“It’s a bigger game” – Robert Vilahamn previews the North London Derby
It’s derby day this weekend in North London as Arsenal Women take on Spurs in the WSL this Sunday at the Emirates at 12:30. Over 55,000 tickets have been sold for this event, and it looks set to be an amazing game for all involved.
Robert Vilahamn’s side will be looking to add to the solitary win that they have over their neighbours, a 1-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December 2023 with a second half goal courtesy of Martha Thomas.
This could prove to be a difficult task for Spurs however with Arsenal having only lost one home league game all season, to Sonia Bompastor’s unbeaten runaway league leaders Chelsea back in mid-October.
Spurs by contrast are in mixed form whose fortunes could do with a pickup, which an away derby win would certainly do. They’ve only lost one of their last five league games, albeit it was last time out: a 1-0 home loss to second place Man United.
Team News
“We are getting Ella and Drew back as options for the squad, which is really good for us.” That’s right, it’s good news for Spurs and Ella Morris as she returns to the pitch from the MCL injury that she suffered back in November whilst on England U23 duty that’s kept her out for over two months.
As well as this, Jamaican international Drew Spence has recovered from the injury that’s kept her out for the last three games and is in contention to feature against the Gunners on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Finnish midfielder Eveliina Summanen is continuing her recovery from the hamstring injury she suffered in training last month. “Eveliina is on the grass but not in collective training, so she will not play. The rest of the squad will be available, so there will be some tough choices,” said Vilahamn of her recovery.
Kit Graham remains a long-term absentee as she continues her recovery from the ACL injury she sustained at the beginning of the season.
No Love Lost
Arsenal and Spurs don’t like each other, that fact is obvious and it’s not surprising or new to assert that the rivalry exists in the women’s game, nor should it be. Robert Vilahamn, having experienced that rivalry from the dugout, knows it like very few in football do.
“When we won against them last season, I realised the emotions that you get from it, together with the fans and the club, it was massive, and probably one of the best feelings I’ve had on a football pitch or in a football stadium.”
He’s made no secret of his desire to recreate that on Sunday, and it would be an even bigger win away at their eternal enemies. Despite this, Vilahamn won’t change his preparations just because of the nature of the game.
“Every game is extremely important, and we don’t really have any different mentality in the group when we do that. But you need to be aware of it because it’s a bigger game, the fans see that and you can tell from media and everyone, so we are aware of it, but I think the professionalism of the players is there. They don’t really need to push extra or do something extra because they want to win every week for the club.”
New Women’s Training Facilities
News that will hopefully spur Tottenham on both in the game and long-term is the reveal that, the day before Valentine’s Day, approval was given by Enfield Council for a brand-new women’s training and academy facility to be built, allowing Spurs to upgrade the facilities for those young Lilywhites’ fans who fall in love with the game.
Vilahamn spoke of these developments as key to the clubs’ long-term plans and future within the women’s game, perhaps more so than instant success on the pitch, by pursuing what he described as an “organic journey” towards success.
This approach worked for the men’s team in a financial sense as ENIC and Daniel Levy, turned them into European economic powerhouses and the decision-makers on the women’s side appear eager for Spurs Women to follow the same path.
Captain Bethany England has endorsed the plans, calling it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” and this project looks set to give Spurs serious credentials towards proving Vilahamn’s assertion that, when built, the new facility will “be the best training facility in Europe, perhaps in the world for the academy and women’s team.”
Vilahamn also highlighted the importance of creating an amalgamated club identity between the women’s and the men’s team, so as not to treat the two as independent of each other, but rather as one unified Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
“Look at what we’re doing here to make sure we are one club. We’re building it next to the men’s training ground. We wanna make sure we try to use this space that is connected so much to Tottenham.”
The project will no doubt help Spurs attract a higher calibre of player, which they will need if they want to better their league finish of 5th and qualify for the UWCL, which should be their ultimate ambition.
