Progress in Defeat

Spurs Women exit the Conti Cup but put in a promising performance against Chelsea. Next up, both Spurs teams are in FA Cup action this weekend.

In this issue:  Chelsea recap | Previewing the FA Cup matches | News roundup

Apologies for this issue being a day late. To be candid, some of the engagement I've been receiving on Twitter has really been weighing on me and I just needed a day away from the world of Spurs. I watched some figure skating. It was nice. But the show must go on!

Tottenham 1 - 3 Chelsea

Spurs Women's Conti Cup campaign ended on Wednesday after losing to Chelsea at Brisbane Road.

The starting XI provided some initial reason for optimism; Mana Iwabuchi was a surprise inclusion. I wasn't expecting her to start on her first appearance, but as could be expected she wasn't able to play the full 90. We also had a formation change, with the back-3 returning for the first time since pre-season if I recall correctly. The 3-4-2-1* formation included Kerys Harrop and Celin Bizet as wingbacks and Rosella Ayane and Iwabuchi playing as more central wingers to support Beth England at striker. I was also pleased to see Jess Naz back on the bench after recovering from the injury she picked up before the winter break, but she did not end up featuring.

*I'm not entirely sure this was the intended formation, because Drew Spence was a bit of a wild card. It might be more accurate to say it was a 3-3-3-1 with Spence basically playing in the 10 role. Regardless, the team shape felt much more organized than it has in the majority of games this season, and we covered the pitch more effectively. All that being said, the midfield was still an issue from a defensive perspective, but there were signs that we have at least made some progress in our build-up play for the attack. And as Shelina noted in her post-match interview, tightening up the defense should be a priority but the team simply has to score more goals to start winning games again. Sometimes a good offense is the best defense, after all.

To circle back to Mana's first appearance, I was very impressed by how comfortable she already seemed in the setup, as well as her vocal leadership. That's exactly what you want to see from an experienced player. She was constantly demanding the ball, directing her teammates, and thinking one step ahead to create new patterns of play in our attack. I think we are going to benefit hugely from her skills in this second half of the season.  

I'm not going to dwell on the goals conceded (two from Sam Kerr, one from Fran Kirby) but it goes without saying that Chelsea played a very strong lineup, and I don't think it's unfair to say that we were never expected to win this game. I was surprised to see such a vocal response online to the loss, particularly the calls for "Rehanne out." It would be extremely premature to sack her after this particular loss, just as the team is starting to show signs of progress with the new signings (England has only played two games with us so far, and Iwabuchi less than 90 minutes!) and we still have Ash Neville yet to come back into the side after her three-match suspension. The transfer window is still open until the 30th, so there is a chance we will have another addition or two to further bolster the squad. Like I've said previously, we do have to readjust our expectations from the beginning of the season—no getting around that—but as long as the performances continue to improve we should be backing Rehanne to see out her long-term vision for the team.

One last note on this game:  I hope Drew feels encouraged to continue taking shots at will because she nearly scored earlier in the match and her actual goal was an absolute rocket. More of that, please.

So, no semi-final appearance for Spurs in the Conti Cup this year, but at least there were some silver linings.

FA Cup Weekend Extravaganza

The downside to having the Men's and Women's FA Cup rounds on the same weekend is that we can't watch as many non-Spurs games as we might like to, but I'm not going to complain about our teams both having lower-stakes matches—unless you are someone who really, really wants one of them to lift the trophy, of course. It's more likely to happen for the Men's team since they not only got a favorable draw but will also see several top contenders eliminated in this round (Manchester City or Arsenal, Brighton or Liverpool) to further ease a potential path to the final.

The Men's team are up first on Saturday, visiting Preston North End. Troy Parrott will be ineligible to play against his parent club, of course. The only other name I recognize from their squad is Ched Evans, and it's not for a good reason. Harry Kane is a doubt to play for Spurs as it turns out he played while ill against Fulham on Monday. Squad rotation is necessary with yet another Manchester City matchup in the PL coming up next weekend.

The Women's team takes on London City Lionesses at home on Sunday. The Lionesses have the distinction of being the only independent fully-professional team in the English women's football pyramid, having parted ways with Millwall years ago. They've had a very successful season in the Championship and are likely to gain promotion to the WSL if they stay on course. However, their manager just parted ways with the club to return to California and be an assistant at Angel City FC. This team is known for playing on the front foot, so we'll see if they can maintain their run of form against a Spurs team determined to get their own season back on track.  We will be hoping to see more of England and Iwabuchi in this match and could see Naz return from injury.

News from around the Lane

Just a few news tidbits to share about the club.

• In all the excitement over Harry tying Jimmy Greaves' Spurs goal record with 266 goals, Son Heung-min's appearance milestones were overshadowed.

It's been a tough season for Sonny, but he's still had some bright moments:  his hat trick as a second-half substitute against Leicester, his game-winning brace in the CL against Eintracht Frankfurt, and now his assist for Harry's record-tying goal. Let's continue to get behind him—even if that means supporting him coming off the bench more often.

• Esther Morgan is heading back out on loan to the Championship, this time with Sunderland. Good luck, Esther! Unfortunately, this outgoing transfer leaves us even shorter on defensive depth, so let's hope Spurs make a move before deadline day for some more defensive reinforcement.

• The Women's U-21s have reached a final!

Lenna Gunning-Williams is one of the most promising Academy players on the Women's side and has already made her first-team debut in the Conti Cup group stage, scoring a fantastic header. She's one to keep an eye on for the future, and we don't often get to watch the Women's youth teams play (the final will be streamed on the FA Player), so definitely pencil this fixture into your calendar for April.  

• Lucas Moura made his return to competitive action with the Men's U-21s tonight (perhaps a sign he is in the shop window) and scored an equalizer in the first half against Arsenal, with Nile John finding the game-winner in the second half. Lucas had a familiar supporter in the crowd.

Lucas' politics aside, it's very sweet to see Richy supporting his teammate as he returns from injury.

That's all for today. Get ready for the FA Cup weekend!

COYS

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