Tottenham took on 11th place Aston Villa in matchday 9 as our Lilywhites looked to extend their unbeaten run under new coach Rehanne Skinner. The last time the two teams met was in the 2018-19 season when Jessica Naz scored a screamer of a winner from outside the box to ensure promotion to the WSL for our Lilywhites.

There was again a wonderful turn out to the match despite the cold, wet weather and the current climate. What was refreshing to see is that Tottenham and the retail van and Tottenham store are now stocking Tottenham Women’s merch, It’s a small selection but its a start.

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Line ups.

Tottenham lined up with a usual 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Neville at right-back, Zadorsky and Godfrey in the centre and Harrop in at left-back. The midfield was made of Percival, Kennedy and Kit Graham. While the Tottenham forward 3 was made of Addison down the left, Morgan in the centre and Ayame down the right.

Aston Villa went for a 4-2-3-1 with Weiß in goal, Siems in at right-back, Haigh and N’Dow in the centre of defence with Ale in at left-back, while Ewers and Asante occupied the positions ahead of the defence. Follis, Hanssen and Petzelberger made up the attacking midfield while Hayles played in the lone 9 position.

Match report.

Villa started the game well and it took the visitors just 5 minutes to create the first chance of the game when Shania Hayles picked up a loose ball and shot from outside the box but her effort ended up being a comfortable save for Spencer in the Tottenham goal. 3 minutes later Tottenham could have taken the lead when a mix up in the villa defence almost gifted Angela Addison a chance but Villa recovered well and closed Addison down preventing her from a one on one with Weiß. Villa came to the Hive to demonstrate that they are no pushovers and a minute later it was Villa’s turn to attack Tottenham, a quick  counter by the visitors found Hayles in space down the left wing but her rushed effort flew over Spencer’s bar. It was then Tottenham’s chance to threaten Villa and Tottenham should have had a penalty in the 10th minute when a great counter run and pass by Rosella Ayane split the Villa defence  while finding pocket rocket Angela Addison who went round Weiß and was brought down by German keeper Lisa Weiß but referee Sarah Garrett waved away claims for a penalty.

A minute later Tottenham again attacked Villa, this time Alex Morgan found herself one on one with Weiß and was brought down by the German as Morgan went round the keeper. Alex Morgan stepped up for the Lilywhites and sent Weiß the wrong way to put Tottenham 1 goal up. Despite being a goal down, Villa refused to go down and in the 20th minute Villa countered down the left wing but Hayle’s shot went wide of Spencer’s goal. The opening 20 minutes of the game was entertaining with both teams attacked one another and In the 22nd minute Ash Neville attacked the Villa right flank, crossed into the box, Weiß spilled the cross which fell to Ayane but her effort was deflected over for a Tottenham Corner. Even though the game was even in possession, Tottenham was the team that looked most likely to score but in the 22nd minute Tottenham was punished after a short ball in defence was latched on to by Nadine Hanssen who spotted Spencer off her line and scored with a wonderful chip to draw Villa level.

Villa’s goal gave the visitors confidence and they matched Tottenham as the game became more equal and became a battle of the midfielders. In the 34th Tottenham grew back into the game and came close after a great run by Graham found Alex Morgan who crossed into the Villa box but her cross was a little too long for Addison as the ball went out. 2 minutes later Tottenham was at it again with Morgan threatening down the left, crossed into the Villa box this time her cross was met by Percival who’s effort ricochets off Siems to give Tottenham the lead again. Tottenham enjoyed most of the control and possession in the final 8 minutes of the half as Villa began committing more fouls to stop any Tottenham attacks.

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Second half.

The second half began with Rachel Williams coming on for Kit Graham who had just returned from injury. Villa also made a change with Hayles making way for Silva. Villa knew they had to respond if they wanted to take something from the game and it took the visitors just 2 minutes to threaten Tottenham after Rosella Ayane lost the ball in the middle of the park, Villa countered but their effort was bravely blocked by Neville. A minute later Tottenham attacked with Ayane crossing into the Villa box and finding Addison but her effort was too soft after pressure from the Villa defence to put off the little magician. Tottenham again began to take control of the game and in the 53rd minute Ria Percival intercepted a ball and shot from outside the box but her effort was too soft and comfortable enough for Weiß. Villa straight away countered Tottenham, Elisha N’Dow crossed into the Tottenham box from the wing but was unable to find any Villa players in the box.

Tottenham kept pushing forward looking to seal the game and in the 63rd minute some lovely passing from the back resulted in a 3rd goal for Tottenham when Angela Addison crossed from the right into the Villa box, the cross was not dealt with and the loose ball fell to Ayane who shot from inside the box beating Weiß after a deflection from a Villa defender to put Tottenham 3-1 up. Tottenham kept pilling on the pressure as Villa struggled to get out of their own half, in the 69th minute Tottenham should have had 4th after 3 consecutive corners, Harrop’s corner found Kennedy who passed to Ayane but put her shot wide of the goal and really should have tested Weiß in the Villa goal. Villa kept trying to get back into the game, they showed a lot of heart but were unable to create anything but half chances with a rushed shot from outside the box by Siems which went wide of Spencer’s right post. Straight after Siems chance, Tottenham attacked Villa again, good play by Kennedy in the middle of the park found Williams who shot from outside the box but Weiß saved well at her bottom right-hand corner to deny Tottenham a 4th. The final chance of the game fell to Villa’s Diana Silva who lashed a thunderous shot from outside the box and hit the bar after Spencer got fingertips to the ball to deny Villa their 2nd of the game at the death.

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Player of the match.

As last week every Tottenham player gave it everything on that pitch and even though it’s getting harder to select a player of the match this week we have to say the player that stood out most for us was Shelina Zadorsky

Zadorsky,as usual, was a rock at the back, she made a mistake at the back but didn’t let that bring her confidence down, she was confident on the ball, barked orders to her teammates and was not shy to push up and assist in the Tottenham attack, therefore, Zadorsky gets our vote for player of the match.

Post mach analysis.

No disrespect to Aston Villa but this was a match in which we should be taking all 3 points. Tottenham have had many battles over the years but today there was just one winner. Let’s not get things confused we didn’t have it all our way, Villa was scrappy and physical at times and made out midfield work hard. I feel Skinner has solved the issues in the final third because Morgan was getting a lot more service from the midfielders taking pressure away from Addison. I felt that Skinner got it right by dropping Green in place of kit Graham and even though Kit only played 45 minutes I felt she and Rachel Williams did a lot to provide service in the final third. My only issue is the right-wing position. I don’t want to criticize any players but I still feel Ayane is a weak player and she shouldn’t be starting.  I feel kit, Lucy Quinn and even Lucia Leon are more effective than Ayane and would make our attack more of a threat. Skinner is still new so I won’t criticize her because she has brought some much-needed confidence to the team. It was great to see Jessica Naz getting more minutes but I feel that she is very short of confidence after her lengthy injury. Every time Naz had the chance to go for a ball she went in half hearted or pulled out of challenges out of fear which is understandable. I am sure the more minutes she gets the more her confidence will grow and she will be able to return to her old self.

Overall I think it was another solid performance from the team, a few mistakes at the back like Villa’s goal and a slip at by Harrop that almost lead to a Villa goal in the last 5 minutes but I put those mistakes down to the wet conditions. We must celebrate this occasion as this season wins have been rare but we can’t get over our heads, we played superbly against Brighton and had a good performance against Villa but next up is Chelsea. This will be a huge test for us and a better way to judge if Rehanne Skinner has had an impact on the team or whether we have just played teams we should beat on paper. Whatever happens against Chelsea we will always support our Lilywhites and look forward to cheering the team from the stands in 2021. We trust the team and our coach and know these inspirational women always give 110% out there and having fans back in the ground has put smiles back on their faces and given them confidence hearing us cheer the team on. Good luck next Sunday against Chelsea we believe in you COYS.

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Next match.

Our next match in the WSL is away to Chelsea at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, December 20th. Unfortunately due to current restrictions, the game will be open just to home fans and we Tottenham fans will have to watch from home. Our next home fixture will be on Sunday, January 10th 2021 where we take on Birmingham and hope to open up the new year with a victory. As things stand, entrance to the game will be for season ticket holders only but more details will be released closer to the time so until then COYS!!!

Welcome back.

What a roller coaster ride it has been for Tottenham fans these past 2 weeks. Since our last WSL match, Tottenham took on Arsenal in the Conti Cup where our Lilywhites twice came from behind to draw the game 2-2 only to lose out on penalties after an Alex Morgan miss.

I believe this was Tottenham’s best performance all season and it can be seen by the way Tottenham played that Karen and Juan’s philosophy was finally paying off and if Tottenham were able to play this way in every match our Lilywhites would again be a threat to most of the WSl teams.

Shake up.

At 12:30 on Thursday, November 19th, Tottenham Hotspur announced that Karen and Juan had been relieved of their duties as Tottenham coaches. We all knew that Juan and Karen were under a lot of pressure as the results haven’t been the best this season, but we need to remember that Tottenham had the toughest run of any team in the WSL by taking on Arsenal in the FA Cup, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal in the League. We saw some huge improvements against Reading and most of us thought that Tottenham had finally turned a corner but the disappointing 2-2 draw against bottom of the table Bristol must have been the final straw for the board.

On the same day, Matt Beard had left West Ham and many thought that Beard would be the next Tottenham coach but only 5 and half hours after it was announced that Juan and Karen had been relieved of their duties Tottenham announced England number 2, Rehanne Skinner as their new coach until the end of the 2022/23 season. We can’t help but think that this deal was already sealed and Rehanne was just waiting for the club to make the change.

Who is Rehanne Skinner.

So who is the new Tottenham coach? Rehanne Skinner joined the England senior squad in September as Phil Neville’s assistant after having been in the England set up for the past 3 years with the under 18’s and under 21’s. Previous to working with England, Rehanne previously worked as assistant manager to Laura Harvey at Arsenal between 2010-2013 where she won 2 leagues, 1 FA Cup, 2 league cups and reached two Champions League semi-finals.

Skinner started her journey in full time coaching in 2006 with Leicester where they earned 4 promotions up the tiers before moving to Arsenal in 2010. Skinner has also been assistant manager for team GB, Wales under 17’s, under 19’s as well as assistant manager for the Wales senior squad before moving to the England under 18’s in 2017. As shocked as many are at the departures of Karen and Juan sometimes change is good. We wish Juan and Karen all the best for the future and want them to know that they are legends and will never be forgotten. Thank you, Juan and Karen we will never forget you and we wish new coach Rehanne Skinner all the best COYS. Rehanne’s first sit down interview for Tottenham can be seen below.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be here, it’s a fantastic club with some really ambitious and positive plans that will definitely help to elevate the women’s game."

