Robert Vilahamn on spine of team and praise for Molly Bartrip

Robert Vilahamn has spoken about the importance of having a regular spine of players within his starting XI.

Since joining the club in the summer, Robert highlighted the need of consistency to install his style of play and explained how the spine of the team was such a key element in the first six months of the campaign - with five players making 10 out of 10 appearances in the Women’s Super League and two featuring in nine games.

Robert explained: “That was my main thing, if we were going to make changes, rotate every game, then you gamble every game on the relationship between the players, so I needed to pick players where we know what to expect, players will also get their chances over time, everyone has been part of it, but we needed players who could build the first phase of the way we’re going to play.”

Having a spine of players not only builds consistency in the starting XI, but allows a smooth transition for other players to step in, as shown with Kit Graham slotting into the number eight position, and Robert has been pleased with every player's contribution so far this season.

Robert added: “You need to build that trust with players who are going to bring the game, like Martha Thomas, Molly Bartrip, that’s so important for the rest of the players, so, when Kit Graham or Ramona Petzelberger come in, they come into a working football team, they knew what to do, because they saw what Olga and Eveliina did in the first seven games.

“That’s how you build consistently and how you want to play. The men’s side is quite similar, you maybe get injuries, suspensions, but every player knows what to do.

“Martha Thomas is a great example because she’s gone from a nine to a 10 and she’s been brilliant in there, working on a relationship with Drew, who was a 10, so now they know what to do. That’s my way to build a team, and I’m pleased the players who have been on the bench accepted that and kept working, they got their chance and that’s how you want to have it.”

Molly - one of the players to feature in every Women’s Super League fixture so far this campaign - played a crucial part in our last home game of 2023, the famous victory over Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, denying goalscoring opportunities and clearing everything that came into the box, and Robert spoke highly of the defender.

He said: “She’s been at the club for a few years, so she has that passion for the club, also, she has the potential to be a Lioness, she has the potential to take this club to the Champions League, she’s good enough.

“The fans can rely on her, she’s been a Spurs player for a few years, but she’s also on this journey with the club to make sure we’re at the top. She can be a top player in this country. In her, the fans see the perfect representative, she’s very important. Bethany has only been here a year, Olga is also new, so Molly, she’s old school, but she also wants to be on this journey. She has an important role to play in this team over many years.”