Spurs 0-4 Man United (WSL) | Robert’s verdict: “We still need to develop”
Mon 11 December 2023, 00:52|
Tottenham Hotspur
Robert Vilahamn felt he and the players learned lessons from Sunday’s home defeat to Manchester United.
Coming off the back of a heavy loss away to Manchester City before the international break, we welcomed captain and centre-forward Bethany England back into the fold at the Gaughan Group Stadium but with a host of midfield regulars missing we fell behind in the first half through Melvine Malard’s strike before second-half goals from Ella Toone, Malard and Hayley Ladd saw the visitors run out 4-0 winners.
Head Coach Robert was disappointed to see the Red Devils take full control after the break but believes the squad will only become stronger for these types of experiences.
“I thought we defended very well in the first half, it was an even game, they didn’t create so many chances and we created a few chances so at half-time it was 1-0 but it was still a good half and we defended much better than we did in the last game,” he reflected. “We tried to make sure we started the second half in the same way but they scored quite early and then we lost a little bit of momentum in the game, they unfortunately could take over, we couldn’t get ourselves into the game again and they scored two easy goals, I would say, so it’s a tough 4-0 loss.
Now we’ve played a few really tough games, we’ve had a few injuries as well and we cannot really manage to compete against these teams for 90 minutes yet – that’s where we are right now.
“We’ve worked together for three or four months now, last year was a struggle and now we’re trying to come back. We had a really good start to the season, now we’ve played a few really tough games, we’ve had a few injuries as well and we cannot really manage to compete against these teams for 90 minutes yet – that’s where we are right now. I know that now, we still need to continue to develop, we need to bring the players back from injury and we’re going to make sure we take steps every day, every week, every month and we’re going to make sure that we can compete against these teams. The girls did everything they could, they fought and they tried to play to the last seconds so you cannot ask for more but we need to make sure we take steps because we cannot lose every game and we need to make sure that next week against Arsenal we’re going to try to have a better performance.”
Robert was understandably delighted to have Bethany available for selection once more, the striker having missed the entirety of the season so far following a surgical procedure on her hip in the summer. She played for just under an hour before being withdrawn.
“Just looking at her now, she’s only trained for one week and she’s already shining when she’s playing and she’s helping the team to collectively defend as well,” added Robert. “She’s going to have a massive impact on this team – she already has – but she’s going to be better and better and her relationship with Martha Thomas on the pitch as well... they’ve only had one-and-a-half training sessions together and now they’re starting to play together so I think we’re going to see the best of Bethany to come in the future and I hope the rest of the players follow her because she’s a leader.”