📺 @rehanne_skinner's first interview as Head Coach.#THWFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/iBfky0TYnN

— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) November 29, 2020

Line ups.

Tottenham started with a 4-4-2 with Spencer in goal, Neville at right back, Zadorsky and Filbey in the centre of defence with Harrop at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Green, Kennedy and Percival with Ayane, Morgan, Addison making up the Tottenham front line.

Brighton opted for a 4-2-3-1 with Walsh in goal, Le Tissier in at right-back, Kerkdijk and Wiliams in the centre of defence with Gibbons in at Left-back for Brighton. O’Sullivan and Bowman occupied the positions in front of the defence. The Brighton midfield was made of Whelan down the left-wing, Kaggman in the middle and Green in the right-wing position with Rianna Jarrett as the sole striker for Brighton.

Fans are back.

After 10 months since fans were allowed into stadiums, we returned with a change of management in a must-win game if our Lilywhites want to avoid relegation. Considering we are in tier 2 and many people are still nervous about attending events there was a great turnout at the Hive for Tottenham’s first game in front of fans despite the cold weather and that the Tottenham men’s team was taking on Arsenal later in the day. Many fans made the warms up and were desperate to catch a glimpse of the new signings for the first time.

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As expected there was a lot of support for x2 World Cup Winner Alex Morgan in the stands.

Match report.

Tottenham came out the strongest of the two teams and looked like a completely new team on the field, is that the impact that Rehanne Skinner has had on the of the effect of having the crowd back in the ground backing these inspirational women. From the start, Angela Addison was a huge threat with Gibbons unable to cope with the dangerous number 14. Tottenham’s first chance of the game came in the 8th minute after more pressure by Tottenham resulted in a corner which was whipped in by Harrop but Kennedy’s effort went wide of Walsh’s right-hand post. 2 minutes later Neville intercepted a Brighton throw which Morgan latched on to but was brought down by Williams. Harrop took Tottenham’s free-kick and scored Tottenham’s opener after a thunderous left-footed shot, Walsh should have done better to keep the ball out but they all count and Tottenham took the lead after dominating the opening 10 minutes of the game. Tottenham should have been 2 up in the 21st minute when Rosella Ayane latched onto a long Neville pass ahead of Gibbon but rushed her shot from outside the box and put her effort wide of Walsh’s goal. 3 Minutes later Morgan came close to getting her first goal for Tottenham but her header from a Harrop corner went just over the bar.

Addison was causing the Brighton defence all sorts of problems and in the 28th minute she should have gotten a goal after twisting and turning down the right but her effort was a little too soft and ended up being a comfortable save for Walsh. Brighton started to settle into the game a little after half an hour and on the 38th minute, Tottenham was made to pay when unintentionally Alanna Kennedy’s high foot caught Whelan and Brighton were awarded a penalty which kaagman converted to draw Brighton level. 6 minutes later in the 43rd minute Kennedy almost made amends after Kaagman fouled Green but Kennedy’s free-kick went just over the bar. Tottenham continued to pile on the pressure and a minute later Alex Morgan came close again to getting her first goal for the club but Walsh stood strong on a 1 on 1 to keep Morgan’s effort out. Ria Percival almost put Tottenham up before the break when Addison cleverly found Percival but her shot was deflected for a corner to keep the game at 1-1 at half time

Second Half.

The second half started with both teams trying to gain control of the midfield, with most of the play taking place in the middle of the park. The first big chance of the second half came in in the 54th minute when Alex Morgan scored a wonderful goal but it was disallowed after a very late flag which the Tottenham fans did no like as boos rang around the Hive. 6 minutes later Addison stole a ball from Le Tissier and went round Walsh to score a superb solo goal for Tottenham who finally got their reward after dominating the game. Brighton was not going to go down without a fight and 9 minutes later sloppy play by Tottenham gave the ball away to Kaagman who fired a thunderous shot from outside the box but her effort hit the underside of the bar and bounced out and kicked away to safety by Harrop to deny Brighton an equaliser.

Brighton kept trying to find a break but the Tottenham midfield was too strong, and Brighton had to go back to a physical way of play to try to stop Tottenham but Brighton couldn’t created anything but half chances with their best effort falling to Ellie Brazil after Rianna Jarret latched on to a long pass down the wing, crossed first time finding Brazil but she expect the pass and her effort was comfortably saved by Spencer in the Tottenham goal, In the 84th minute after some wonderful passing by Tottenham lead to a Tottenham counter down the left with Harrop crossing deep into the Brighton box which resulted in Williams bringing down Percival to earn Tottenham a penalty. Up stepped Alex Morgan to convert for Tottenham to give the Lilywhites a 3-1 lead over Brighton and their first 3 points of the season.

😀 The moment we've all been waiting for!

🇺🇸 A first #BarclaysFAWSL goal for @alexmorgan13 from the penalty spot to give @SpursWomen a third!

😍 Things you just love to see! pic.twitter.com/m2NoSXeCoo

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Player of the match.

Every player gave 110% and it looked like a new Tottenham team under Rehanne Skinner. Tottenham came out the hungrier from the start but a player that keeps improving and impressing week after week is Angela Addison. She caused Brighton so many problems and scores a fantastic solo goal so our player of the match has to go to our number 14 Angela Addison.

Post match analysis.

What a day, FANS ARE BACK and what a way to welcome us back. The first 3 points of the season and what a performance by the team. Every player gave their all and it was a well deserved victory over a very tough opponent. For me the atmosphere was electric, the fans made lots of noise and the team look like they had a new confidence about them whether that was down to the fans, the new coach or both I don’t know but Tottenham were up for it and they did not disappoint. The midfield worked overtime, chasing every ball, and not giving Brighton anytime on the ball making it a very long afternoon for the seagulls. It is only one game so we can’t get too over confident but it is a first victory so I am sure us Tottenham fans will enjoy it to the fullest. It is very early days for Rehanne Skinner so I wont be too critical but there still needs to be some work done by the midfielders as Angela Addison is the only player that really gets forward and puts balls in to the box. I’d personally like to see Quinn down the other wing and believe with Quinn down one wing, Angela down the other and Morgan and Dean up front we should be more of a threat in the final third. For now we will must enjoy this victory and hope we will be celebrating another victory next week. Congratulations to the whole squad and I hope next week there is a good turnout again and we get behind these inspirational women.

Next Match.

Our next match is another home game, this time we welcome Aston Villa to the Hive in what should again see fans in the stands. Tickets for these match’s are currently ONLY available to season ticket holders due to government restrictions, We hope for another wonderful turn out this Sunday December 13th at 2pm and another 3 points COME ON YOU SPURS!!

It is Women’s Football Weekend again and what a difference a year makes. Last year we were heading to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium for the first ever WSL North London Derby and this year we are in a lockdown due to a global pandemic.

The last time Bristol and Tottenham faced off last season in the WSl Tottenham ran out 2-1 winners with two fantastic long-range Kit Graham goals to give the Lilywhites the 3 points. Highlights of last season’s matchup can be found below.

Lineups:

Bristol City lined up in 5-4-1 with Baggaley in goal, Allen at right-back with Matthews, Evans and Layzell in the centre of defence with Purfield in at left-back, The Bristol midfield was made of Daniels down the right, Logarzo, Humphrey in the centre of midfield and Bissell down the left wing with Salmon in the number 9 position.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Neville at right-back, Godfrey and Zadorsky in the centre of defence with Worm in at left-back. The Tottenham midfield consisted of Green, Kennedy and Percival. The Tottenham front 3 was made of Addison, Leon and Alex Morgan who was starting her first game for the Lilywhites.

Match Report.

The big news again today was that X2 World Cup Winner Alex Morgan would be starting her first game for the Lilywhites at Twerton Park. Tottenham came into this game under a lot of pressure still looking for their first win of the season and no disrespect to Bristol but many believe that if Tottenham did not get the 3 points against Bristol then major questions need to be asked about management and maybe it is time for a change in the hot seat.

Both teams came cautious of one another as they both sized one another up, with a lot at stake for both teams. The bad conditions due to the rain prevented Tottenham from playing their slick passing game so the Lilywhites had to adjust to longer balls.

It took Tottenham just 10 minutes to settle into the game despite the weather conditions. On the 15th minute, it was Siri Worm who had the first clear opportunity of the game with a shot from just outside the Bristol box after a Tottenham attack but it was deflected out for a corner as both keepers remained untested in goal. Angela Addison took the Corner for Tottenham which was almost deflected in for an own goal but instead went out for another Tottenham Corner. A minute later Worm took the Corner for Tottenham to the back post which was just taken away from Morgan’s head at the last second denying Morgan her first goal for the club on her first start. Two minutes later it was Tottenham again who was looking the more likely to score when Alanna Kennedy stole a ball from the box, shot but her shot was comfortable enough for Baggaley to keep the score at 0-0.

Bristol started to grow into the game sightly at around the 30 minute mark but were still unable to test Spencer thanks to the hard work put in by the Tottenham midfield. In the 36th minute, Bristol was awarded a penalty totally against the run of play when Ebony Salmon was fouled in the box by Siri Worm, the penalty was taken and scored by Logarzo to give the home side an undeserved lead. Tottenham as usual pushed forward to look for an equaizer and in the 42nd minute, after twisting and turning Angela Addison was fouled to the right of the Bristol goal, Siri Worm took the free-kick and curled it straight into Baggaley’s top right corner from a difficult angle to give the Lilywhites a deserved equalizer.

The big surprise of half time was that Alex Morgan was substituted for Rianna Dean, We know Alex is still trying to find her fitness and we know that Alex didn’t have much impact in the first half except for the header that she had taken away from her at the last second by Yana Daniels. On a few occasions now forwards have been taken off at half time or early into the 2nd half for not being effective enough but the coaches need to realise that the issue still lays with the midfielders. With the exception of Angela Addison I believe that none of the midfielders are getting balls into the box for the forwards because it is not normal for a team to be 7 WSL games in and having scored 6 goals and 5 of them goals have been scored by defenders with the other goal being an own goal by Grace Fisk on matchday 1.

