Man Utd vs Spurs (WSL) | Robert’s preview: “We want to compete for the top four”
Fri 19 April 2024, 14:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Robert Vilahamn is anticipating a tough trip to Manchester United ahead of our return to action in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday afternoon (12pm UK).
Our first outing in the league for nearly four weeks – previously beating Bristol City 1-0 at Ashton Gate on Sunday 24 March - we head up north to face Marc Skinner’s side at Leigh Sports Village in the first of our final five WSL games of the season.
We enter this weekend’s clash on the back of a historic victory over Leicester City that booked our spot in the final of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for the first time in our history and will face United at Wembley next month. So, many will undoubtedly see this as a preview for the final, but Robert is only focused on Sunday’s fixture and closing the gap on the top four.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, he said: “This is a game where we can try to fight for the top four, so we are only focusing on this game and how to beat Man Utd.
“When we have played this game, we can use it for the final, of course, but, for us, it’s this game and the final is too far away right now to focus on that. The mindset we have is on the next game, so the main thing is to have a good starting eleven, a good bench, a good game plan and try to beat Man Utd as we want to compete for the top four. Obviously, that is hard as there are not many games left, but we have a chance and we should go for it in this game.”
Having gone agonisingly close to winning the WSL last season, falling short by two points to Chelsea on the final day, it has certainly been an up-and-down campaign this time around, sitting fourth in the table and nine points off the top three, but Robert still believes they are one of the best sides in the league on their day.
“When Man Utd have a good day, they are one of the best teams in this league,” he added. “They have quality players in each position and they also have a strong bench, so if they have a good game, we could struggle and will need to work really hard in defence.
“On the other hand, they have not been that consistent in their performances, so, I think, we have a good chance to compete in this game and make sure we play our style.
“It’s going to be a tough game… they are a big team in this league, it will be a tough away game but we have beaten Arsenal, Man City so we know we can beat the top teams.”
