Taking Steps, Part Two
I know that I remarked many times last season—in this newsletter and elsewhere—that I had grown weary of Robert Vilahamn constantly talking about Spurs Women "taking steps" in post-loss interviews. It started to ring very hollow as we saw the team not only fail to progress during his second season in charge, but actively regress, both at the team and individual player levels.
So I had a bit of a visceral, flinching response when I heard a similar phrase in Martin Ho's comments to the press after the latest loss to Chelsea (only the first under his management, to be fair):
From game to game, we’ve taken big steps and this is another one—against a top-quality team, the champions, unbeaten in nearly 30 games.
More excuses, or an accurate assessment? I think it's closer to the latter, even beyond giving him the benefit of the new-manager doubt.
In this issue: Chelsea recap | News from around the Lane
I'll get into why I think it's a fair statement this time around in the match recap below.
Then there's a bit of club news to close out this slow Spurs week as the Men's international break wraps up.
WSL MD 6 | Chelsea 1 - 0 Tottenham
Walsh 61'
The eternal question with Spurs Women is: when will we finally bridge the gap to the top four (disregarding, for a moment, our current table placement)? For too long, the gap has been more of a gaping chasm.
This match felt closer to the situation we often see with Spurs Men losses, where it's a matter of fine margins in a contest between two relatively comparable teams. Now, we're not quite there yet in terms of squad talent level; Chelsea still have a clear advantage from years of competent recruitment and ambitious investment, and you only have to look at the substitutions from both teams for a reality check in that regard. But it does feel like we are getting closer to tactical parity under Martin Ho, at least. We weren't played off the park as has often been the case in previous games.
It still took a heroic defensive effort from the whole team to keep the game competitive, however, and we never looked very likely to score. The forwards were often called back to help defend, and on the rare occasion that someone was able to get forward (usually Matilda Vinberg, who looked determined to make the most of her scant opportunities to get on the ball), they were on an island without anyone to pass to or provide a decoy run.
Ash Neville's return to the starting lineup has provided more balance to the fullback lineup for Spurs, and against a different opponent, we would likely have seen plentiful attacking moves coming from both sides of the pitch. But as it was, she and Amanda Nildén were both in an all-hands-on-deck defensive situation and didn't get to show what they could provide to the offense from the rear flanks.
Still, we were just one long-range shot away from securing a first-ever point against Chelsea. The wait continues, but to show that we can nullify a lot of our London neighbors' attacking threats was an important sign of progress. If you exclude the Manchester City game—which was a rude wake-up call for Ho and the players alike after a brilliant start to the season—the defense has clearly been trending upwards.
Even though it feels counterintuitive to say I wish we could harness this positive momentum after a game in which we earned zero points, it really is a bummer that we won't get to see this team in league action again until early November. There's still one more fixture before the break, a League Cup group stage match, but since it's against WSL2 opposition, it won't be quite the same caliber of test to build upon. It's a refreshing feeling to actually be anticipating WSL games with excitement for a change. And since that next league fixture is against Liverpool, who are still on zero points, there's a good chance the optimistic vibes will continue well into the autumn.
Notable & quotable:
• Molly Bartrip was in the matchday squad for the first time since picking up an injury in pre-season; she did not end up seeing the pitch, but could make her season debut in the League Cup game this weekend. Otherwise, she'll get to further build up her fitness in training during the international break.
• Manchester City are still the only team we've conceded more than one goal to this season.
• The strong defensive effort was remarkably disciplined as well, with Spurs only picking up one yellow card (for Amanda Nildén).
• Martin Ho commended the defensive performance:
I couldn’t have asked for any more from the players in terms of effort, commitment, and desire. We had a few moments with the ball, and we need more of that, but in games like this, it’s hard when you’re defending your goal for so long. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a foothold. But that performance defensively will give us a lot of confidence moving forward.
When you can put in defensive performances like that, it sets you up for success moving forward. If you get the foundation right, you become hard to beat.
• Nildén echoed his sentiments:
In the first half, the number of blocks we made showed our determination and they only had one shot on target while we had two. That shows how much we were willing to put our bodies on the line to keep Chelsea back. We have more to work on in attack, keeping the ball when we’re tired and creating more chances against these teams, but we take it step by step.
News from around the Lane
• Ben Davies captained Wales in his 100th appearance, which unfortunately ended in a 2-4 loss to Belgium. There was also a rat incident that Brennan Johnson attended to. The next time someone says that all Brennan does is score goals, remind them of this.
• The club shared a list of the Men's team players whose nations have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
• Women's Academy keeper Sophie Jackson earned her first call-up to the England U19s.
• Blake Irow has signed his first professional contract with the club.
• Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were named finalists for the Golden Boy award.
• Lize Kop is nominated for Women's Super League Player of the Month for October.
• Fabio Paratici is returning to the club as joint Sporting Director on the Men's side, alongside Johan Lange. Add this to the list of technically legal but ethically dubious decisions the club has made in recent years.
Up next:
October 19 | Spurs Women vs Birmingham City
Team news — Everyone is available except for the long-term injured, Ella Morris and Luana Bühler.
October 20 | Spurs Men vs Aston Villa
Team news — Randal Kolo Muani in contention to play; Dominic Solanke returning to fitness but not yet ready to return; Yves Bissouma injured over international break
It's unfortunate that we have overlapping fixture times this weekend, but it's still nice to have both teams in action for one week before they switch, and the Women's team goes on international break instead.
Since there's no Spurs football on Saturday, take some time to catch up on the latest Fan Forum if you weren't one of the lucky few in attendance.
I just started listening to it as I wrapped up this issue, but if there's anything significant, I'll cover it in the next one.
Speaking of, the Men's team will be back in action midweek in the Champions League, so I'll be back with a new issue before then.
COYS
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