Presser points | Spurs vs Crystal Palace (WSL) | Robert Vilahamn | OneFootball

Robert Vilahamn faced the media in his first Barclays Women’s Super League press conference of 2024/25 on Thursday afternoon ahead of our season opener at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday (2pm UK).

Here’s what he had to say…

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First up, Robert was asked about any injury concerns…

Robert: “Amy [James-Turner] has suffered concussion, she will soon be back but will need a few more days before she can return to the pitch. Ella [Morris] has picked up a small injury so she will not be available for this weekend, but hopefully be ready for next weekend. Shuang [Wang] has a small injury as well.”

Crystal Palace’s journey so far

Sunday will be a historic match for Palace as they kick off their first-ever season in the WSL and Robert was asked about their journey so far…

Robert: “Last season, you can see that they played some good football and have a great manager who makes sure that they win games with the way they play. They have signed a lot of new players to make sure they can handle the WSL. They’re an interesting team, interesting players and good coach, so you never know how good they're going to be in the beginning. It going to be a tough game, I can guarantee that, but I also feel like we have taken steps. It's going to be very interesting to play them because I feel like they can surprise many teams this season.”

On defensive reinforcements

Ella Morris, Clare Hunt and the permanent signing of Amanda Nilden were a number of our new arrivals over the summer and Robert was asked if he feels he strengthened in the backline for the new campaign…

Robert: “Clare is obviously a very strong player, defending the box and the set pieces, but she's extremely good on the ball and has calmness to play through press. She gives us an option where she can both defend those big strikers in this league in a good way but she can also be dominant on the pitch - both as a leader and as a player. Ella with her fitness and energy will give us some really good pleasure this season because she is an attacking full-back.”

Maite Oroz

Robert was asked what he seen from the Spain international so far and what the fans can expect to see from her…

Robert: “I've seen her before on TV and in clips and thought she's a really talented player, but now when I’ve worked with her for a week and a half, I can say I've never seen anything like it, how she's so good on the ball and how technical she is. Sometimes it feels like she’s from another planet because she's so good technically. I can promise you that the fans will love her because she's great.”

What progress does he want to make this season?

Following a hugely positive first season at the Club, helping us to finish inside the top six and reaching the FA Cup Final for the first time in our history, Robert was asked what he wants to see by May…

Robert: “We tried to create an identity last season, we wanted to play some really good football and, I think, we are now ready to take the next step with that. I want to make sure everybody speaks about the Spurs way and show the fans, and everybody else, that we can be really entertaining and still win games because the second thing is we want to win more games. We had a few extra draws and some losses where we shouldn’t have last season, so we need to learn how to win more games through the way we play and game management. the last thing is we want to be a brave, exciting team and make sure we do it our way. Then, if you look at the table, the results, we want to push to be better and for the Champions League but if that takes one more year, I don’t really need to talk about that, we just need to make sure we improve, play better and win more games, then we will see where we reach this season or next.”

On giving younger players opportunities

The final question saw Robert asked about the opportunities for Araya Dennis and Lenna Gunning-Williams in the first team…

Robert: “We decided quite early to give them a chance in the pre-season because we see enough talent and we see the balance in our squad that is still not exactly as young as we want to be. They have both been really good during pre-season, especially Lenna, she has scored three or four goals and showed that she can compete. The plan is for them to stay and be a part of a squad, compete for minutes and when we end up at Christmas, if they don't get the minutes they need, we will reconsider if we need to send one of them on loan. But, right now, they are here to compete and they are competing very well. To see the development on Lenna is massive, she’s strong, quick and scoring goals, and taking in everything so she's not a young player anymore, she's a senior player in my eyes.”