The problem is, it just keeps happening. Almost every time Spurs Women play one of the “big four”, they collapse. Even getting 3-0 up at Man Utd isn’t enough. Against Arsenal, Tottenham Women didn’t even get that far. Alessia Russo had netted twice before the game had really started.
An own goal by Frida Leonhardsen Maanum got the visitors back into the game. The Gunners, for a few moments, seemed slightly uncertain.
However, that didn’t last long. A disaster at the back ended with ‘keeper Lize Kop passing it straight Alessia Russo, who obviously rolled it into the net. Kop screamed with frustration, but by then it was too late.
Caitlin Foord smashed it in for 4-1 and even though Beth England came on and hit a fierce shot through Daphne van Domeselaar for 4-2, the game was already over. Stina Blackstenius’s cool finish in added time just added insult to injury,
Wrong Starting Line up
In his post-match comments, Spurs Head Coach Martin Ho put three of the goals down to individual errors. On Kop’s mistake specifically, he said he took responsibility for it, because that’s how he asks her to play. Bartrip really did not need to go backwards first, but sometimes it’s ok just to put your foot through the ball.
It has become abundantly clear how much the Lilywhites miss Clare Hunt. Molly Bartrip has served the club fantastically, but she was a weak spot in defence and targeted by the hosts.
There does also need to be some discussion of the starting line-up. No Beth England. No Eveliina Summanen. Without those two, the team did not have enough power, especially in midfield where they were totally dominated.
Cathinka Tandberg is a pest to defences, no doubt about it. But that is not much good if your side can’t get the ball. England leads from the front, and showed her finishing prowess with her powerful shot. I appreciate that van Domeselaar will not be pleased with her effort to save it, but it’s a hard shot taken quickly. I’d actually like to see the pair playing together again, as they did earlier in the season.
Ho said his decisions were about “how we thought [Arsenal] would set up, and the best players to get in the best positions to affect the game”. The Tottenham Women’s boss added that the calls were made “more from a tactical perspective of what I thought the game would play like and how we want to finish it”. Ho felt that at some moments in the first half he thought his plan had paid off.
The substitutions also seemed somewhat odd. Replacing Olivia Holdt with Julie Blakstad just after the hour was particularly eyebrow-raising. It was only through Holdt and Matilda Vinberg on the left that Spurs had any real attacking joy in the opening 45-minutes.
Arsenal vs Spurs Women is Another Frustrating Afternoon
All-in-all, Ho cut a frustrated figure post-match. He rightly pointed out how the team has progressed from the mess of last season and that they kept going today. There is no doubt he has instilled some resilience into the side. Perhaps the great run at the start of the season set unrealistic expectations. That doesn’t make three defeats in a row feel any better, though, and there are more tough games to come.
Ho, Holdt and Vinberg all signed new deal this week. Fantastic news that shows there is a real, meaningful project under way at Tottenham Hotspurs Women. Finally. A key part of that has to be being able to consistently compete in these big games.
