Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Ho is fired up but pragmatic about his team’s upcoming clash against eight-time champions Chelsea.
Speaking to the media ahead of the meeting on Sunday, Ho was eagerly anticipating his first opportunity to manage a game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and although he acknowledged the reigning champions’ current vulnerabilities, he was quick to reiterate their many qualities.
Chelsea are still a “big threat” says Ho
Spurs have never picked up a point against Chelsea in the Women’s Super League (WSL). But as the Blues come off the back of two bruising losses to Arsenal and Manchester City, effectively seeing their title hopes go up in smoke, it feels as though there’s never been a better opportunity to improve that record.
Despite this, Ho insisted they would still “be dangerous” and acknowledged their many threats and qualities when asked whether he felt they were currently most fallible.
“They’re a wonderful team. If anyone thinks that them losing two games turns them into a bad team, then they are very, very mistaken. You expect a response,” he said.
“You prepare for Chelsea at their best. We know what the threats are going to be like. Very dynamic players in the front line, very good players in the central areas. We need to be aware, and we will be, but we have to show no fear, and we have to apply ourselves correctly and focus on ourselves.”
Affording Chelsea the respect they have earned with their domination of the WSL over the years feels appropriate, but the Spurs manager is also confident in what his team can do if they focus on themselves and perform at their “optimum.”
“We have to be hard to beat, we have to be front-footed and we have to make sure Chelsea know they’re going to be in the game,” he said. “I never like to say that there are weaknesses in the opponent because you probably downgrade their actual level – but we know there are areas we can exploit as a team from the way we play and how we set up.”
Ho praises Tottenham’s ‘never-say-die’ mentality
The fact that Spurs are one point behind Sunday’s opponents is an incredible achievement given their disappointing 11th-place finish last season. With minimal activity in the summer transfer window, they’ve more than made up for that with some eye-catching signings in January, but it’s Ho’s appointment that has had the biggest impact and set Spurs up for a strong second half of the season.
The head coach reflected on the mentality he has instilled in this team. “The players are a wonderful group of players who are willing to apply and adapt in certain moments,” he explained.
“We’ve done so much work to try and change the mentality when you go behind and have a never-say-die attitude,” he said.
Speaking about their hard-fought win against West Ham last week, after going a goal behind, he acknowledged the team of last season may not have got that result over the line.
“We responded well and previously, maybe when you go one-nil behind these players might have said ‘do you know what, we’re done here’, but the response straight away was very, very good,” Ho praised.
The manager also gave his assessment of the team’s performance against tougher opposition. “We’ve had some good performances, and we’ve built on them, but maybe been unfortunate with some of the results. It takes time to build a team back to where you wanted to be, and it takes time to build confidence and momentum in the group,” he reflected.
Tottenham don’t want to be a ‘flash in the pan’
Proving they can compete with the top teams is vital in this half of the season, particularly as there has been speculation about whether this rejuvenated Spurs side could secure a top-three finish.
A win on Sunday would mean leapfrogging Chelsea, and should Arsenal fail to beat City at the Emirates, they’ll be in those coveted Champions League spots.
Martin Ho has been steadfast in his assertion that his team is not yet ready for the UWCL, and instead is focusing on the present and building a foundation to be “sustainable” in the Champions League in the future.
“You have to earn the right to be in that position. Are the players and staff doing everything they can? Yes. Are there ambitions to be in the Champions League? Yes. Do we have a long-term vision to be sustainable in the Champions League? Yes.
“But you need to build a really strong foundation around the playing group on and off the pitch to give you the opportunity. We don’t want to be a flash in the pan – you want to be consistent and you’ve got to build a strong squad,” said Ho.
“We’re not thinking too far ahead. We still have eight games and FA Cup games to play. We can’t divert from what we’ve done. If we come off the track we’ve been on and start focusing on things we can’t control, you probably come to a situation where you become unstuck, and we need to focus on the next game ahead.”