Tottenham started the 2nd half the stronger of the two teams earning themselves 3 corners in the opening 4 minutes but it was Bristol on the counter again that almost punished Tottenham in the 50th minute, Salmon broke between the Tottenham defence but tried to do too much and eventually lost the ball to Tottenham’s relief. Tottenham continued piling on the pressure looking for a 2nd goal and in the 59th minute another dangerous Worm corner was met my Lucia Leon but Leon was unable to keep her effort on target. 4 minutes later Tottenham finally got their reward when a Worm free-kick was met by Neville to head past Baggaley to get her 2nd goal in 2 games and give Tottenham a well-deserved lead at Twerton Park. Tottenham was almost punished in the 71st minute when a misplaced ball by Godfrey fell to Bissell but Spencer stood strong to deny Bristol an equaliser. On the 77th minute Rafferty misplaced a ball for Bristol midway in the Tottenham half after pressure from Angela Addison, Evans then lost the ball after a Percival challenge and the loose ball was picked up by Addison as she passed out to the wing to Percival for a Tottenham attack. Percival crossed first time but Layzell just got to the ball before it found Dean who was coming in behind Layzell to attack the ball, Dean pounces onto the loose ball and challenges Baggaley for a loose ball and that’s when controversy struck as Rianna Dean was shown a straight red for challenging for a 50-50 ball.

Being a player down it didn’t seem to faze Tottenham and in the 82nd minute it was none other than Siri Worm who again threatened the Bristol goal with another world-class free-kick this time her effort hit the underside of the bar, Tottenham claimed it had crossed the line but referee Lisa Benn gave it as free-kick to Bristol after Green apparently commits a foul as there was a scramble to get the ball over the line. Bristol looked to take advantage of Tottenham’s player less and in the 86th minute Tottenham were almost punished when a rare attack by Bristol lead to a corner which saw the ball fall to Salmon in a crowded Tottenham box but Salmon put her effort over the bar. All of Tottenham’s hard work came undone in the 92nd minute when Salmon latched onto a long ball from Purfield to slot past Becky Spencer and gave Bristol an equalizer. A minute later Tottenham had a chance to win it when Kennedy headed off target from a Worm free-kick in what should have been the winner at the death, but Bristol held on to earn their first point of the season.

Player of the match.

For another week in a row, the two stand out players for Tottenham again were Angela Addison and Siri Worm. After again causing the Bristol defence lots of problems with her runs, corners and scoring a world-class free-kick our player of the match goes to Siri Worm for a second week in a row.

Post match analysis.

Many people said that if Tottenham did NOT take the 3 points against Bristol then questions would have to be asked about management. These are games in which Tottenham should be taking all 3 points against. Tottenham dominated the game BUT still lack something in the final third. Tottenham seriously need a right-winger because the only player that is providing a service to the forwards is Addison. Ayane and Davison are clearly not cutting it hence why Leon played in that right-wing role. I do not know why the coaches do not play Lucy Quinn but Tottenham need a solution and quickly because I am seeing the same pattern with Tottenham as we saw with Liverpool last season and we all know how that ended. I don’t know why forwards are being replaced so quickly after the restart this season surely the coaches see that the midfield is at fault, if the forwards are not getting any service then they can’t have any effect on the game. Dropping points against Bristol is not acceptable. Let’s be realistic we aren’t going to take any points from any of the two Manchester sides, Arsenal and Chelsea so these are games we must win. I know the weather doesn’t help but it’s not the first time that our forwards are looking frustrated at the lack of service. As much as it pains me to say it but sometimes change is good and maybe its time for a change in the management seat. I am not saying the coaches should be fired because after all they have achieved it would be sad to see their reign end in such a way. Maybe the coaches need to hold their hands up and say this is as far as we can take this team, step aside and give someone else an opportunity to take the club to the next level. Every week it seems the coaches do not know who their best 11 are, one week Dean plays, then its Ayane as a forward, Davison is in, then out, Godfrey plays and then replaced by Harrop. With the exception of injuries, the same 11 need to be starting most of the matches but at the moment it seems Tottenham can only compete with the likes of the London City Lionesses and Bristol City which is a long way away from the standards that Manchester United are at which came up with Tottenham in 2019. I know we must have faith in the team and the management but as each week passes we have to realize we are 1 week less from surviving our 2nd season in the WSL. It all lies on the Brighton game on December 6th. If we do not get the 3 points on matchday 8 I think we will need a new coach in for January to save our season.

Next match.

The WSL is now on a 2 week break for international matches so Tottenham’s next match will be Sunday 6th December against Brighton at the Hive COYS!!!

The WSL is back, this week Tottenham welcomed Reading to the Hive. The big news for Tottenham fans was that X2 World Cup Winner was on the bench for the Lilywhites.

Conti Cup.

Tottenham faced off against Conti Cup holders Chelsea at Kingsmeadow on Tuesday where the holders ran out 2-0 winners after a fantastic long-range strike from Erin Cuthbert and a late Melanie Leupolz penalty gave Chelsea a hard-fought victory.

https://youtu.be/bmruEnb11tY

Tottenham vs Reading.

Last year Tottenham faced off just once in the League against Reading due to Covid 19, unfortunately, Reading ran out 3-1 winners on the day with Siri Worm scoring Tottenham’s only goal for the away side. Tottenham still searching for their first 3 points of the season were looking to improve from last season. Highlights of that game can be viewed below.

https://youtu.be/1eMCS5-RxKo

Starting XI.

Tottenham opted for a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Neville in at Right-back, Zadorsky and Harrop in the center of defence with Worm in at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Percival, Green and Kennedy, with Addison, Ayane and Rianna Dean the goal machine making the front 3 for Tottenham.

Reading lined up in a 4-1-2-1-2 with Moloney in goal, Harding in at right-back, Bartrip and Cooper in at center back with former Tottenham loanee Emma Mitchell in at left-back for Reading. Jess Fishlock, Rowe and James made up the Reading midfield while Carter, Chaplen and Eikeland made up the Reading front 3.

Match Report.

After losing 4 out of their last 5 WSL games, Tottenham was desperate to take something against Reading. It was Reading that started the strongest out of the two teams and on the 3rd minute Reading could have gone ahead when James shot just wide of Spencer’s left post after a deep cross by Chaplen was met by James. On the 7th minute, Tottenham had a call for a penalty when a Siri Worm cross was chased by Percival who went down in the Reading box but the penalty was waved away by referee Helen Conley. In the 12th minute it was Reading again that was piling on the pressure when Fishlock’s clever pass found Mitchell who down the left flank, crossed into the box to be met by Chaplen who headed past Spencer to give Reading the lead. Many Tottenham fans must have been thinking here we go again as that goal gave Reading a lot of confidence as they began to dominate the game and possession as Tottenham struggled to push forward and create chances of their own. In the 24 minute, Tottenham finally began to grow into the game and in the 25th minute, Tottenham got their reward when a Siri Worm corner was met by Josie Green who flicked it to Rianna Dean who then flicked it onto Ashleigh Neville who headed past Moloney to draw Tottenham level. A minute later Tottenham looked for a 2nd when a smart turn by Rianna Dean on the edge of the Reading box lead to a good shot but it was just too comfortable for the Reading shot-stopper. Tottenham began to enjoy more possession and began to dominate the game since their equalizer. In the 30th minute Tottenham again came close to taking the lead when a Worm free-kick was met by Kennedy but her effort was comfortably saved by Moloney. The Tottenham goal certainly looked to have rocked Reading and gave Tottenham some much-needed confidence. Reading started to grow back into the game in the last few minutes of the half and in the 46th minute a Mitchell corner was met by Leine but her effect went over the bar untroubling Spencer in what should have been Reading’s 2nd of the game.

Tottenham made a substitute at half time with Lucia Leon coming on for Ayane. Reading started the 2nd half as they finished the first dominating possession and starting the strongest of the two teams but most of the play took part in the center of the midfield as both sets of midfielder’s tried to overpower the other. The first chance of the 2nd half didn’t come until the 59th minute and that chance fell to Reading’s Rowe when her shot went just wide of Spencer’s left post for a goal-kick. The 63rd minute saw Tottenham make their 2nd substitute of the game when Elisha Sulola came on for Alanna Kennedy. Both teams midfield’s were working extra hard as most of the play continued in the center of the field with both teams creating nothing more than half chances. In the 69th minute the moment Tottenham fans had been waiting for finally happened when Alex Morgan came on for Rianna Dean.

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A minute later Tottenham came close to taking the lead with another Siri Worm was met by Harop but her shot went just wide of Moloney’s goal. Tottenham began to grow into the game, it was as if the introduction of Alex Morgan gave the team new life and confidence as neither team looked like they wanted to settle for a draw as they both searched for a winner but neither team were able to create any clear chances due to the hard work both sets of midfield’s had put in. Reading again looked to end the half as they started by again dominating the possession and looking to snatch a winner at the end and that almost came true in the 90th minute when Lily Woodham found herself one on one with Becky Spencer but Spencer stood strong to save Woodham’s effort to keep the game at 1-1 at the death.

Player of the match.

For us three players stood out, Angela Addison, Shelina Zadrosky and Siri Worm. All three players gave everything against a strong Reading team but due to setting up the goal, causing Reading a lot of problems and being solid at the back our player of the match goes to Siri Worm.

Post match analysis.

It has been a tough season so far for Tottenham fans, We have signed some fantastic players yet before today have just recorded one point in 5 WSl matches. Tottenham have been improving slowly and the only positive is that the 4 WSL defeats in a row have been against teams expected to finish in the top 5. I think Tottenham demonstrated today how far they have come because Reading has proved to be a tough team in the WSL beating Tottenham 5-1 in the 2019-20 Conti Cup and 3-1 in the 2019-20 WSL. We all know the negative effect that defeats can have on team morale and as much as they will be frustrated at the way they have lost certain games or given games away Tottenham have shown much improvement and I think the team will return to winning ways in the coming weeks. Tottenham today showed great compactness in defence, with great spirit to attack and look to create chances. Tottenham are still missing something in the final third but they have improved in this area greatly since matchday 2 against Everton. I think the major talking point today is that baby horse Alex Morgan finally made her debut for Tottenham in the final 20 minutes. We can’t expect too much from Morgan too soon since it has been a year since she has played professionally and it will take her a little time to get back into the swing of things. Also, we have to remember that in the 25 minutes Morgan played in she didn’t get any service except for a couple of passes from pocket rocket Angela Addison. Alex Morgan’s presence seemed to have breathed some new life into the team as when she came on Tottenham seemed like a new team. I have no doubt that Alex will find her feet again soon and Tottenham will get their first WSL victory of the season very soon.

