Sun 03 April 2022, 09:00
Tottenham HotspurRehanne Skinner feels the squad is in the best possible mindset ahead of our return to action against Aston Villa in the Women's Super League at The Hive this afternoon (Sunday 3 April, 2pm).
The team's huge matches against Chelsea and Arsenal in the WSL, scheduled for 23 and 26 March, were unfortunately both postponed after a number of COVID cases in the squad. Chelsea has now been rearranged for Thursday 28 April (7.45pm), Arsenal is yet to be rescheduled.
That was a pity for Rehanne and the players after such a good performance last time out against Manchester City, a narrow 1-0 loss, but they return to action today still sitting fifth in the table and, with games in hand, still fighting for a place in the top three.
Villa proved a tough nut to crack in a fine away win at Walsall FC back in December and travel to north London in 10th after a 1-1 draw against Reading last time out.
“The challenge for us going into this weekend is more about the lack of game time of late, and the disruption within the squad," said Rehanne. “Every individual has been working hard to be ready, but we’ve not been able to get games under our belt as some other teams have of late - so we could be a little bit rusty in the first part of the game.
“The squad will be 100 per cent ready and give everything they’ve got. I’m confident that if we get the game plan right, and if we all apply ourselves in the right way, we’ll be able to get points out of this game.
"Villa have a bit of a different style to some of the other teams in the league, so we expect it to be a little more direct with little runs in behind and things like that. We’ve got to deal with those factors early, but there are elements of our game where we know we can exploit them. We have to be able to find a way to win against lots of different styles of play."
Rehanne gave us an update on the fitness of Jess Naz and Kit Graham. Jess has missed our last two matches. “We were hoping to get her some minutes in the Arsenal game, so that’s how close she was," said Rehanne. “She’s been back on the pitch this last week, so we’re hoping that she’ll be available."
Kit, meanwhile, has now undergone knee surgery. Rehanne reported: "She’s walking around, she’s back in the gym and is doing some extra bits now that are keeping her in the right direction. It’s just a matter of time, and that’s tough for players. There are highs and lows with recovery from any longer-term injury, but she’s in a really good mood. She’s focussed, she’s target driven, the medics and physical performance guys are pushing her, so it’s really positive."
