WSL derby win ‘not impossible’ for Spurs

This time last season, Tottenham sat in the middle of the Women’s Super League table with two wins from their opening eight matches.

They had conceded 21 goals and suffered five defeats, with only four points separating them from the relegation zone.

And that represented one of Spurs’ better periods as they went on to win just one more match all season and finished second from bottom with 20 points, 10 more than relegated Crystal Palace.

This season they are fifth after eight games, level on points with north London rivals Arsenal, and two behind Manchester United in third.

Their five wins from eight games mean they have already matched last season’s number of wins and emerged as serious but surprise contenders for a Champions League place.

But captain Bethany England says conversations about a future in Europe are not happening within the club yet.

“Depending if we’re close to the top then we’ll most likely be thinking about it but then that would be another question about how we manage the pressures of that,” she told the BBC’s Women’s Football Weekly podcast.

“It’s a position the club has not been in before and having people remain calm in those pressure moments. Right now, it’s not a conversation, but it’s not to say we don’t think we can get there.”

That ambition and belief felt a long way off last season.

Under previous manager Robert Vilahamn, Spurs reached the 2023-24 FA Cup final – where they lost to Manchester United – but progress thereafter ground to a halt and ultimately led to the Swede leaving the club at the end of last season.

“I think we had to be honest with where we were at and I think we were struggling to get that cohesion on the pitch as well as off the pitch,” said England.

The arrival of former Manchester United and Everton assistant manager Martin Ho has provided the players with a much-needed boost.

The Englishman has not made wholesale changes – keeping hold of the bulk of last year’s squad – but England says the mentality around the club has improved significantly.

“Martin coming in has changed a lot. Our intensity has got higher, the demands have got more and testing us more as players as well as people,” she said.

“Having that leadership is what we needed in the sense that we were probably getting a bit too comfortable and not being where we wanted to be.

Tottenham may be feeling more confident this season under Ho, but their WSL record against Arsenal offers little cause for optimism.

Of the 11 north London derbies, Spurs have won only once.

Yet that lone victory – a 1-0 win in December 2023 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – is enough to serve as a source of belief.

“We’ve got a big opportunity in a north London derby to do what we’ve done previously. I know we’ve only beaten them once before, but it’s not impossible,” England said.

Ho says that his players do not need him to “tell them how big that game is”.

“They know that. It’s my first one, ” he added. “I know how important it is to the fans, to the club and we want to make sure we go into that with the right attitude and the right mentality but it’s a really big opportunity for us to showcase what we can do.”

However, Sunday’s match will not be Ho’s first taste of the rivalry, having seen Tottenham beat the Gunners 4-3 in pre-season, in his second game in charge.

Asked about that pre-season game by BBC London, Ho replied: “I wish they counted for something but they don’t. We can take some confidence and belief from that, that we belong at that level and we can compete at that level.”

A rare derby victory for Spurs could prove damaging to Arsenal’s title aspirations as it would leave them at least six points behind leaders Manchester City, who could extend their advantage with a win against Manchester United on Saturday.

And Arsenal will be keen to bounce back after letting a two-goal lead slip in their 3-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday.

“That was really disappointing and we’ve acknowledged that as a collective,” Gunners boss Renee Slegers said.