Next match.

Tottenham’s next match is away to Bristol City in Women’s weekend on Saturday, November 14th at 18:30 live on the FA Player before the teams break for 2 weeks. Tottenham must start winning soon and have no doubt Tottenham will get their first 3 point next week COYS!!

Recap.

Last week Tottenham took on Manchester United at the Hive. Tottenham improved greatly and were unlucky to not have taken something and were beaten by a soft Millie Turner goal but lots of positives could be taken from the match. Highlights of last weeks match can be found below.

https://youtu.be/C4Izxs2i7LM

North London Derby.

Its the end of a manic month of matches for Tottenham and it ends the same way as it started, with an away match to London rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup Quarter Finals. The two faced off at the start of the month where Arsenal ran out 4-0 winners after Tottenham held out the gunners for 70 minutes before a uncharacteristic mistake by Ashleigh Neville lead to the collapse of our Lilywhites.

The question on everybody’s lips was if Alex Morgan would finally make her Tottenham debut? Morgan posted this morning on Twitter hinting at a return to the game in a few weeks time.

Lineups.

Arsenal opted for a 4-3-3 with Zinsburger in goal, Schaderbeck at right-back, Williamson and Beattie in the centre of defence with McCabe in at left-back. The Arsenal midfield was made of Walti, Gut, Van De Donk with Mead, Miedema and Foord up front for the gunners.

Tottenham went with a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Neville at right-back, Harrop and Zadorsky in the centre of defence, with Percival at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made of Filbey, Kennedy and Quinn. The Tottenham front line was occupied by Davison, Addison and Dean in the number 9 role.

Match report.

As expected Arsenal started the game the strongest of the two teams and on the 3rd minute Tottenham were caught on the backfoot which lead to a foul by Harrop on the right. The free-kick was taken by Katie McCabe which hit the post and went in to give Arsenal an early lead. Two minutes later Arsenal almost got their second of the game when Ria Percival committed a foul outside of the Tottenham box which again was taken by McCabe but this time her shot was pushed over the bar by Spencer for an Arsenal corner. A minute later Arsenal had their 2nd goal of the game when a pass by DVD in the middle of the park found Miedema on the left who shot past Spencer to give Arsenal their second of the game after 6 minutes.

On the 10th minute, it was Tottenham’s turn to threaten the Arsenal goal when Dean shot from range looking to chip Zinsburger but her effort was knocked over for a Tottenham corner. 5 minutes later Arsenal got their 3rd goal of the game when Leah Williamson played a long ball down the middle of the Tottenham defence finding Caitlin Foord who shot past Spencer to give Arsenal a 3rd goal. Arsenal was clearly in control of the game and kept dominating possession and in the 23rd minute, a mistake by Neville almost cost Tottenham again when Neville tried to let the ball run out of play but Mead latched onto the loose ball, centred from the left was unable to find any red shirts. Tottenham started to settle a little into the game, maybe a little too late but just as Tottenham looked a little more comfortable they were punished when in the 35th minute Harrop committed a foul which was taken by McCabe who found Miedema who shot from the right side past Becky Spencer to give Arsenal their 4th of the match. On the 37th minute, Tottenham opted to take off Gemma Davison and harshly Lucy Quinn for Lucia Leon, and Rosella Ayane. A minute later Arsenal almost got their 5th goal of the match when a McCabe pass found Caitlin Foord who was one on one with Spencer but Spencer stood strong and saved Foord’s effort for an Arsenal Corner. 2 minutes later on the 40th minute Miedema got her hat-trick and Arsenal’s 5th of the game when Miedema played a 1-2 with Foord to tap in for her 3rd of the match.

The second half started as the first ended with Arsenal being the stronger of the two teams, as the minutes passed Tottenham grew into the game and finally started to settle and take control of the possession. In the 49th minute, Arsenal were penalized when a high leg by McCabe on Lucia Leon lead to a Tottenham penalty which was taken by Rianna Dean but was saved by Zinsburger in the Arsenal goal while Neville fired her rebound over the bar. 5 minutes later Tottenham were at it again when Dean intercepted in the middle of the park, passed to Ayane who like last week against United rushed her shot and put her effort over Zinsburger’s bar. A minute later it was Arsenal’s turn when Foord found herself one on one with Spencer but Spencer stood strong and kept out Foord’s effort. Just as Tottenham were enjoying more possession and playing better they were punished in the 63rd minute when Miedema intercepted a misplaced Tottenham ball, played a 1-2 with DVD before passing to Mead who centred to find Foord who scored a scrappy 6th goal from close range. Tottenham continued to be the stronger of the two teams but with a 6 goal lead, there was no need for Arsenal to take any risk and were looking to just run down the clock. Tottenham finally got their reward in the 76th minute when a Siri Worm corner was met by Lucia Leon’s head to put her effort past Manuela Zinsburger to give Tottenham there first EVER goal against Arsenal. Tottenham kept pushing forward looking for little gaps but was unable to create anything more than half-chances as Arsenal went on to take the Derby by 6-1.

Player of the match.

After last weeks fantastic team performance I was expecting more of the same but after that early goal the team collapsed. The Tottenham players that chased every ball today were Lucy Quinn who was strangely substituted after 35 minutes and Angela Addsion. Addison never gave up, chased every ball and was the only Tottenham player to cause Arsenal the most problems, therefore our player of the match goes to Angela Addison.

Post match analysis.

Where to start, after last weeks positive performance against Manchester United I was expecting some of the same by our Lilywhites. No disrespect to United but Arsenal are a class above them and we knew it would be tough against the league leaders but after how well we have held Arsenal in the last two meetings today was a disappointment. I believe the coaches got the line up correct except for Siri being benched. I don’t think the coaches picked the wrong players I just believe it was one of those days that everything Arsenal touched turned into gold. Tottenham had a clear gameplan but that went out the window after 2 and a half minutes so on to plan b which again went out of the window after 6 minutes. After 15 minutes plans A, B and C were out of the window and Tottenham were broken and to complicate matters more I can’t get my head around taking Lucy Quinn off after 35 minutes. Quinn was not to blame for Tottenham trailing by 3 but unfortunately, sometimes players have to be sacrificed but I personally feel that was the wrong move because along with Addison, Quinn was the only Tottenham player running, chasing balls and causing Arsenal problems.

Overall it was a huge comedown from the last few matches but I think conceding the two early goals definitely shattered the team’s gameplan and certain substitutes were totally wrong. Tottenham is still new to the WSL and they need to learn to absorb pressure and not go straight for the attack. I know the Arsenal goals came quick but maybe if after conceding the first goal they had sat back a little instead of looking for a response right away they could have settled into the game rather than find themselves 3 down by 15 minutes. No game is easy in the WSl but on paper, Tottenham have gotten out the worst run of games that any team could have wished for and should hopefully now start taking points in the next set of matches. I still think the coaches need to decide on their best 11 and the team must learn from today and build on it if they are to survive their 2nd season in the top flight, all I know is that Quinn, Dean and Addison must make up the Tottenham front line at least until Morgan comes into the lineup.

Next match.

The wsl now takes a little international break but matches still resume on Sunday November 8th which sees our Lilywhites take on Reading at the Hive at 14:00 pm.

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After a busy week, Tottenham was back in action in the WSL against Manchester United. Tottenham faced Manchester City last week in the WSL where two controversial incidents cost Tottenham a game that they were very much in, highlights of that game can be found below.

https://youtu.be/6j2gXUEF8MI

On Wednesday Tottenham welcomed the London City Lionesses to the Hive in the Continental Cup where Tottenham ran out 4-0 winners with goals from Percival, Ayane, Kennedy and Addison. The Conti cup victory will most certainly give the team a much-needed confidence boost before welcoming United to the Hive. Highlights of the game un-televised game can be found below.

https://youtu.be/cvZXJfhIB1Q

Lineups.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 with Spencer in goal, Neville at right-back with Zardorsky and Godfrey in the centre of defence, while Worm retained her place at left-back. The Tottenham midfield was made up of Green, Kennedy and Percival with Addison, Davison and Ayane making up the front 3.

Manchester United also lined up in a 4-3-3 with Earps in goal, Amy Turner at right-back, McManus and Millie Turner in the centre of defence and Galton in at left-back. The United midfield was made of Ladd, Groenen and Zelem. While Heath, Russo and Press made the up the front 3 for United.

Match report.

The biggest surprise of the day was that AM13, Alex Morgan herself was again not in the lineup nor on the bench. Fan’s are growing restless but all good things come to those who wait and the coaches as I am sure Alex herself want to make sure that our new Lilywhite is the best condition possible before being unleashed on the WSL. All our players are finely tuned athletes, you wouldn’t unleash a Porsche or Ferrari without ensuring that it has been serviced and the same must be applied to our players and it will be worth the wait.

Tottenham seemed to have been reborn after Wednesday’s Conti Cup victory because Tottenham looked like a new team, Pressing United from the start making them feel very uncomfortable and in the 4th minute Tottenham should have been up when Ayane latched onto a misplaced Galton ball but Ayane seemed to rush her shot and put her effort wide of Mary Earps’s right-hand post after shooting from outside the box. Tottenham pressured United, passed the ball nicely and were slightly on top of United in possession. Tottenham looked much more compact and comfortable playing in a 4-3-3 and was on top of United giving the visitors no room to breath.

In the 23rd minute, United caught Tottenham with just Neville at the back and could have taken the lead through Heath but Becky Spencer stood strong to deny Heath with a save with her left foot. Toward’s the last quarter of the half United started to gain more possession from Tottenham which is understandable as it is very difficult to maintain the same amount of pressure all game. In the 40th minute, United again had a chance to take the lead when a Heath corner came back to Tobin and played a cheeky ball to Zelem instead of crossing where Zelem shot from just inside the box and her shot was tipped over by Spencer for another United corner.

Both teams came out fighting for possession in the second half with Tottenham continuing to pressure United and not give them any time on the ball to play their game. United made their first substitute of the game on the 55th minute with Hanson coming on for Press. In the 59th minute, United earned themselves a corner but M.Turner headed over a Heath corner keeping the game 0-0. The more the minutes passed both teams looked more afraid to make a mistake that could cost them the game as Tottenham and Manchester United began paying more long balls to see who could catch who off guard in defence. In the 66th minute it almost paid off for united when Russo had her effort brilliantly saved by Spencer who had been spectacular in the Tottenham goal. As a result of that Russo effort, Tobin Heath took United’s corner which was met by Millie Turner and looped over Spencer into the back of the net to give United the lead.

