Presser Points | Spurs vs Arsenal, Women’s Super League | Martin Ho

Here’s what he had to say…

On the excitement of the north London derby…

"These are the games you want to play in, the players want to play in. You have so many different aspects, so there's a lot of excitement around the group, the staff and around the club and we are really excited to get going on Saturday."

On what will be needed on the day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

"You have to play the game, not the occasion and not get wrapped up in everything that's going on before it or during it. Make sure we're more robust and we show more steel in certain parts of the game defensively. Accept that we will suffer at times against a good Arsenal team but also make sure we apply ourselves correctly with the ball. We're brave, we show personality with it and we do what we usually do."

On where the squad is at heading into the game…

“Disappointment is obviously there. There's frustration, there's probably some apprehension, which is natural, but I don't think it's a confidence thing. We know when we reflected back on the (Chelsea) game honestly and we looked at a lot of footage, for the first 60 minutes, I thought we were well in the game. Then, I think in terms of experience, maturity, and those moments, it probably showed a little bit with a young squad. But, for the first 60 minutes, I think it's the best I've seen us against a team with and without the ball for my period of time here. The scoreline obviously doesn't reflect that. But, everything they seemed to hit went in out of seven or eight shots on target.”

On changing the style to potentially frustrate opponents…

“Of course you do. You look for where their strengths are and how you want to stop them, how they've been stopped before in other games around the same systems, the same organizations, teams with roughly the same kind of identity or idea. They have a wonderful team, and it's not like they're not having chances or taking shots, they're creating a lot of chances, their expected goal is high, so they are creating chances. What we have to be acceptant of is we will suffer without the ball in this game and we have to be prepared to, and the players know that, and that means we have to be organized, we have to be compact, we have to be prepared to defend the box for large parts of the game. But, when we have the ball, we have to be prepared to be diligent and creative when we have it.”

Predict the score | Spurs vs Arsenal

On what the message to the squad will be with Arsenal’s current run of form…

“For us, as a collective, my approach is to just highlight the qualities that Arsenal have because if you try and underestimate a team with their quality, then you're in for trouble. So, I just highlight their qualities, what they've been good at, where they're getting chance creation from and how we can try to nullify that threat, but knowing that they're going to create chances and we've got to be prepared to stand tall and be steel in front of goal and make sure that we defend our box well. The players may look at that, but we try to make sure that we prepare, and I prepare the players for the best Arsenal.”

On whether there’s an opportunity for us given Arsenal’s recent run of results…

“It's an opportunity for both sides. Both of us are wounded at this moment in time. We both suffered results that we maybe don't want to, but I wouldn't always look at that, especially Arsenal. They've lost some games, but they've also drawn some. They're still picking up points as they go, maybe people's expectation is for them to win every game and compete for that title and so on. But we just need to focus on what we're doing, how we do things and it's an opportunity for us again to perform and show a better performance than we have for a longer, consistent period.”

On whether he is worried about the amount of goals conceded in recent games…

“I'm not worried. I'm worried about the goals we concede, yes, because I feel there are moments where we're gifting especially in the goals we've conceded. So, it's an area where we've had the ball, and we've maybe given easy giveaways and we seem to be in these moments, getting punished for them very, very ruthlessly in front of goal. At the start of last year, we were resilient in those parts of the pitch, and then we had a game against Manchester City. We had a spell the second part of the season where we had a couple of games like that, and it's trying to nullify that. I think probably what it is a little bit of kind of game intelligence and smartness in moments, but also the ruthless edge of us in terms of how we defend. There's been certain aspects, collectively players and staff, we're not happy with. We have to make sure that we correct them. But, at the moment, we're getting heavily punished for some small errors with the ball that we're making.”

On whether playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium can give the players a lift…

“When you play at the stadium, the players will be enthused by that. There will be a different energy and any added pressure. Our performances there have been good in large parts, I would say, and we have to just go into the game parking the results we've just had. Taking the learnings forward but not focusing on them too much because you can't control that now. What we can control is the action, behaviour and the kind of personality that we show in this game now coming up, but we know it's a big one also.”

On what Victoria Pelova could be feeling ahead of the game…

“I can't speak for her, but I know that, she will have a different motivation, a different energy and her enthusiasm will be different in the game. She'll want to make a point, but I've already had those conversations with Vic. She needs to just play her own game. I think the more you try and force the occasion, force a situation, you probably become unstuck with the game. and I want her just to show the quality she's been showing, her creativeness, mid to attacking third, her ability to score, her ability to get behind teams. The more she does that, you prove a point in a footballing way. You need to do it with performance and, she has the qualities to do so, but I know she'll have the bit between her teeth.”

On his message to the fans ahead of the north London derby…

“They’ve been brilliant for us home and away in terms of what they've done. They support us in good moments, bad moments, which shows a loyalty in our fans. What I've seen is a willingness to support the team through thick and thin, and we want to make sure they continue to come out and support us. The journey we're on now, you want to be a part of that from the start to the end in terms of where we get to. You don't want to just be part of it when we're successful and we're winning games because when you have highs and then lows, you should see the real support and the real ethos of the Club and, I definitely feel that within. I've definitely felt that from the fans, they've been brilliant. I want to make sure that we can have as many at the stadium as we can on the weekend.”