Rehanne: ‘We will relish this opportunity’

More than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the Women’s Super League fixture against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

“Given we had the first game cancelled, we want to get into a flow after last weekend’s win,” Rehanne said in her pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. “We’re looking forward to playing in front of a record number of fans, which everyone was hoping to achieve. The previous record stood for too long.

“The players will relish the opportunity to play in front of a large volume of fans. The excitement on the pitch today in training was evident. It will pose challenges in terms of communication, making it difficult to hear, but that’s the route we want to go down and get used to. I can only see positives in it.

“We want to make life as difficult for Arsenal as we can. We’re seen as underdogs and that’s fine by us. There’s no pressure and nothing to lose. We just need to do our jobs well.”

After beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 at home on the opening weekend, Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Ajax in the Women’s Champions League qualifiers on Tuesday.

“They had a challenging game in midweek,” Rehanne said. “But everyone has a point to prove in the North London derby. We were happy to win away from home in a game of two halves. We’re going to need both parts in one whole; good football in the  first and nitty gritty in the second. We need to pull that together.”

Asked whether new signings are educated on the importance of the derby when they join Spurs, Rehanne explained that it’s all part of a larger process.

“In our first conversations with new players, they understand the history of the club and how it evolved over time, from the people who started it as Broxbourne Ladies to it becoming Tottenham, to the training ground now driving it forward to the next level. 

“You don’t get where you are without the people before you. All players understand what it’s about and what it’s come from. The derby is just part of the culture. Our purpose built building has all the names of the players that have ever contributed to the club. It’s evident in our everyday life where we’ve come from.

“The atmosphere will be incredible on Saturday. Deafening is what you want. The challenge is then getting information onto pitch. If we do that more frequently, the biggest thing for me is to prepare the players so they need minimal information from me when they cross the white line.

“If crowds are booing you, you’re doing your job right, like at Leicester last weekend where Ash Neville was concerned. I take that as a compliment. I’ll be standing there smiling if we’re at that point."

Rehanne also provided an update on the fitness of Rosella Ayane, who had to come off during last weekend’s game against Leicester.

“Ros will be out for about four weeks,” she said. “She suffered a small fracture in her foot from a tackle in the game. It gives opportunities to others and makes the squad have to work harder. Ultimately the squad does its job with everyone equally important over the course of the season. 

“Other than that, a lot of players are available but it’s a case of how much they’re available for a full 90 minutes.”