It was definitely a sloppy goal but nothing less than the visitors deserved. Rianna Dean came on for Ayane and then Graham came on for Kennedy who was taken off as a precaution after a collision. United didn’t seem like they wanted to attack much more after getting the goal out of fear of conceding but in the 74th minute Ella Toone shot from the edge of the box but her effort was straight at Spencer for a comfortable save. Lucy Staniforth came on for Tobin Heath in the 76th minute as united looked to hold on to the 1-0 lead and not risk conceding late in the game as Tottenham searched for the equalizer. The Tottenham coaches made their final 3 substitutes in the 88th minute with Quinn, Filbey and Leon coming on for Davison, Green and Ashleigh Neville who was walking a thin line after a yellow card early into the 2nd half. The final Tottenham substitues came a little late and Tottenham were unable to get the goal needed to take a point away in a match that I feel every Tottenham player and fan can be of.

Player of the match.

Every player gave everything today, personally feel it would be unfair to pick just one player for the player of the match. If we had to select one we would say Becky Spencer because she kept Tottenham in the game and the score at just 1-0 to the visitors. Do not get me wrong we aren’t saying it was an onslaught by United, but Spencer came up with some important saves to keep us in the game. Because of this wonderful performance (the best I have seen in a long time) our individual player of the match goes to Becky Spencer but, because of the team’s performance and work rate today we will be making the player of the match a player(s) of the match and, therefore the whole team gets this from us.

Post match analysis.

Every player gave everything today, It’s like the team was reborn after the London City game. I have said for a long time that Tottenham needed to return to a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 and play with Addison and Davison down each wing and wow what a performance by our Lilywhites. The team left everything on that field and there are so many positives to be taken from today’s performance despite the defeat and there is only room for improvement. The United winner was a bit of a soft goal and personally feel disappointed that we lost to that goal. If I am honest United just deserved the victory but we have to be proud of each player that was on that field today. Tottenham is still missing something in the final third because even though we played much better and really went head to head with United we didn’t cause Earps many problems in the final third which makes me think had Dean or Graham been in that number 9 role maybe just maybe we could’ve taken a point or maybe all 3 against a very strong Manchester United.

Manchester United did have the clearest chances and did deserve the victory but we came so close and thought and it was definitely the best performance from us excluding the first half against West Ham on opening day. Many will say Becky Spencer saved us from losing by 2 or 3 but a goalkeeper’s job is to block and save goals and to lose to such a soft goal is heartbreaking but this performance will give us a lot of hope and belief going into the derby next Sunday. I saw a lot of improvements and I think the Coaches have found their right tactic and starters the only issue is the Number 9 role which should be between Dean and Graham (until Morgan is match fit). Hopefully, Alanna will be back for next weeks game as she would be a miss against Arsenal and would be another unnecessary headache for the coaches. We must keep improving and take this defeat as a positive and learn for it.

Chloe Peplow injury update.

It was announced on Thursday, October 8th that Chloe Peplow had undergone surgery to repair a fracture in her right foot. Peplow went off Injured in the FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal after a collision and will now up undergo a period of recovery before beginning rehabilitation. We wish you a speedy recovery Pep.

New arrival.

With the injury to Aurora Mikalsen, Tottenham announced the signing of a new goalkeeper in fellow Enfielder Sophie Whitehouse. The 23 year old joins our Lilywhites from Santa Clara University where Whitehouse made 13 appearances, keeping 7 clean sheets.

Whitehouse started her senior career with Columbia University where she later became captain and kept five clean sheets in 16 games in 2018. Whitehouse will wear the number 24 for Tottenham and will provide some much-needed cover to the Tottenham goalkeeping position, welcome and good lucky Sophie.

Next match.

Next up for our Lilywhites is a trip to Borehamwood to take on Arsenal to close a tough month of fixtures in the WSL.

Next weeks match against Arsenal on Sunday, October the 18th will be broadcast live on BT Sports at 2 pm, until then COYS!!

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Tottenham begin their difficult month of WSL matches away to Manchester City in matchday 3. Tottenham came into the game in search of their first 3 points of the new 2020-21 season after a draw and a defeat in their first 2 WSL matches. Last season Tottenham and Manchester City faced off just once due to Covid 19 at the Hive in which Manchester City won by 4-1 after Tottenham started the game asleep and conceded 3 goals in the first 27 minutes.

Line ups.

Manchester City started with a 4-3-3 with Roebuck in goal, Morgan at right-back, Houghton and Bonner in the center of defence with Greenwood at left-back. The 3 city midfielders consisted of Mewis, Walsh and Weir whilst the attacking 3 was made up of Beckie, White, Kelly.

Tottenham went for the usual 4-2-3-1 with Spencer in goal, Percival at right-back, Zadorsky and Harrop in the center of defence with Worm at left-back. Filbey and green occupied the positions ahead of the defence. The attacking Tottenham 3 consisted of Kennedy, Graham, and Davison with Dean in the number 9 role.

Match report.

It was announced 24 hours before kick-off that Alex Morgan would not be in the Tottenham squad to face City as she continues her journey to get match fit. Many thought that city would come out and slaughter Tottenham from the start but Tottenham did well to hold out another big team but Tottenham’s problem is falling apart when they concede goals. It took City 5 minutes to threaten Spencer’s goal when a shot by Chloe Kelly from inside the box was at a comfortable height for Spencer to make the save. 15 minutes later it was Kelly again that came close for city who shot from inside the box again from the left but her shot flew wide past Spencer’s right-hand post. City was clearly frustrated by Tottenham and tried to bully Tottenham with hard challenges and unsportsmanlike behaviour such as kicking the ball away and provoking the Tottenham players.

On the 26th minute Steph Houghton split the Tottenham defence with a through ball which was latched onto by Ellen White and her shot from the edge of the box hit the crossbar and cleared to safety by the Tottenham defence. Controversy came in the 32nd minute when Chloe Kelly and Kit Graham clashed when going for a ball, Graham stayed down while Kelly hobbled away. Rather than putting the ball out City carried on, Caroline Weir passed to Chloe Kelly who knew Graham was still down and shot from the edge of the box to give City the lead with a thunderous shot into Spencer’s top left-hand corner.

In the 44th minute City again came close with the same play that had been causing Tottenham trouble all game Carline Weir shot from the edge of the box her effort went just wide of Spencer’s left-hand post. 2 minutes into injury time Sam Mewis came close to doubling City’s lead when she turned inside the Tottenham box but curled her shot too much for it to fly wide past Becky Spencer’s right-hand post.

Tottenham made a substitute at the break with Angela Addsion coming on for Kit Graham who obviously was still feeling the earlier clash with Chloe Kelly. 5 minutes after the restart City were awarded a soft penalty after Ria Percival and Gemma Bonner clashed inside the area. Percival seemed to give Bonner a small nudge but Bonner went down dramatically and the penalty was awarded to City which Kelly converted to double City’s lead. 2 minutes later Tottenham fell apart when Kelly again tried to do her usual play by getting the ball down the left cutting in to shoot from the edge of the box but her shot was blocked but deflected to the right where Mewis played a 1-2 with Beckie and shot into Spencer’s top right corner to make it 3 for city. 4 minutes later Sammy Mewis was searching for her 2nd of the game when she latched onto a Caroline Weir pass but Spencer stood strong and spread herself well to save Mewis’s effort.

As the game went on City showed their quality but Tottenham’s confidence definitely took a big hit with 2 poor refereeing decision’s which cost Tottenham 2 goals and the game. In the 67th minute Ellen White got her first goal of the season and City’s 4th of the match after a City corner was headed by Houghton and flicked on by White into Spencer’s top left-hand corner. Tottenham responded by making two changes with Lucy Quinn and Rosella Ayane coming on for Josie Green and Rianna Dean. In the 79th minute a misplaced City pass was intercepted by Addison who shot from distance and forced Roebuck into palming the ball over her bar for a Spurs corner.

Tottenham finally got their first goal of the season by a Tottenham player in the 80th minute when a wonderful Siri Worm corner was met by Anna Filbey’s head and headed into Roebucks bottom left-hand corner. That goal gave Tottenham confidence which started to grow after Filbey’s goal as City didn’t look as threatening and it was Tottenham pushing forward looking for another goal but unfortunately it was a little too late. In the 93rd minute, Tottenham could have had their 2nd of the game when Alanna Kennedy flicked on a cross to Percival but her header went wide of Roebucks goal to spare City.

Player of the match.

The player of the match for us has to go to Siri Worm who was outstanding the whole game. Worm was strong and didn’t get bullied by Janine Beckie no matter how much the city midfield and front line tried to bully Tottenham players. We also feel that Angela Addison was outstanding when coming on in the 2nd half and it was her quick thinking that forced Roebuck to give away the corner that led to Tottenham’s goal. So for us, both players played really well but because Siri played the whole game we feel she deserved to get the player of the match.

Post mach-analysis.

I feel the refereeing standard in the WSL this season has been very poor. Bad refereeing has cost Tottenham matches such as against Everton and I believe poor refereering again cost Tottenham today against Manchester City. Tottenham again did well to hold out a top team like City but the issue for Tottenham remains a lack of movement in the final third. Tottenham need goals and the midfielder’s need to work harder to get balls into the final third to provide service for the forwards because except for the opening game against West Ham the Tottenham forwards have had no service. Rianna Dean looked lost as she received no service and had just one chance in 70 minutes. What is happening with this midfield? Why can’t they get balls to the forwards? or are the coaches trying to keep everyone happy? We knew that Tottenham have a tough month of matches ahead of them and the problem is that the longer the team goes without scoring and not winning the lower the teams confidence will fall. Losing a fantastic player like Rachel Furness is something Tottenham still haven’t recovered from but we now have new experienced, world-class players so why can’t this team score goals. I do not want to put any blame on the coaches but its going to come to a point where they will need to be tougher and start benching players that do not perform such as Harrop, Green and Graham. Tottenham need to remember what happened to Liverpool last season and not become a victim. Tottenham are not being dominated by teams but its Tottenham themselves that are giving matches away to their opponents after they concede a goal. Tottenham’s next game is in the conti cup against London City, hopefully, if Tottenham can get a win in the cup it will give the team confidence ahead of their clash with Manchester United on Saturday.

Sulola’s first contact.

In other news Tottenham youth player Elisha Sulola signed her first profesional contract with Tottenham this week. More information can be found at https://bit.ly/30wUZ8d.

Next match.

