Every word of Rehanne’s pre-Leicester press conference

Ahead of Sunday’s game against Leicester City, catch up on every word of Rehanne Skinner's pre-match press conference, which took place on Thursday afternoon at Hotspur Way.

On Leicester

“They’re going to be a tough test. They’re operating in a way that’s helping them to get results. They’re always physically challenging and make life quite difficult for you in that sense. They’re more cohesive now than the last time we played them so I think it’s one that we need to be ready for.

“They’re in a positive mindset and have been working hard in the last few games, so you can see the team is progressing and that’s going to make it a challenge for us, but we’re just going to focus on what we need to do in the game and we want to make it as difficult as possible and get points out of the game. That’s the most important thing.”

On signing Mana Iwabuchi

“Mana’s a world-class midfielder. She’s won a World Cup with Japan. She’s got a vast amount of experience and we’re constantly trying to grow strength in depth within the squad. It’s good to have new players in because I think it throws down the gauntlet within the squad. We’re trying to elevate that and everybody is constantly trying to up their game. Ultimately she’s going to be a massive asset for us. The quality she has technically is superb, so she’s a great signing for us. As with Beth, we’ve done very well so far in this window and are really pleased with where we are.

“They’ve both got a lot of experience and that’s invaluable within any squad. You’re constantly trying to find a balance of developing young players and the experience that needs to be in with that. Then there are players that have been really key, fundamental players within Tottenham’s growth as well. You’re trying to get a balance of that entire squad to be functioning at the best level we possibly can. They’re definitely going to help us to move on to another level based on their experience.

“We’re trying to get them integrated within the team as quickly as we possibly can without putting unnecessary pressure on players. They need to able to fit in with the squad and get to know everybody. We’re chipping away at ups killing them in terms of how we play and where their role sits and fits within that. It’s time on grass together, time in matches together, and that helps people to bed in a little bit quicker. We’re trying to do that and have got a three game week coming up, which will help us with that. Hopefully the sooner the better, but it does take time to re-mould that.

“The reality is Mana’s not played that many minutes, so we have to be really careful with her in the first phase of her joining us. In terms of the training loads and when you’re in the Champions League in particular, it makes it quite challenging on what you’re training week looks like and that’s what she’s been used to pre-Christmas. We need to make sure that she’s physically in the best possible position to play. It’s going to be really important that we manage that properly for her in the next few weeks, to make sure she comes up to speed and it doesn’t put her at any kind of risk. That’s constantly something that we have to be considering, to look after the players in the best possible way.

“With Mana, you’ll have seen her play in this league before for Villa and Arsenal. She’s very calm and composed. She’s technically outstanding, so when you’re in possession of the ball it helps to give you the opportunity to build in a way that helps develop the possession in your favour because of how good she is at managing the ball in those situations. Out of possession, she understands and reads the game very well, so it enables her to be more effective to work within a team. That makes it more difficult for the other team to break you down because of her positional awareness. In and around the group, she’s a fantastic character and anyone that’s ever been in a team with her would say that about her. She brings a lot to the team on and off the pitch. That’s going to be a huge asset to us alongside her experience. Collectively we want to make sure that we’re looking after possession in a way that helps us to develop the game with a purpose and recognising the right times to do the right things. She’s certainly got an awareness of the game that will help us add value to that, as will Beth. Beth’s timing of movements are excellent. She wants to be in and around the box and get goals. We’ve sat here and had conversations where we’ve not been able to put the ball in the back of the net as much as we should have. When you add the two of them, they’re two really important players for us that are going to help us to be more effective in different areas.

“Mana has played in both the number 10 and deeper midfield roles. She’s very competent at both. Right now, she’s just been in the door a couple of days, and we need to make sure that we find the best fit for Mana within the squad and with the rest of the squad. It’s going to be important that we take that into consideration as to how that’s being managed, but she’s more than capable of playing in both roles.”

On transfer business between Arsenal and Spurs

“I’m not sure if that will evolve any further, but Viki Schnaderbeck joined us on loan this time last year and did a great job for us from Arsenal. Ultimately it’s about what we need, that’s the focus - what we think is going to add value to our squad, and wherever they come from that perspective is not really a concern. We just want the right players in the building.”

On whether there will be any more signings in January

“We’re always looking at our options and there are still a few weeks left in the window so we need to keep being aware of what’s available. We’ll see what happens within that. It’s a never say never, because if the right players are available and we manage to make that work, then we would definitely try to do that.”

On how the transfer market has changed since Rehanne joined Spurs

“Significantly! It’s very different now to what it was then. For us, in the way that we’ve grown as a Club, it’s opened things a little bit more as time’s gone on. Last year was really positive for us and so we’ve been able to target certain players in a different way that helps us to build on what we’re trying to do here for the long term. The Club’s on a journey and a growth period. With everything, you have ups and downs in those moments. Ultimately we want to get back to winning ways. We all know that, but we also are trying to build a squad for the future and a Club for the future that’s sustainable and doing a job at a really high level. There’s a lot going on constantly within the Club, and transfers within that have been really important to add to that over the last few windows.”

On injuries

“Kit [Graham] is the closest from a long-term perspective to coming back into the squad. Jess [Naz] has had an injury that kept her out of last weekend. She’s been partially training today so we’ll see where she is by the weekend. We’ve had some players who aren’t available for the full 90. We’re trying to move everybody back in that direction as quickly as possible based on what they’ve picked up.

“Amy [Turner] wasn’t well. She’s now been back training and looked great today, so that’s helpful. She just needed a few extra days to get herself back on track. There’s loads of things going around and a lot of people are struggling with that across the league, but she’s much better today and completed a full training session, so that’s great news from that side of things.

“Where Petz [Ramona Petzelberger] is concerned, she’s not back on the grass at the moment. That’s going to take a little bit longer for her to come back into the team.”

On Beth England’s debut goal

“You guys all know as well as I do that she’s a proven goalscorer. She doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone about what she’s capable of in this league. Getting one on her first game just helps her to settle in a little bit more. It’s been really useful for her coming into this week of training, where she’s looked really bright again. She’s ready to go and eager to get minutes. That’s going to be an asset for us.”

On solving defensive issues

“The biggest thing for us is we’re constantly trying to work on being the hardest working team and making ourselves hard to beat. We were too expansive in certain situation pre-Christmas and are trying to rectify that, so that’s a big focus area for us. It’s not about personnel, it’s about ensuring we’re all working on the same page. That’s what we need to focus on.”