Tottenham Hotspur Women are looking to build on their midweek success over Championship leaders Charlton Athletic in the FA League Cup. They host Liverpool at Brisbane Road on Sunday in their next WSL fixture.
After a dramatic draw away at Aston Villa last week, there are questions about the team’s defensive solidity, despite the side being ahead for most of the match. Meanwhile up front, the team struggled to create many chances against the Birmingham outfit.
Tottenham only managed four shots against Villa on Sunday. When asked whether limited attacking performances against tougher opposition worried him, Spurs manager Robert Vilahamn was candid. “Not really,” he said, “it’s more the performance around it and the decision making.” He suggested that the less-than-ideal decision making against Villa meant losing the ball created a more transitional game in which it was difficult to create chances.
Vilahamn also pointed out that two goals from only four chances was itself a good thing.
Spurs had more luck against Charlton, managed by former coach Karen Hills, taking an early lead through Luana Bühler before conceding just before half-time. Jessica Naz sealed the three points just before the final whistle, but it was again a case of Tottenham’s dominance not being backed up by their finishing.
Injury Updates
Injured Ella Morris is currently in training on the pitch but being monitored. It is unclear at this juncture whether she will be available for this weekend’s fixture. On to Spur’s other injuries, Vilahamn has said that they are at similar stages of recovery and training well, but it will still be a matter of weeks before they reach full fitness.
Upcoming Opposition
Tottenham came away from their two matches against Liverpool last season with a pair of draws, despite taking the lead in both matches.
Of Matt Beard, Vilahamn admitted that he “has been in the league a long time with great success” who knows “how to both win games and how to come back in games.”’ As such, he foresees a tough match in which game management will be key.
Liverpool have dropped points so far this season and remain winless, but the Tottenham coach is aware that the opposition players “will be ready to compete” on Sunday.
Young Canadian star Olivia Smith put in a superb showing against West Ham, a performance noted by Robert Vilahamn. Asked whether he would adapt his defensive strategy in the face of her aggressive pressing, he professed that “We will never adapt just because they have good players,” while admitting that they must still be aware of the threat she poses.
Game Management
A learning curve for Vilahamn has been the amount of powerful players in the WSL that make it especially difficult to defend the box. “You need to have a good plan for that…you need to win the second ball and cover the right spaces,” said Vilahamn, who also pointed to the expertise of set piece coach Chris Williams that helped to strengthen the team in a league where set pieces are so key.
Importantly, the Tottenham manager sees the need to improve the squad’s game management, something that was clear to see not only last year during the Liverpool games, but also against Aston Villa.
“Game management is one of the things we need to be better at, how can we make sure we win those games, hopefully 2-0 instead of 1-0.”
Goalscoring plays a part in this issue, with Vilahamn suggesting the “need to score more goals than one” in order to put games to bed with clinical finishing and avoid dropping deserved points. “We have a chance to play good football and compete,” he added, and the next run of games will be good to see where the team really stands.
Strength within the Squad
The strong centre-back partnership of Clare Hunt and Molly Bartrip was noted, thanks to their communication and impact on the other members of the team. Vilahamn said that “they play well together and help the team in a good way,” but that they still have steps to take in terms of how they deal with an opposition’s press.
Also highlighted was Jessica Naz, who scored her second goal of the season on Wednesday. She is “so strong, powerful and quick,” and she has “the finishing to be a top player in this league,” said the coach, who stated that her “X-factor is one of the best in the league. Looking forward, Naz must be consistent and handle more phases of the game to reach that potential.
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