Our Lilywhites next take on the London City Lionesses in the Continental Cup at 15:30 on Wednesday, October 7th at the Hive but unfortunately, the match won’t be broadcast anywhere. Three days later our Lilywhites are back in WSL action when taking on Manchester United at the Hive on Saturday, October 10th at 12:30 on BT Sports 3. COME ON YOU SPURS!

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The FA Cup is FINALLY back and what better way to restart the competition than a North London Derby. Being the competitions most successful team, Arsenal went into this game as favorites and on top of that advantage it took place at Meadow Park. This game was originally scheduled for March 15th but due to covid the competition was called off but the FA decided to restart the competition meaning this season there will be not one but 2 FA Cups to play for.

Arsenal lined up in a 4-3-3 with Zinsberger in goal, Maritz at right back, Williamson and Schnaderbeck in the centre of defence with McCabe at left back. The 3 Arsenal midfielders consisted of Little, Van De Donk and Nobbs. With Evans, Miedema and Foord making up the Arsenal front line.

Tottenham again lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Spencer in goal and Captain for the fixture. Neville at right back, Zadorsky and Harrop in the centre of defence with Worm in at left back with Peplow and Kennedy just in front of the defence. Percival, Graham and Davison made up the attacking 3 with Ayane in the number 9 role.

Arsenal came into this match as favorites but teams in the WSL should know to be wary of Tottenham as they can make games very difficult for the opposition as Arsenal found out last November at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The last time Tottenham and Arsenal met in the FA Cup was back in 2017 when Arsenal won by 10-0 and advanced to the quarter finals. We must remember that back in 2017 Tottenham were in the 3rd tier of women’s soccer/football but this Tottenham have come a long way and have improved immensely which they showed against many of the big guns in the WSL last season.

As expected Arsenal came out the strongest and could have gone ahead in the 5th minute when a Leah Williamson’s cross from the right wing found Caitlin Foord who got ahead of Shelina Zadorsky to head her effort against the crossbar before the rebound was kicked to safety by Ashleigh Neville. Tottenham’s nerves settled at the 10 minute mark and the game became more even with most of the play taking place in the middle of the park. Alanna Kennedy started the game shakey making a few mistakes in the middle of the park and giving the ball away but she quickly turned things around and grew into the game and became one of the best Tottenham players on the field. Arsenal were made to feel uncomfortable by Tottenham and didn’t get a chance again until the 29th minute when Maritz shot from outside the area after an Arsenal corner but her effort flew over Spencer’s goal. A minute later Arsenal again tried to break the Tottenham defence but not getting much luck as Nobbs shot from a McCabe cross was blocked by the numerous Tottenham bodies defending the Arsenal attack. There was drama at the other end on the 38th minute when there was a call for a penalty in Tottenham’s favor when Rosella Ayane was grabbed by McCabe in the Arsenal box but was waved away by referee Lucy Oliver. The question here is had VAR been in this game would that have been given as a penalty? I think the answer is yes, you can not grab a players shirt in the box, block their run or pull them down and all camera angles show that’s exactly what McCabe did. 3 minutes later Arsenal could have taken the lead after Miedema played a 1-2 with Nobbs but shot from the left went wide across the face of Spencer’s goal.

The second half started quite even, Tottenham definately came out more confident than in the first half and made it difficult for Arsenal to create any chances. The first chance of the 2nd half came in the 51st minute when good play by Kim Little found Nobbs inside the area but Zadorsky was tight on Nobbs preventing her from getting a good enough shot away which it ended up being a comfortable save for Spencer. A minute later Arsenal scored through McCabe but her goal was disallowed for a foul by Foord on Zadorsky. 3 minutes later it was Tottenham’s turn to cause Arsenal trouble and Tottenham came close to making it 1-0 when Alanna Kennedy freely jumped to meet a Chloe Peplow corner but put her header wide. Arsenal started to grow into the game and dominated possession but didn’t really do much with it and were clearly frustrated by Tottenham’s midfield and defence. Arsenal had a free-kick in the 62nd minute with McCabe taking it for the Gunners but it swerved just wide of Becky Spencer’s top right hand corner. Still locked at 0-0 the 70th minute saw Tottenham make their first substitute of the game with Josie Green coming on for a injured Chloe Peplow. Two minutes later Arsenal finally got their break through when a misplaced ball by the always reliable Ashleigh Neville fell to Jordan Nobbs who saw Becky Spencer off her line and shot from range to give Arsenal the lead. Two minutes later it was again the always reliable Ashleigh Neville who was put under pressure and miscontrolled the ball after a bad pass from Josie Green which enabled Miedema to get the ball, find Lisa Evans who found herself one on one with Spencer and calmly put the ball away to double Arsenal’s Lead. 2-0 down Tottenham had to respond and made a double substitution with Rianna Dean and Lucy Quinn coming on for Ayane and Neville but Tottenham were unable to get back into the game. Tottenham made their final 2 substitutes in the 82nd minute with Leon and Addison coming on for Percival and Graham but 2 minutes later it was Lisa Evans again who found herself one on one with Spencer after Kim Little’s wonderful through ball and slotted past Spencer to give Arsenal a 3-0 lead Tottenham tried to respond to Arsenal when Davison intercepted a ball in the middle of the park, passed to Leon whos cross found Lucy Quinn but Quinn was only able to get her shot away with her weaker foot making it a easy save for Zinsberger to keep Tottenham out. To add insult to injury Arsenal grabbed a 4th on the 89th minute with Lisa Evan grabbing her 3rd of the night to make the game seem more one sided than what the reality was and sealing Arsenal’s place in the Semi Finals of the restarted 2019-20 FA Cup.

Post match analysis.

We knew it was going to be a tough match away to the 14 time champions but what disappoints me is that we did so well to hold out Arsenal for 70 minutes and then after a mistake from one of our most reliable players we fell apart. This season Tottenham do not know how to respond when falling behind and a lot of work needs to be done in training on the final third as this is Tottenham’s biggest problem at the moment in the 2020-21 WSL season. I don’t want to be too critical of any players as we need to remember Tottenham have only been professionals for 6 months due to the 6 months hiatus so many of these players are still growing.

I have confidence that the coaches will have identified the issues and they will work on these problems but I fear with the difficult 3 matches we have coming up if these issuea aren’t rectrified soon we could find ourselves bottom of the table on 1 point after 6 games with no confidence and shattered self esteem.

I don’t want to critize the coaches because I do have faith in them and I understand that it takes time to settle the new arrivals in and to find the best starting XI but I feel that the errors that the coaches are making are on choosing the right starting XI. I admit we don’t see what goes on in training and whose impressing the coaches in training and who isn’t but for us Rosella needs to benched and when possible sold as she hasn’t proved herself in the WSL scoring just 6 goals in 50 appearances at senior level in England. Angela Addison needs to occupy a position down the wing with Kit/Davison down the other wing with Alanna and Josie in the centre of the midfield. I don’t know the reason why Rianna Dean is not starting for Tottenham, I hope it’s injury related otherwise I don’t understand why our top goal scorer is not playing. Once Alex has settled I would like to see Tottenham play with 2 forwards maybe Dean and Morgan up front in a old school 4-4-2 or in a 4-3-3 with Dean down the left, Morgan in the middle and Addison down the right wing with Kit just behind morgan but I fear for the pressure Alex will be under when she does finally start. We need goals and we need them fast but if Morgan and Dean do not get the service we will be stuck in the same situation. As disappointing as this result was due to the scoreline not reflecting reality, the team must dust themselves off and go to the Academy Stadium and try to get some points away to build up their confidence.

Player of the match.

This was a tough decision for us as we believe the whole team left everything on the field. Shelina was solid as always and played well alongside Harrop but for us the player that stood out the most and that really grew into the game was Alanna Kennedy. Alanna started the game a little shaky but settled her nerves after 15 minutes and was key to Tottenham shutting Arsenal out therefore our player of the match goes to Alanna Kennedy.

Next match.

Next up for our Lilywhites is a return to the WSL with a match away to Manchester City before hosting Manchester United at the Hive.

Alex Morgan interview.

As many of you may have seen, Alex Morgan did her first sit down interview for Tottenham Women’s, those that missed the interview can catch up below.

Many fan’s may wonder what its like to be the new player in the locker room, luckily there is a behind the scenes of Alex’s first day at Tottenham for your enjoyment.

Match-day highlights of Tottenham’s last WSL game away to Everton are below.

https://youtu.be/YwNGe68Z7NU

I hope this time next week we will be celebrating something against City I mean Brighton managed to get a point at the Academy Stadium so why cant we. COYS!

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We are back with another special, this time we will be taking a look at Tottenham’s new number 13, X2 World Cup Champion Alex Morgan.

Alex Morgan plays for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL (now on loan to Tottenham Hotspur Women). I have had the honor to see Alex play live on numerous occasions for the USWNT, in London at the 2012 Olympic final against Japan, for the Orlando Pride and last year in France with USWNT at the 2019 World Cup.

Who is Alex Morgan.

Let’s start at the beginning, Alex Morgan was born in San Dimas California and started her soccer/football journey at the age of 14. During her time at high school Alex was a three time all league pick and was named NSCAA’s (National Soccer Coaches Association Of America) All American. Alex attended the University of California, Berkley where she played for the Golden Bears from 2007-2010 scoring 45 goals in 67 appearances.

Alex made her United States U-20 debut in 2008 in which she helped the team get to the U-20’s Women’s World Cup in Chile. Alex also scored in the final against North Korea in which her goal was voted for as goal of the tournament and came 2nd in goal of the year as voted for by FIFA. Alex also won the bronze boot for finishing the 3rd highest goal scorer of the tournament and went on to make her debut as a substitute for the senior team in 2010 against Mexico replacing Amy Rodriguez.

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Alex went on to score her first goal for the national team in October of 2010 against China giving the United States a 1-1 draw. Those that had heard of Alex Morgan and that seen her play knew that there was something special about her with many saying that she would be the future of the USWNT.

The year is 2011, the year of the baby horse.

In the Chinese zodiac 2011 was the year of the rabbit, in the United States it was the year of the baby horse. In January 2011 Alex Morgan was drafted 1st in the WPS draft (Women’s Professional Soccer college draft) by my first ever team the Western New York Flash.

