On a sun soaked afternoon down Hotspur Way Tottenham Hotspur’s women’s side have just finished a training session ahead of a London derby against West Ham United on the weekend.
A small group of journalists huddle together in the sun as Tottenham defender Molly Bartrip strides purposefully in their direction. Bartrip stands in the middle of the huddle prepared to field questions from the press, she presents a similar steely resolve to the one likely to greet any opposition attacker come Sunday afternoon. But Bartrip is also a warm and engaging orator, and it is quickly clear to see why her head coach Robert Vilahamn has installed the English defender as vice-captain and now captain while Bethany England remains side-lined through injury. Bartrip tells us, “we all go through stages of seasons that are tough: you have to all stick together.” Spurs have lost five games in a row including four in the league and Bartrip is tasked with leading her side out of the rot.
The Halfway Line had the chance to speak to Bartrip about the challenges of the rest of the season, a huge London derby on Sunday and standing in as Spurs captain.
‘We have to do it by working as a team’ demands Bartrip on turning Tottenham’s form around
Last weekend’s defeat against Brighton was a particularly demoralising one for Spurs, Brighton are the team that have spent the most time sitting fifth in the table this season the position Spurs crave to finish the season in. However Robert Vilahamn’s charges were roundly beaten, and Bartrip was asked for her thoughts, she responded:
“We’ve got six games left, naturally you want three points from every one of those games” Bartrip continued, “I think we have to do it by working as a team” she notes, “using the staff, the education behind what we do on the pitch, it is so much more than just going outside and playing. We have to make sure that we are analysing properly.”
Bartrip continued: “I think the biggest thing is fight. I don’t think we’ve necessarily shown that over the last two, three games, maybe the Man City game, but definitely the weekend we didn’t show it enough. You know, the working together hasn’t really gelled. And I think for those last six games, that’s what we’ve got to work towards. We’ve got to make sure that you’re giving absolutely everything on the pitch.”
And how does her side turn around their form after being on a losing run? Bartrip thoughtfully replied:
“It’s tough, you know? I mean, I’m a defender. It’s rubbish [to concede] if I’m honest, you don’t want to concede at all. We want clean sheets every single week. But naturally, within the group, you have to keep everyone positive. You know you’ve got another game coming along very, very quickly. You haven’t got time as well. You reflect, you learn, and you got to move on very, very quickly.”
She continued: “This league is tough. It’s getting harder every single year. So, you know, the opposition coming up against the weekend, it’s going to be a hard game. They’re going to do things that maybe we don’t expect, and we have to be ready. But within the group, you know, we’re strong. We’ve good personalities and and everyone sticks together in that way. So we’ve got to keep that going.”
Spurs need to be better at ‘the horrible parts of the game’ insists Bartrip
Despite the losing streak that Spurs are currently enduring, the side are well clear of the relegation dog fight. Even so Bartrip refuses to rest on her laurels and considers the reasons, especially mentality wise, the side have been struggling, she reflected:
“When you’re in a losing streak, confidence isn’t there. I think sometimes with that, maybe decision making isn’t as clear. I think, you know, from reflecting on my own performances as well, I feel the same. For me, it’s a whole general thing. It’s not individuals at all. But I think just naturally, we have to make sure that the one thing you can do on a football pitch is work hard.”
The English defender continued: “With that, then we’ve got all these amazing footballers that can do these amazing things with a ball. And then once you’ve got them both together, I think that’s when you start to see, you know, actually a combination of the team doing well.”
Bartrip concluded, “There’s the work ethic [in the group] but I think it’s the fight. I think there’s a difference between work ethic and fight. You know, not backing out of challenges those little things are what win you games sometimes, the horrible parts of the game.”
I want to ‘be a role model’ and ‘lead the girls as much as I can’
With long term captain and star player Beth England currently out injured Bartrip is set to captain the side for the fifth time this season. Bartrip is better placed than most to lead the North London side out having played her 100th match for Spurs only recently. Yet for many players the captaincy can be a weight that affects an individual’s performance, The Halfway Line asked Bartrip if the captain’s armband affects the way she plays at all, she responded without hesitation:
“For me, nothing changes. Yeah, I just try and be the same person. I mean, I’m going to get frustrated. I’m frustrated all the time. You know, it’s part of the game, but nothing changes for me. I just want to, you know, be a role model, but at the same time, lead the girl as much as I can. And it’s very easy for me to watch Beth [England] every single week, because she does such an amazing job.”
She continued: “So I can try, if I could be half of [what she is as a captain] Beth, then I’ll be happy. All I can focus on is giving my all in my best performance, and then hopefully, you know, as a group, we can do the same.”
As captain, naturally if there are any tough conversations to have before the weekend Bartrip may be tasked with conducting them but also raising the team before the match and rousing the side, she reflected:
“West Ham is a derby and derbies naturally bring fight. So I’m hoping that that we’re all going to show that whoever steps on the pitch is going to show that and work for the badge” Bartrip continued.
“We all love a derby, you know, we’ve played in many and you know it’s away, and you know, they’ve got a good crowd. You’ve got good fans, so do we? So at the end of the day, it’s what happens on the on that exact on the game. And you know, we’re going to do good prep this week, make sure that we’re focused, ready for the game.”
