- Beth England talk ahead of north London derby
- Spurs captain insists the side can turnaround form against Arsenal
- Robert Vilahamn sends clear message to Spurs fans
Tottenham Hotspur captain Beth England is certain that Spurs will be at their very best in Saturday's north London derby with Arsenal despite recent losses.
This weekend marks the first north London derby of the Women's Super League (WSL) this season as the Lilywhites prepare to host the Gunners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Speaking at Hotspur Way earlier this week, captain Beth England professed that her side are eager to bounce-back from last week's 4-0 battering by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
"We were able to come off the back of an even worse defeat last year and turn it around, so I don’t see why it is impossible to do that this time," she said. "Both teams are going in with different situations, Arsenal haven’t had the best run for their standards either, but they are going into the game off the back of a 5-0 win. So it’s going to be a completely different mindset, them coming in compared to how we will."
Spurs made history in this same fixture last season, defeating Arsenal for the first time in club history thanks to goal from Martha Thomas. England said the derby is always a "special occasion at home in an amazing stadium, one where we hope many fans are going to come and support us."
Tottenham have had a turbulent start to their 2024/25 campaign, currently sitting seventh in the league. Despite Arsenal's early woes, the Gunners are currently on a five-game unbeaten streak since interim head coach Renee Slegers took control of the side.
England remained certain that Spurs will not let the statistics deter them from performing at their best. "Anything can happen in football, it’s all about who shows up on the day," she explained. "Just because we’ve come off a bad result, it doesn’t mean that we are going to lay down and roll over and let them completely dominate us."
"We’ve beaten them before and we have the calibre of players to go and do it again. Being the underdog isn’t always a bad thing going into a game like Arsenal. If this can be the turning point for us, I think that will change the trajectory of our season. I think we are waiting for that, and we obviously have to find that within ourselves as players."
Robert Vilahamn sends message to fans
Spurs fans have been critical of the side's difficult start to the new campaign, something head coach Robert Vilahamn was very accepting of when questioned.
"With Tottenham, you realise that there is so much pressure and there are so many fans that live their life to support Tottenham and make sure we win games," he said. "To respect that and to do that for them, of course I see it and I want to do it, but I also need to respect that they are frustrated and angry with emotions. I feel like that is fair as well, because this is their club.
"I know we aren’t going to be happy if we lose the game, I know the fans are going to be angry if we don’t win the game because they expect us to beat Arsenal even if we are underdogs. It’s a part of the game, and I bought into that when I signed for this club because it’s a big club.
"I hope everybody can realise that sometimes you need to go one step down to take two steps up. There is no way you can reach the hill of a mountain if you don't go around it. It's okay that the fans are upset or not happy when we lose, because that is the mentality that we want to have.
Tottenham have won just one of their last four games, conceding 13 goals. Vilahamn was firm in his belief that Saturday could provide Spurs with a great opportunity to get "revenge" on their recent form.
"It's the feeling that we have to get revenge, to show the fans that we are better than the last game. That’s something that we can use here," he explained. "It’s our stadium where we won all the games last season, so I feel like we are going to use that. We are going to do everything we can to make sure we have a better defense, but also be a bit sharper."