Alex’s debut season in the WPS was a success, she scored on her home debut in a 3-0 win against Atlanta and in her debut season scored 4 goals in 13 appearances as well as winning the WPS championship. At the age of 21 Alex was included in the roster for the 6th edition of the Women’s World Cup that took place in Germany. The United States started in typical manner winning their first two games and qualifying for the quarter finals. Unfortunately Alex had to wait for her first World Cup goal but it was most definitely worth the wait because on the 82nd minute July 13th 2011 Alex Morgan scored her first World Cup goal in the Semi Finals of the Women’s World Cup ensuring the U.S.A advanced to the Final. In the final game against Japan, the U.S. were unlucky to not be ahead. Needing a plan b Pia Sundhage substituted Alex Morgan in for Lauren Cheney on the 46th minutes just 15 days after her 22nd birthday and 23 minutes later Morgan thanked her coach with a thunderous shot from just inside the area to give the United States a deserved 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately the perfect year hit a bump in the road because the United States went on to lose 3-1 in the shootout after the game ended 2-2 after extra time in a game that the U.S. dominated.

New Year, New Goal.

After the WPS suspended operation due to financial difficulties, Alex Morgan joined the Seattle Sounders in 2012. Due to commitments with the national team Morgan made just 3 starts for the Sounders scoring 2 goals. 2012 was the year of the London Olympics, the U.S. had made the podium at every Olympics since women’s soccer was first introduced at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta in which the USWNT went on to take Gold after defeating China 2-1 in the final. The 2000 Olympics in Sydney was a bit of a comedown with the U.S. picking up silver after falling to Norway 3-2 after extra time. The next two Olympics were much happier times for the USWNT after defeating Brazil in 2004 and 2008 to take Gold once again.

The 2012 Olympics was Morgan’s first Olympic games and she could not have gotten off to a better start scoring 2 goals in the opening match against France. Unfortunately Morgan had to wait 4 matches to get another goal for the U.S. but it definitely was worth the wait. On August the 6th 2012 the USWNT took on Canada in the Olympic games Semi Finals. The game turned out to be a rollercoaster of emotions for both sets of fans and definitely one of the best games of the tournament. The U.S. found themselves trailing Canada by 1 all game with Christine Sinclair bagging herself a hat-trick to give Canada a 3-2 lead in the Semi Finals. Abby Wambach converted a penalty in the 80th minute to draw the U.S. level for the 3rd time in the game. The game remained at 3-3 throughout extra time, the referee gave a minimum of 3 minutes injury time and in the 122nd minute HAO (Heather O’Reilly) ran onto a Wambach pass down the right wing, centred the ball which was met by Alex Morgan’s head and put into the back of the net to give the U.S. the lead for the first time in the game and ensure the United States advanced to their 3rd Olympic final in a row.

Revenge Match.

On August 9th 2012, the USWNT met rivals Japan again 1 year after heartbreak in the World Cup Final in Germany. The U.S. came out the strongest of the teams and it was Alex Morgan who turned down the left flank to set up Carli Lloyd who put the U.S. up after 8 minutes on the clock. Both teams rode their luck a little in the match with both teams having chances to win the game but it was the U.S. that came out on top by 2-1 with Lloyd grabbing both goals for the U.S. to give team USA victory over their rivals Japan and their 3rd Olympic gold in a row and giving Alex Morgan her first Gold at senior level.

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On top of winning the Olympic gold, Morgan was announced as the female athlete of the year (2012) by U.S. Soccer as well as finishing 3rd in the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or vote behind Marta and winner Abby Wambach.

In 2013 Alex Morgan moved from the Seattle Sounders to the Portland Thorns. Morgan scored her first goal for the Thorns at their home opener against Seattle Reign in a game in which the Thorns won 2-1. Morgan finished Portland’s joint top scorer alongside Christine Sinclair with 8 goals and 5 assists. Portland finished 3rd in the regular season and went on to defeat Western New York Flash 2-0 in the Championship final.

In 2014 the Thorns again finished 3rd in the regular season, losing to eventual winners Kansas 2-0 in the Semi Finals with Morgan scoring 6 goals in 15 appearances for Portland during the 2014 season.

New Year, Same Foe.

In the 2015 season Morgan made just 4 appearances for the Thorns due to commitments with the national team. The Thorns finished 6th that season with Morgan scoring one goal in a match against the Washington Spirit. In the lead up to the World Cup in Canada Morgan suffered a knee injury that kept her out for two months.

Morgan started the first two group matches on the bench due to an injury and made her first 2015 World Cup start in the final group game vs Nigeria in which the U.S. won 1-0 to top the group. Alex Morgan started her second game in a row in the round of 16 against Colombia and earned a penalty in 47th minute when Morgan was one on one with Colombian keeper Catalina Pérez before being brought down inside the box. But the always reliable Abby Wambach put her penalty wide but the U.S. finally got their breakthrough in the 54th minute when who else but Alex Morgan gave the U.S. the lead to settle some nerves and scored her first goal of the tournament. The U.S. went on to win the game 2-0 with Carli Lloyd converting from the spot.

The U.S. then went on to defeat China 1-0 in the Quarter Finals before taking on Germany in the Semi Finals. It was a balanced game between two heavyweights but the best chances fell to the U.S. and had it not been for Nadine Angerer the United States would have gone in at the break leading. Morgan was a huge threat to the German goal and earned a penalty when German defender Annike Krahn cut across and blocked Morgan to give away the penalty which Captain America Carli Lloyd herself scored to give the U.S. the lead. Substitute Kelley O’Hara scored the 2nd late into the game ensuring the U.S. made their 2nd World Cup final in a row.

3 in a row.

On July 5th the U.S. met a familiar face in Japan for the final of the 2015 World Cup. This was the 3rd meeting between the two in 4 years with the previous meeting being in the final of the 2012 London Olympics. The U.S. were out for revenge after suffering heartache at the hands of Japan 4 years earlier in Germany. The U.S. knew that they would have to take all their chances or risk missing out on the World Cup again and thats exactly what the U.S. did. It took the U.S. just 3 minutes to take the lead when a Megan Rapinoe corner was met by Carli Lloyd who gave the U.S. a dream start. By the 16th minute Carli Lloyd scored a hat-trick and the goal of the tournament shooting from the half way line putting the ball over Ayumi Kaihori into the Japanese net to give the U.S. their 4th of the game. The U.S. went on to win the game 5-2 and finally got their hands on the World Cup after waiting 14 years since winning the tournament on home soil in 1999.

New Year, New Challenge.

In 2015 it was announced that the Western New York Flash would be rebranded and relocated to North Carolina after the 2016 season. In the same year it was announced that Orlando would be getting a NWSL team called the Orlando Pride. Coming from a family of New Yorkers it was a no brainer that I would support the Flash. In 2005 most of my family moved from New York to Orlando Florida so when it was announced the Flash would be no more and that Orlando would be getting a team I knew the Pride would be my new team. In 2015 Morgan was traded by the Thorns in exchange for the Prides number 1 draft pick. On February 17th 2016, Alex Morgan made her debut with the Orlando Pride away against her former team the Portland Thorns. Due to the 2016 Rio Olympics Morgan made just 15 appearances for Orlando scoring 4 goals.

Rio 2016.

The U.S. kicked off their Olympic title defence on August 3rd against New Zealand opening their campaign with a 2-0 victory with goals from Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. The world champions entered the tournament as favorites and qualified first from their group with 7 points ahead of France on 6 points. The quarter finals threw up some classic match up’s but none were bigger than the United States vs Sweden. This match up could have easily been a final match, the U.S. came into this game as favorites and took the game to Sweden from the offset. The U.S. should have ended the game within 90 minutes but Hedvig Lindahl was Sweden’s rescuer on the day. The U.S. saw themselves fall behind in the 60th minute with a goal by Swedish substitute Emma Blackstenius but on the 77th it was Alex Morgan who drew the U.S. level with a half volley after an error by Samuelsson. After 64% possession, 12 corners to 3 and a total of 26 shots to Sweden’s 3 it all came down to a shootout in which Sweden went on to win 3-4. For the first time ever since women’s soccer/football was introduced at the Olympics the U.S. would not medal.

In 2017 Alex Morgan signed a 6 month loan deal with Olympique Lyon and made her debut on January 14th 2017. Morgan enjoyed some amazing moments while at Lyon including scoring 3 goals in the quarter finals of the French Cup against Rodez and 4 goals in the semi finals against Hénin-Beaumont. Morgan went on to score 12 goals in 16 appearances for Lyon and won the French league, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Alex Morgan returned to Orlando and made her return on July 1st 2017 against the Chicago Red Stars. Alex went on to score 9 goals in 14 appearances for Orlando. The Pride finished in their highest ever position of 3rd in the NWSL regular season but unfortunately were beaten 4-1 in the playoff Semi Finals to eventual Champions the Portland Thorns. In 2017 Morgan opted to terminate her option to extend at Lyon and instead decided to return to the Pride for the start of the 2018 season. Fan’s expected the Pride to go a step further in 2018 especially after bringing in reinforcements such as highly rated Shelina Zadorsky from the Washington Spirit, unfortunately the Pride were unable to to deliver finishing 7th in the table winning 8, drawing 6 and losing 10 resulting in Pride coach Tom Sermanni leaving by mutual agreement.

In October 2018 the U.S. comfortably qualified for the 2019 World Cup after a successful qualifying campaign beating Canada 2-0 in the final with Lavelle and Morgan getting the goals for the U.S. in Texas. Morgan won the tournaments golden boot after finishing on 7 goals in 5 games during the qualifiers.

Title Defence.

After beating Spain and losing to France in January 2019 the pressure was on the U.S. to successfully defend their title. Many said that the U.S. were in crisis with many fans asking for Jill Ellis to be fired less than 6 months before the start of the competition. Many believed that losing to France in a friendly the year of a World Cup was a good omen because back in 2015 the U.S. fell 2-0 to France in a friendly in Lorient and went on to lift the World Cup in Vancouver Canada.

The U.S. started their World Cup title defence against Thailand in Reims and ran out 13-0 winners with Alex Morgan scoring 5 goals in the opening game. The U.S. won their next two group games by 2-0 against Sweden and 3-0 against Chile to qualify for the round of 16. Next in line to dethrone the U.S. was Spain who made the U.S. work hard for the victory, but went on to win the game 2-1 thanks to two Megan Rapinoe penalties. On June 28th the World Champion’s took on one of the tournament favorites in hosts France in Paris. The U.S. took the lead in the 5th minute through a Megan Rapinoe free kick and then doubled their lead through a Rapinoe penalty in the 2nd half. The French cut the USWNT’s lead down to 1 with a Wendy Renard header in the 81st minute but the U.S. went on to book their place in the semi finals after a 2-1 victory over the home nation.

