Presser Points | Arsenal vs Spurs (WSL) | Robert Vilahamn

Robert Vilahamn spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon, ahead of our Barclays Women’s Super League clash against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday (12.30pm UK).

Here’s what he had to say…

On the latest team news...

Robert: “We’re getting back Ella [Morris] and Drew [Spence] as options for the squad, which is really good. Eveliina [Summanen] is on the grass, but not in collective training, so she will not play. The rest of the squad is available, so it's going to be a tough choice.”

Looking back at the performance against United…

Robert: “When you look at the 90 minutes of the game, we’re not really happy with the first 45 in a way as they scored an early goal, we were not good on the ball and we needed to defend a lot.  I think, in the second half, we showed more energy and we were a little more calm on the ball, we created a few chances, obviously it's hard to create enough chances to win these games against the big teams, so we need to be very sharp on how we get to the chance if we get there and how we can have a clean sheet. So, for the game now, we have had two weeks with good training and that was good for us, to work with the team and the coaching staff, to make sure we have good tactics for this game coming up.”

On Renee Slegers’ impact…

Robert: “I think what she has done from when Jonas [Eidevall] left has been very impressive, to be honest. They basically won all the games, you can tell that the players are performing at a really high level and I think they have so many different players that they can use in different ways. They are very good right now. But I also feel like we see stuff in there where we can hurt them and where we need to defend against them, we have beaten them before, so it's going to be a very cool game to play and I think we are ready for this experience.”

On it being a historic derby…

Robert: “I think that these are type of games we want to have like normal in the future, when we have a big stadium and a lot of people coming, that should be normal. So, I think when you when you go into these games now, it’s still not the majority of the games, it’s not normal, but we are starting to get them more and more, and I think we are getting used to it, we are also getting a taste of what we want to have, so we need to make sure we can perform on this big stage and make sure we can prepare ourselves in a good way. We are very much looking forward to this game.”

On the impact that the international break will have…

Robert: “It needs to be changed in how we train because the number of players will be so few. But it's a really good thing where we we're getting to know the academy players because we normally bring some of them up. I think, in that way, we have a good plan to make sure we focus on the ones who stay, so they do not lose two weeks because everyone is out playing in the national team, it's actually quite a nice time, you get more close relationships with the players who are staying and you can work individually with them and have more talks with them. So, we try to make sure we give them some really good days, and I think actually it's quite good to have those days as well.”

On using last season’s experience at the Emirates Stadium…

Robert: “Everything you do to be good and consistent is if you're getting exposed and used to it, so if you look at the FA Cup final, I think Man Utd had a benefit. They played a final before and we weren’t used to that, this doesn't mean that we're going to win on Sunday, but it does helps us, to be honest. You need to be very calm in the moment and find ways to communicate or show signs, I think it was a good game last year, we actually had a decent performance, we lost 1-0 but it was not a bad performance. This year, we're coming into this game with some new personnel in the squad and coaching staff, we need to see it as a new game, but I also want to see how we can address this part of the season, how we can compete with Arsenal, how we can try to dictate the game a little more, dictate the ball and how we can create more chances, while still defending with discipline, with heart, and everything because they are so good. I'm very curious to the game and see how we can how we can handle it.”

On a strong defensive performance against Arsenal…

Robert: “As a collective, I would say. If they play Stina Blackstenius as a nine, she threads in behind all the time. If Alessia Russo is playing, she's handling the scenario in different ways, the wingers can score in different ways, they have the pivots who can shoot from distance and then Frida Maanum. You cannot just look and go, ‘we just need to stop the crosses, or we need to stop this, stop that’, we need to make sure we are pressing good, that we make sure we keep them from our goal, so they don't create those chances. If they create those chances, we need to make sure we block the shots, we do everything we can to defend, then the main thing is to make sure we try to have the ball and try to play our style as well. If we're going to defend for 90 minutes, it's going to be really, really hard because they have so many good individuals, but, collectively, we need to be disciplined and we need to make sure we have a really good fight individually.”

On Jess Naz being in the England squad…

Robert: “She perhaps hasn’t been maximum performing in all games, but she is getting the trust to get us back in the game with the potential of what she brings to the table as well, that's always the choices you need to take as a coach, it's the same for me when I pick and choose starting XI. Jess is on a journey where she becomes a top, top national team player soon, she needs to go through this journey where she has ups and downs, and I think her one-and-a-half year together with me and the team has been brilliant, not amazing every day, every game, but you can tell how much she improves all the time. I just love that Sarina [Wiegman] sees that and gives her the trust to stay in the national team because I think that's one of the diamonds in the future for the Lionesses.”

On what the north London derby means to him and the players…

Robert: “Before I moved here, I didn't really know how much it means for the fans and how much you compete with Arsenal, then you realise that it’s a big game. When we won against them last season, I realised the emotions that you get from it, together with the fans and the club, it was massive, and probably one of the best feelings I've had on a football pitch or in a football stadium, so I want to have that again. When you know that you're going to make so many people happy about it, you want to make sure that you do everything you can to please the fans. On the other hand, we are also aware where Arsenal have been for the last 10 or 15 years, in the women's game, and where we are and where we are trying to go. We are aware that the fans really want us to win, we are aware that we also need to make sure we have a perfect performance to win that game, so that's what we're aiming for. But I just love this rivalry and how you make sure that you are the best in north London.”

On being extra motivated for the game…

Robert: “I mean, I can be honest and say that they are professional. Every game is extremely important and we don't really have any different mentality in the group when we do that. But you need to be aware of it because it's a bigger game, the fans see that and you can tell from media and everyone, so we are aware of it, but I think the professionalism of the players is there. They don't really need to push extra or do something extra because they want to win every week for the club.”

Watch - Robert speaks to the media