Spurs show progress in derby draw against Arsenal

Level on points with Arsenal, five wins from nine and the most clean sheets in the Women’s Super League this season – Tottenham are in a good place.

Martin Ho’s side are exceeding expectations and showed their progression over the last few months with a solid 0-0 draw with local rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

It capped off a positive afternoon for the north London club, who welcomed a record crowd of 6,788 at Brisbane Road as they inflicted further frustration towards Arsenal, taking points off them for just the third time in 12 WSL meetings.

“It doesn’t make us a great team by just getting a point against Arsenal because you have to consistently deliver that,” said Spurs boss Ho.

“We’ve obviously had a good start to the season but that doesn’t mean that because we’re joint with Arsenal now, we’re happy.

Tottenham have enjoyed highs in recent years – making their first Women’s FA Cup final in 2024 for example – but have not built on those moments.

That historic day at Wembley did not prove to be a catalyst for progress, instead teeing up a disappointing league campaign which ultimately led to former boss Robert Vilahamn’s sacking in the summer.

Structural changes from the top of the club was needed and the bubblewrap was burst – Tottenham needed to go back to basics.

They hired Ho and a new coaching staff, adapted their recruitment strategy to fit their needs and invested further on the “beyond football” elements at the club, including sports performance, nutrition and leadership.

Chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham joined from Arsenal in the summer and he has pushed Tottenham Women’s priorities in the boardroom.

All of those changes, mixed in with Ho’s coaching skill and cultural shifts, have seen improvements on the pitch.

“I think it doesn’t make us a great team by just getting a point against Arsenal because you have to consistently deliver that,” added Ho.

“You have to deliver that performance and that application every single game. We can have off days because we’re human and we’ll make individual errors.

Against Arsenal, Tottenham showed their progress both in and out of possession.

They were winning duels in midfield, Cathinka Tandberg was holding up the ball in attack and summer signing Toko Koga was once again a rock in defence.

They showed bravery when they won the ball back, not afraid to take on Arsenal’s Champions League winners and were savvy in seeing the game out later on.

Their rivals are in a slump – they have not won any of their past three games in all competitions – but Spurs were still underdogs and played as if they weren’t.

“Any game we go into now we’ve got to go and be competitive. I don’t want us to be a team that sits off the top three teams,” stressed Ho.

“I’m enjoying it for now. At times you have to give yourself a reality check and see just how far you’ve come. But you’ve got to stay on the tracks.

“There’s a lot of expectation on Spurs because we know last year we were not where we wanted to be.”

The disappointment of last season, where Spurs finished second-bottom with 20 points, is still fresh in people’s minds.

They already have 16 points this campaign after just nine matches and sit a point off Manchester United in the Champions League qualification spots – but Tottenham are cautious of getting carried away.

Recruitment in January will be important, Ho admits, as they look to add squad depth and continue progressing.

They hope by picking up more results like this one against Arsenal, they can also grow the fanbase and attract more followers.

“We want to add different profiles and add to parts where we’re missing at the moment,” said Ho.

“If we want to be a top team and compete in all the competitions we’ve got to add squad depth.

“If we want more fans to come and watch our games then we have to put in more performances like this.