On July 2nd the World Champion’s took on England in the World Cup Semi Finals which had all the makings of a classic. The game was a rollercoaster ride for both sets of fan’s and for the neutrals. The U.S. started the game the strongest of the two and after some brilliant goalkeeping by Carly Telford the U.S. were finally able to take the lead through a Christen Press header who rose above a sleeping Lucy Bronze and Jill Scott to head the ball into Telford’s top right hand corner and give the Champion’s the lead. It took England just 9 minutes to get back into the game, after a wonderful cross by Beth Mead from the left to find Ellen White who turned in the cross with her right foot to draw England Level. After just 7 passes from the back, Horan crossed into the England box from the left and it was birthday girl Alex Morgan who rose above Demi Stokes to head the U.S. back into the lead. In the 78th England were award what seemed a soft penalty after Becky Sauerbrunn and Ellen White came together in the area but the penalty should have never come because in the lead up to the penalty Jade Moore came in strong to foul Sammy Mewis followed by Millie Bright deliberately kicked the ball at a floored Mewis. Up stepped the always reliable Steph Houghton to take the spot kick for England but Alyssa Naeher guessed right to keep the score at 2-1 and helping the U.S. advance to their 3rd World Cup Final in a row.

At 30 years of age Morgan took part in her 3rd World Cup final in a row taking on European Champions the Netherlands on July 7th 2019. The U.S. started the final the strongest of the two teams as the Netherlands seemed to come out with a plan to be physical, play defensive and try to catch the U.S. on the counter. Alex Morgan enjoyed a lively final and was involved in lots of the action and should have gotten a penalty after being nudged by Dominique Janssen in the box and she hit the post after her effort was saved by Veenendaal’s foot.

The U.S. had to wait until the 57th minute for their breakthrough after wonderful link up play between Pride team mates Ali Krieger and Alex Morgan lead to Morgan being a victim of a high challenge by Stefane van Der Gragt who kicked Morgan in the back of her right shoulder. After much debate and consultation with VAR the U.S. were awarded a penalty which Megan Rapinoe converted to give the U.S. a well deserved lead. 9 minutes later a wonderful solo run and goal by Rose Lavelle extended the champion’s lead. The game finished at 2-0 as the U.S.A successfully defended their title winning their 4th World Cup overall and giving Morgan her 2nd World title.

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Alex Morgan picked up the silver boot after scoring 6 goals in 7 matches with 3 assists. In October 2019 Alex Morgan announced that she and husband Servando Carrasco were expecting their first child but Morgan vowed to be back in time for the 2019 Olympics in Tokyo. Due to the events of 2020 the Olympics was postponed until 2021. The NWSL brought soccer back with the Challenge Cup but unfortunately the Orlando Pride had to withdraw due to positive Covid cases within the team. In early July teams in the Barclays Women’s Super League and Championship returned to training and it was announced that the Super League would be returning on the weekend of September 5th/6th.

On September 12th 2020, Tottenham Hotspur announced the loan signing of USWNT and Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan for the 2020-21 season.

Alex Morgan knew what she wanted from a young age and has proved that with hard work and dedication dreams can come true.

Alex Morgan has gone on to win 10 major honors for the club and her Country. The 2011 WPS Championship, the 2012 Olympic Gold medal, 2013, NWSL Championship, the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, the 2015 Women’s World Cup, the 2016-17 Division 1 Féminine, the 2016-17 Coupe de France, the 2016-17 UEFA Women’s Champions League, the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship and the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Alex has scored a total of 107 goals in 169 appearances for the U.S. and is still only 31 years of age. So what can Spurs fans expect from our new number 13? well below is a little hype video to get y’all excited for Alex’s debut.

https://youtu.be/cdsImZ5MVHk

COME ON YOU SPURS!

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In our 2nd special of the week we wanted to take a look at our new number 3 as we ask ourselves, who is Shelina Zadorsky? As many of you may know I am a HUGE Orlando Pride fan and have known of Shelina during her time in the NWSL at the Washington Spirit during the 2016-17 season and I started Following Shelina more once she joined the Orlando Pride in 2018.

Shelina started her soccer/football journey in 2006 where at the age of 14 Shelina represented Canada at youth level. Two years later at the age of 16 Shelina won Bronze with Canada’s U17 at the 2008 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship. Shelina also represented Canada at the 2008 U-17 World Cup in New Zealand and the 2010 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Guatemala. Shelina went on to win silver at the U-20 Championships in Panama (2010) and represented Canada in 2012 at the U-20 World Cup in Japan.

During 2010 and 2013 Shelina attended the University of Michigan, on January 2013 at the age of 20 Shelina’s dream became a reality when she made her debut with the senior team against South Korea. Two years later Shelina finished top goal scorer for Canada with 2 goals in the Pan American Games in Toronto, unfortunately for Zadorsky she did not make the roster for the 2015 World Cup which was held in Canada.
Unfortunately Canada were unable to lift the trophy on home soil as they fell 2-1 to England at the Quarter Finals stage.

Shelina Reborn.

Missing out on a place on the World Cup roster on home soil must be enough to knock anyone’s confidence, Sheina has always been a perfectionist on the field and this set back as well as putting so much pressure on herself lead to anxiety off the field. One can imagine the heartache of not being able to represent one’s country on the biggest stage/tournament in a soccer/footballer’s career can make or break a player. Many never recover and others become stronger and more motivated and for Shelina the latter is most definitely more fitting. After having spent time at Ottawa Fury (2013-14), Perth Glory (2014-15) and Vittsjö GIK (2015-16), Shelina moved to the NWSL signing for the Washington Spirit for the 2016-17 season. Motivated by missing out on the Canada roster a year earlier Zadorsky was motivated to prove her worth and make the Canada roster for the 2016 Olympics. Zadorsky settled in in no time and became a reliable rock at the defence of the Washington Spirit. Zadorsky managed 32 starts and guided the Spirit to 2nd place in the regular season 2 points behind Portland Thorns, all this in her debut season in the NWSL and for the Spirit whereas the season before Washington finished 4th. Zadorsky was also part of the same team that reached the 2016 NWSL Playoff final where it finished 2-2 after extra time and were only defeated 3-1 in the cruelest manner, a penalty shootout.

Shelina proved that there is always room for improvement and rejection today does not mean it can not be turned into success tomorrow because her reward for all her hard work in her superb debut 2016 season was that Shelina was called up to represent Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Being called up to one of the biggest competitions to represent ones country is an achievement in itself but to win a medal is beyond any players dream. That is exactly what Zadorsky and her team mates achieved on August 19th when this inspirational group of women defeated home nation Brazil 2-1 in Sãn Paulo in the 3rd place match with goals from Christine Sinclair and Deanne Rose.

After a superb debut season in the NWSL and winning a bronze medal with Canada in Rio, Shelina started to catch the attention of many unfortunately the 2017 campaign did not go to plan for the Spirit who finished 10th With Zadorsky being named club captain and making the 4th most appearances for the club. The Spirits downward spiral in 2017 can only be put down to the departure of many key players such as Ali Krieger, Christine Naire, Diana Matheson and Crystal Dunn with USWNT rising star Mallory Pugh joining the Spirit too late into the season.

Welcome to the sunshine state.

In 2018 the Orlando Pride who finished 3rd for the first time in their history in 2017 but unfortunately were hammered in the Semi Finals of the NWSL playoff identified their defence as an area that needed strengthening. Orlando were willing to give up one of the best goalkeepers in the NWSL Aubrey Bledsoe and their number one draft pick for 2019 in exchange for former Washington Spirit player of the year Shelina Zadorsky.

There was a lot of expectation for the 2018 season after the Pride acquired Poliana, Sydney Leroux, Emily Van Egmond, Christine Nairn and Shelina Zadorsk, unfortunately after a final 4 game losing streak the Pride were only able to finish in 7th place, 7 points off a playoff spot resulting in Pride boss Tom Sermanni leaving the club by mutual agreement. Orlando had one of the best rosters in the NWSL but he just could not get the best out of these players. Sometimes a team needs new blood and with players in our squad like Camila, Alanna Kennedy, Zadorsky, Monica, Chi Ubogagu the G.O.A.T Marta not to mention World Cup winners Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux the Pride should be challenging year after year for the championship and it became clear that Tom could not take the Pride any further.

The 2019 season did not get any better, after the appointment of former Birmingham City boss Mark Skinner, the Orlando Pride finished bottom of the table winning just 4 games out of 24 with 4 draws and 16 defeats. I do not blame the players as the Pride have a fantastic group of players and one can see their desire, heart and passion to win, they just need the right guidance and I don’t believe Mark Skinner is that Person. 2020 was the year that everyone said Mark Skinner and the Pride would prove themselves but due to the current situation the Pride were unable to participate in the Challenge Cup and with the Olympics next year many players have opted to go abroad which has worked out fantastic for Tottenham with the loan signings of Alanna Kennedy, Shelina Zadorsky and now baby horse herself Alex Morgan.

New Chapter.

I was a big fan of Zadorsky’s at Orlando, I felt that Shelina was a rock but the team just needed a different coach. Zadorsky made 39 appearances for Orlando scoring her first goal in the NWSL and her first goal since the 2014-15 season at Perth Glory against Sky Blue on September 29th 2019 (Zadorsky’s goal and match highlights can be watched below).

In August 2020 our Lilywhites announced the loan signing of Shelina Zadorsky of Canada and the Orlando Pride. Zadorsky has made 66 appearances for Canada and has won bronze at the 2016 Olympics. At just 27 years of age Zadorsky has already achieved more than many do in their entire career and she clearly has no intention of slowing down. Zadorsky is a winner and plays with a lot of heart, yes it’s a new league, a new culture and the fact that games are currently being played with no fans is strange for any player but Shelina is a player that has proved in the past that she can adapt to any situation and seeing her performances for Canada, Washington and Orlando she is here to achieve something not just to make up the numbers. I have no doubt that Shelina will be a fan favorite in no time and will bring some calm and confidence to the defence just as Emma Mitchell did last season.

I can’t wait for the day that fans are allowed back into grounds because watching these inspirational women on television is one thing but nothing beats watching them perform live and in person at the Hive and under the lights during a weekday match. Until that day welcome to Tottenham Shelina, we wish you and the rest of the women the best of luck for the season ahead and just know that even though you can not see the fans or hear the fans we are at home cheering you on and once the doors open we will show you how much we appreciate the team. Until then COME ON YOU SPURS!