn't really change too much, just to try and keep that level-headed nature.”

With Points comes Confidence

Potter also spoke about how keeping momentum and picking up points helps to build confidence: 

“You don't want to be chasing your tail in this league. You don't really get the grace to be able to do that with the quality of the players and the teams, the established teams that you've got. It's definitely the way around that we'd have preferred it. But again on the flip side of things, that can change very quickly.

We're happy with the start that we've had, but we know that, you know, that's not it. It's 2 games and it's a long old season. There's more games than ever and we've got to continue to work hard and the work that we've done to get those results and a couple of clean sheets as well, which is obviously always a good thing.”

WSL2 Preparations

Potter was also asked about how she prepared the team to step up from the WSL 2 into the WSL saying that finding the balance between attacking and defending is challenging but “I think that's the league. You know, there's so many different ways that you can go around preparing for different teams. It's not like we didn't prepare to set up in a low block against Arsenal.

You have to kind of work for every eventuality, and we knew that that would be a possibility, and we knew what it'd look like if that was the case. But as you saw the previous week, we had many opportunities against Everton, and we're unlucky not to score a couple more, actually.”

Overcoming Challenges

Potter spoke highly of her team and their ability, having faced early challenges already this season:

“We want to be a team that can play different ways, and we don't think there's just one way to win a football game or to get points. I think, you see that across all levels of football, and, you know, we like to stay quite humble in those regards. It's just being able to stop them when they've got world-class players, and that looks very different.

So, we're on a journey, and it's my duty to our players to give them all the strings to their bow and hopefully, you know, learn something along the way and show that there's different ways of doing things, tweak things and know, make the players better week in, week out.”

Potter also spoke about seeing the drive and determination of her players. She likes to see how they take pride in their football even when it's a difficult game:

“You could see the drive and the determination to keep a clean sheet, but, you know, we want to score goals and we want to be delivering good performances on the other end that people like to watch. We take a lot of pride in it. It's not something that we want to be doing every single week. So I think it's important that we keep working and we keep showing that there's different sides to our game.”

Previewing Spurs

Potter praised Tottenham ahead of their meeting on Sunday, with compliments for their summer recruitment and new style of play that challenges the opposition:

”Tottenham are a really strong outfit. They keep getting stronger and stronger each transfer window..You can see the quality and the efficiency of the players that they bring in.They've got a style and a way of playing that's difficult to go against for the majority of the game with how intense they play.

There's always elements that you can try and work on and try and own and give the players little bits of ideas that we can hurt them in certain moments. It's going to be a tough game. They're a really efficient team that, you know, do things a certain way and are very good at it.” 

Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach Martin Ho was also praised very highly by Potter:

“I think he's done an excellent job. I think he's shown wherever he's been, you know, he's learned his trade very early on when he was at Everton and Manchester United. He's worked in some good establishments that have shown the pressures of wanting to win football games and have that expectation.”

Potter also spoke about the similarities between Spurs and Arsenal’s playing style and how the game would be similar to last weekend's fixture. Saying that both teams have strength wide and down the middle when attacking and have a similar attacking style. 

Peyraud-Magin’s Stellar Performances

Potter spoke highly about the arrival of Pauline Peyraud-Magnin in the summer transfer window, arriving with UWCL experience with Juventus and Arsenal, and what she has brought into the squad. 

“I think a lot of people were commenting saying it went under the radar. Nobody even actually remembered that, that transfer happening. We said that we wanted experience to bring into this squad and for this league, and she definitely has that.And she showed up on Sunday and showed exactly what she's about.

When, you know, you've got a keeper between the sticks, that when called upon, is making save after save and producing a performance like that, then that's exactly why you bring them in. I was delighted for Pauline on Sunday that she could bring up that performance when she was needed.” 

What sets the WSL aside from the WSL2?

Potter also spoke at length about the differences between the WSL and WSL 2, “how it's still early on and we see things pan out very differently to maybe it has over the previous years, and I think that just goes to show the growth of the game as a whole. You know, it's not just always necessarily the fittest and the strongest teams now that are going to finish on top, but there's still a long way to go.

That could very well change, and things could look very different at the end of the season with  the strength of squads and ability to be able to change and move things around. But I think, you know, it's been a different start to what it has been in previous seasons, and it's already showing a difference, which is great.”

Cystal Palace host Spurs in a highly anticipated London derby. From former players reuniting, fast-paced attacking threat along the flanks, and a point to prove for both sides, there is no doubt this will be a WSL clash to follow.