“We cannot just play fun and lose, we need to find ways to win.” Robert Vilahamn ahead of Spurs’ League Cup visit to Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur manager Robert Vilahamn took the time this afternoon to preview Spurs’ Women’s League Cup match away against Crystal Palace on Wednesday as they look to progress to the quarter finals.
Wednesday’s Fixture after victory over Everton
Regarding the opposition, defeated 4-0 by Tottenham on the opening weekend of the WSL season, Vilahamn said: “They made a lot of good signings before the season, and to get those signings to play together and learn to play together under their manager, they had a few games before they found a way but after those first games they have competed very much in all the games.
“For me, Crystal Palace is not a team that will go down, they have shown me that they are ready to stay in the WSL and on a good day they can beat anyone.
“Its going to be fun to play them again and see where we are and where they are, but its also nice to go into the game with a good feeling that if we win or draw, we’re ready for the quarter finals.”
Game management has been a regular issue for Spurs this season, and the Tottenham manager has been aware of this: “In some parts of the game (against Everton) we were really good with game management to make sure we slowed down the game, sometimes we did really well to keep the ball.
“It was bad game management to concede the goal, we had a throw in and were dictating the game quite a lot in that period.
“But to make sure we stayed calm, to make sure we stayed in the game…I think the players showed a really good attitude.
“It was a step forward, because I think we won that game with good game management.”
On Palace’s expected approach, Vilahamn said: “They’re aware that they need to win the game and score a few goals.
“They’re clear what they want to do, and I think they’ve played quite well so its going to be more competitive than the other game we played against them.
“Wednesday will be a much tougher game, but hopefully we can play the way we want and win.”
Coming off back-to-back wins, Robert Vilahamn spoke about playing ‘The Tottenham Way’ and the importance of maintaining that in the face of adversity.
“You should always try to play the Tottenham Way, and make sure we push the performance to the way we want to win games.
“We should never have a game plan where we just go in and try to win ugly, we’re going to go in and play the Tottenham way, but during that game we need to have the game management where we can find a way to win as close as possible to the Tottenham Way.
“If we just try to win and not create the next step of what you try to do with your identity, that’s the thing that connects with your fans.
“We cannot just play fun and lose, we need to find ways to win.”
Team Updates
Goalkeeper Eleanor Heeps enjoyed a successful league debut in the 2-1 home victory over Everton on Sunday, and on her prospects of reprising her position on Wednesday, Vilahamn commented: “Obviously Becky Spencer is coming back from sickness, so we’ll see how she is tomorrow, and Katelin (Talbert) is training well as well, but of course there’s the chance that she’ll keep playing as she’s performed really well in two games in a row now.”
On the injured Ella Morris, who suffered an MCL injury with the England U23’s this past week, Vilahamn said: “She’s an extremely positive person.
“Of course she is upset with the injury, but she’s in the building, she’s working hard to get back and bring some good energy.
“I’m impressed with how she’s handling it, taking steps every day in the gym, so I’m looking forward to having her back but it’s going to be many weeks before that.”
Stalwart Evalina Summanen went off late in the game against Everton, but Vilahamn pointed to cramp and the opportunity to make a double substitution as a cause.
Luana Bühler looks to make a return to the match day squad, while Amy James-Turner will miss the game having missed the last two days of training.
Dealing with the challenge of the League Cup
Balance between league and cup performances is always difficult to strike, and Vilahamn is aware of the challenge it poses.
“Its always a mixture of how much you can use the squad and still have a really strong eleven, and a finishing eleven as well,” said the Spurs coach.
“This game decides whether we get through to the quarter final or not, so its quite important in one way, but on the other hand we have a really good squad with upcoming players who also deserve to play.
“We should have a squad to take us to the quarter final, not just a starting eleven.”
Tottenham are no stranger to strong cup runs, having reached last season’s FA Cup final, and Vilahamn is determined to lift a trophy with the club.
“We got a taste of what we can do when we have a great run, and we realised we can compete for the trophies.
“Tottenham is a sleeping giant finding a way to get those trophies again” he said, “and if we have a good result on Wednesday, we are just three games away from a trophy so the experience from last season is that we find ways to win in the cup.
“I really want to win a trophy with the fans and this club, so we’ll do our best, but every game is tough.”
The Upcoming Winter Break
Tottenham will go into the winter break coming off a good run of form that was preceded by a difficult patch in the WSL.
When asked whether the break had come at the right time, Vilahamn said: “We have gone through a journey, and even when you’re winning or losing, you need those breaks to recover and reflect a little bit and to take those next steps.
“We’re looking forward to the break but still we have two more games and we want to make sure we have some really good performances and results.”
