Martin Ho asserts his vision and belief at the helm with Tottenham Hotspur
Following their first defeat of the season in the Barclays Women’s Super League against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur will regroup and asses the talking points.
Head coach, Martin Ho addressed the media and spoke about the challenges they faced in the 5-1 defeat, with an ambition to look ahead and not dwell on one tough day.
Remembering Matt Beard
Ho spoke on Matt Beard’s tragic passing, and paid respects to him and his family at such a difficult time for all.
There was nothing but praise for Beard. Ho reflected upon who he was as a person and his impact on the women’s game, offering his support to his family, alongside the club and wider football community:
“It’s a really sad moment and my condolences go to his family and friends. Matt a wonderful guy, a wonderful human being. A really big heart and big courage but, more importantly, what he has achieved in Women’s football but where he has put in on the map, from where he took Chelsea and what he achieved at Liverpool, West Ham and Bristol City. He will be very sadly missed, and he was a huge icon in Women’s football. I want to make sure that we can do everything we can as a Club, and I can, to support the family. The wider football community, in these moments, always show their true colours. The best thing for us is to enable his memories to live on.”
His analysis
Although Spurs suffered a heavy defeat in the face of rivals, Manchester City, Ho reassured that he took several positives from the fixture, especially in the second half. These include: Lize Kop’s penalty save, a well-executed goal from Olivia Høldt, and a determined performance from Mathilda Vinberg:
“I thought second half we responded better, the players that came in impacted exceptionally well and Olivia’s goal was good. Tilly did really well so I thought there were positives throughout. We’ve definitely taken steps forward as a group, in general, since the start of the season. If you’re sitting here now as a coach, you have taken six points from your first possible nine, would you take it? 100%.”
However, there is no delusion from the head coach as he recognised the team’s defensive performance that proved below expectations. Up until this match, Spurs held the best defensive record in the league with two clean sheets in two games. Whilst this statistic was a confidence boost for the side under new management, the players must remain grounded and focus on each game and performance individually. Manchester City are a high-performing side and Ho understands the individual quality they bring to the pitch:
“Before we conceded the first goal, I thought we were clearly the better team but obviously there were lapses in concentration and small moments where they finished from around the edge of the box. We’ve looked back at it, reviewed it. Lize made a good penalty save, there’s maybe other moments in the game where we probably could’ve defended better, and we should’ve stopped two or three of them going in, if I’m honest. But when you play against a team like that, everything they create, they score, and that’s a sign of where they’ve got to individually.”
Although the lack of defensive prowess provided several talking points for the squad, Spurs also lacked in attacking opportunities against Manchester City. Ho acknowledged the difficulty in creating big chances and winning the possession battle against a well-organised side. Additionally, he recognised a lack of courage and bravery in comparison to previous matches but reassured that the players’ belief and attitude remained the same:
“I thought we got into attacking positions well, I thought we just lacked that cutting edge. Against teams like that, you’re not always going to create big chances, you maybe get half chances throughout the game… We didn’t show the courage and bravery to break them down like we have in other games before, but we have taken big steps forward. This may be a bump in the road, but it’s a good one to learn from. The attitude of the players, the belief in the players, it is still the same.”
A reflection on all competitions
With the opener of the Subway Women’s League Cup on Wednesday, –Martin emphasised the importance of remaining competitive in all competitions, citing each of them as an opportunity to win and compete for titles:
“No matter if it’s in the league, the Subway Women’s League Cup or FA Cup, you want to be competitive in those competitions.”
Overall, the head coach spoke about the opportunity ahead of him as he breaks into this new role at Tottenham. His vision is clear, and he believes in developing a squad where he can establish a team of winners and players eager to earn their spot in the starting eleven. Maintaining respect for each individual and the team as a collective also plays a vital role in his mentality:
“For me and this Club, it means more than just a cup competition. It’s an opportunity to win, to put ourselves in a place where we complete for titles and honours, and that’s what I’m here for. I’m not here just to take part in the competition, flip the team, rotate it all… and not show any respect. That’s not me. We’re going out there with a team to try and make sure we win the fixture.”