It was a League Cup defeat to Arsenal on penalties which essentially kickstarted a new era at Tottenham Hotspur. Bringing the curtain down on Karen Hills‘ 13-year reign, she was replaced by a coach whose hunger for silverware was honed at Borehamwood, and who is now determined to close the gap across north London.
Rehanne Skinner knows Spurs’ derby record all too well. Since promotion to the WSL, they have never beaten their rivals and if they are to buck that trend on Saturday, they will have to overcome an Arsenal side who have not lost a league game all season. Nor have they conceded a goal since the opening weekend against Chelsea.
Even so, Skinner’s message to her players will be simple: “Nobody’s infallible.”
“With any luck, we’ll get a goal in the first couple of minutes, like we did in the FA Cup,” she jokes. “And hang onto it better”.
The cup tie she alludes to, in September, Rachel Williams handed Spurs a shock lead, only for Mana Iwabuchi to equalise within 10 minutes. Arsenal went on to score another four and continue their sensational start to life under Jonas Eidevall.
Skinner’s focus, in spite of the plaudits Arsenal have received, is closer to home. “There’s always going to be things that crop up (in terms of Arsenal’s weaknesses). We’ve got to keep doing our bits, making sure we finish when we get the opportunities.
“We didn’t get a lot of opportunities [in the 2-1 win] against Man City, but we were able to take them. We didn’t get a lot against United [a 1-1 draw]. It comes back to us and what we’re capable of in those moments – again, people have had chances against Arsenal but have not taken them.”
Spurs’ record vs Arsenal
- November 2019: Tottenham 0-2 Arsenal
- September 2020: Arsenal 4-0 Tottenham
- October 2020: Arsenal 6-1 Tottenham
- November 2020: Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham (Arsenal won on penalties)
- March 2021: Tottenham 0-3 Arsenal
- September 2020: Arsenal 5-1 Tottenham
Played: 6 Won: 0 Drawn: 1 Lost: 5
The aim is to close the gap not just on Spurs’ closest neighbours, but on the rest of the pack at the top, where it has become notoriously difficult to disrupt the status quo – even with Manchester City having fallen down to seventh ahead of Women’s Football Weekend. After the draw with United, Tottenham sit third, just two points behind Chelsea and five off league-leaders Arsenal.
“If things don’t go well and we don’t achieve what we set out to achieve, regardless of who it’s against, we have to hold ourselves accountable,” Skinner adds. “The [previous] games against Arsenal, there’s been some positives in spells of games, but not as consistently as we know we’re capable of.
“That, for me, is where we’ve got to show progress going into this game that we can consistently do the things we’re about as a team, against the better teams. Whatever the outcome of that, we’ve got to keep being better. Whenever we play an Arsenal, a Chelsea a Man City, every time we play them we have to be better than last time around.”
Spurs’ project under Skinner is a little further down the line than Arsenal’s under Eidevall. They are fitter – reaping the benefits of moving training to the club’s state-of-the-art Hotspur Way facilities full-time – and are keeping more of the ball. That does not mean, however, that they are not wary of the Gunners on the counter.
“The fact that they offer variation in their attacking play creates more challenges to resolve from a defensive perspective and that’s stood them in good stead,” the Tottenham boss says.
“They’ve got players who can do both sides of the game – a bit more direct, playing through thirds etc. You really have to be outstanding concentration wise and shape wise and diligent with your out of possession work, otherwise there’s plenty of people who can create problems. All their goals haven’t come from the same types of opportunities.
“They’re in a good place, they’ll be confident and for us it’s just about making sure we’re at the races. There’s always respect, but for us it’s about doing what we set out to achieve.”
Read i‘s guide to Women’s Football Weekend – including how to watch Tottenham Hotspur Women vs Arsenal, kick-off times, TV channels, and the games to look out for.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3kyYSnc
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