Tottenham head coach Martin Ho hopes for a game of “fire against fire” in this weekend’s north London derby.
Ho’s Tottenham side looks to defeat their fiercest rivals for just the second time in the Women’s Super League (WSL) as Spurs host Arsenal at Brisbane Road Stadium this Sunday.
The Tottenham Hotspur head coach spoke to the media as they prepare to host the Gunners, in what – perhaps surprisingly, given where Spurs finished last season – could be a fierce battle for the coveted Champions League spots.
Martin Ho expects a ‘response’ from both Tottenham and Arsenal
Both sides will be hoping to bounce back from a defeat in their previous game. Spurs were defeated 4-2 away at London City Lionesses last time out in the league, while Arsenal suffered a disappointing 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, after a dismal second half saw them give up a 2-0 lead.
Ho was quick to allay suggestions Arsenal might be vulnerable as his side prepares to exploit their rivals this weekend.
“They’ve got wonderful players, Renee [Slegers] is a wonderful manager. They’re champions of Europe. As I’ve said before about ourselves, one defeat doesn’t make you a bad team. I wouldn’t say they’re vulnerable because they probably want to respond, the same as we do. Hopefully it’s fire against fire, and it makes for a good game.”
Reflecting on his own side’s struggles from last weekend, Ho felt they were “really good with the ball” but “lacked cutting edge”, and is keen to see an improvement in both boxes.
“We have to make sure we’re better in the defensive side,” the head coach stated. “If we’re not more decisive in those moments defensively, we’ll be punished, but at the other end we have to be more ruthless and we have to start putting the ball in the back of the net more consistently.
“I will always focus on us first in terms of how we want to approach the game and how we apply ourselves on the game in both phases, making sure that we understand what we need to do and what we need to be good at. We have to make sure we apply ourselves correctly and that we don’t turn too much attention just to the opposition – you’ll forget yourself. I’m really big on that from a managerial perspective.”
Tottenham ‘have to control what we can’ says Ho
The stage is set for an intriguing encounter, and Ho is more than ready for the challenge of a new chapter in this storied rivalry. When the sides met most recently, Spurs beat Arsenal 4-3 in a preseason friendly, but the head coach doesn’t assign too much meaning to that:
“It’s a new experience for me,” Ho said. “We’re really excited, ready to respond in the right way after a disappointing game last weekend. We’re in a good place, the players have trained extremely well, the energy’s good.
“It doesn’t count for anything in preseason – it just showed me the level of performance we can produce when we want to when we’re at a high level against top teams. We know we’ve got to deliver that performance and more come the weekend.”
In competitive games, they’ve only beaten the Gunners once before, but Ho is equally insistent his side aren’t focusing on that.
“You can’t control what’s in the past. We have to control what we can and that’s in front of us, that’s our performance at the weekend and our mentality going into that game. We have to play the game and not the occasion.”
Ho “knows how important” derby day is
That this is a fierce rivalry in the stands just as much as it is on the pitch is not lost on Ho, however, particularly as fans will be “coming out in their numbers” having sold what he believes is the most tickets for a fixture at Brisbane Road.
“I know how important it is. It’s a big thing for the supporters and we’ll do everything we can to make sure we put in a good performance for them.”
Asked if he was disappointed that this game wasn’t taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, particularly as the men are on international break, Ho was unconcerned.
“Wherever it gets played it’s going to be an intense game,” the head coach said. “It’s going to be lively, there’s going to be opportunity for us to play games there, but wherever this game is played it’s huge. It’s a big rivalry and we could play it in this press conference room and it’d be the same energy.”
‘I haven’t just come here to take part’ urges Ho
A marked contrast to where they ended last season, Spurs currently have five wins from eight and are three points off the top three. As such, there’s an understandable level of hype around the team and what they might be capable of this season under Ho’s leadership. Ho himself however, is keen to reflect on just how far they’ve come.
“If you look at statistically where we were last year we’re better off in a lot of departments. We’re rebuilding our team to make sure they’ve got the confidence and the belief again. I get it – from the supporters’ perspective, from the media perspective, everyone wants more, and everyone expects you to win every week. No one more than me – I hate losing. But if you step back, we’ve taken big steps from where we were at and it’s big progress.”
Asked if he has short-term ambitions to make the Champions League, he was optimistic, but realistic about the club’s ambitions heading into the halfway point of the season.
“I haven’t come here just to take part,” Ho urged. “I want to make sure I can progress this team and help us achieve our ambitions. It’s a big ask to go into that top three, but I believe when we get things right we can [challenge]. But over the course of the season, you need a really consistent level individually and collectively to be able to get into that top three. We have to make sure we show that more now.”
