Tottenham Hotspur Women manager Martin Ho has demanded a response from his players before Sunday’s Women’s Super League meeting with Aston Villa.
Spurs enter the game unbeaten in the league after taking seven points from their opening three matches, but their momentum was checked by West Ham United in the Subway Players Cup on Wednesday.
Tottenham failed to score in a 0-0 draw before West Ham claimed the additional point through a penalty shootout.
Speaking afterwards, Ho admitted his heavily changed team had fallen below the level he expected and said Spurs needed to “make sure we’re ready again to go again on Sunday”, as reported by VAVEL following the cup tie.
That next assignment is Aston Villa.
Martin Ho demands Tottenham response before Aston Villa
Ho made nine changes against West Ham following Tottenham’s emphatic 7-0 WSL victory over Crystal Palace.
The rotation did not produce the performance he wanted.
Ho said the changes affected the connections between his players and admitted Spurs lacked rhythm and understanding for periods of the game.
That creates an interesting backdrop to Sunday’s meeting at Brisbane Road.
Villa secured their own first victory of the season in midweek by beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the Subway Players Cup.
Maya Hijikata and Chasity Grant scored as Natalia Arroyo’s rotated team finally turned several encouraging performances into a win.
Villa had previously drawn away at Chelsea and Brighton in the WSL, with our Brighton 1-1 Aston Villa Women match report detailing how Lynn Wilms rescued a late point on the south coast.
Sunday therefore gives Villa an opportunity to build on the Forest result against one of the league’s early form teams.
Tottenham confirm Aston Villa team news
Tottenham have also provided an early squad update ahead of the match.
The club’s official Aston Villa match guide confirms that everyone involved against West Ham came through the cup fixture without a fresh fitness problem.
Lenna Gunning-Williams has returned to full training and could soon become available.
However, Jess Naz and Maite Oroz remain in partial training and still have work to do before returning, while Clare Hunt remains sidelined.
That gives Ho a relatively strong squad to choose from after resting several regular starters in midweek.
Villa also rotated at Nottingham Forest, meaning both managers should be able to restore key players for Sunday’s league fixture.
Our Tottenham Women vs Aston Villa Women TV guide has the full kick-off and broadcast information, with the game starting at 2pm BST and being shown live on Sky Sports+.
Aston Villa face another difficult WSL away test
Villa’s league position does not tell the full story of their opening month.
Arroyo’s side have already travelled to reigning champions Chelsea and Brighton, while Manchester City visited Villa Park.
They are still looking for their first WSL victory after collecting two points from three matches.
There have nevertheless been positive signs.
Villa became the first visiting team of the season to take a league point from Chelsea before producing another late response at Brighton.
Wednesday’s win at Forest then provided a welcome result ahead of the trip to London.
Tottenham present another significant test.
Ho’s side have already scored 11 goals in three league matches and responded to a goalless first half at Crystal Palace by scoring seven times after the interval.
Their midweek frustration against West Ham demonstrated that they can still be disrupted.
Villa will now hope to produce the type of disciplined away performance that has already earned them points at Chelsea and Brighton.
Sunday offers Arroyo’s rebuilt side another opportunity to turn promising signs into their first WSL win of the campaign.
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