Tottenham Hotspur’s interim head coach Vicky Jepson is looking forward to this afternoon’s fixture against Arsenal and says that form goes out of the window for a North London derby.
Spurs returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Leicester City last time out. The Lilywhites will be underdogs against Arsenal this afternoon, but they will be eager to give their absolute all against The Gunners.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Spurs boss Jepson said that her side don’t fear Arsenal and that anything can happen in a North London derby.
“They’re a top European team, so we know that it is going to be tough, but in derbies, form can go out of the window and it is on our home turf which is great.” Jepson said.
“We don’t fear them, but we know that we are going to have to be really on it to nullify the strengths that they have and be diligent in the way that we apply ourselves in possession to cause them problems going forwards.”
Spurs have had 10 days to prepare for their latest fixture while opponents Arsenal were contesting a UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg tie in Germany on Tuesday evening. Jepson doesn’t think that her side’s additional preparation time will give them an added edge this afternoon.
She said “Arsenal have fantastic squad depth, so they are in a luxurious position where if they wanted to rotate their squad, they could.
“Of course, we’ve had longer to regroup, put our principles on the grass, go back to basics and build on things from the Leicester game. To be honest, it is a blank canvas going into the game for both teams.
“The derby is a special occasion and it’s Women’s Football Weekend as well, so both teams will want to put on a display for the fans and for the younger generation of female footballers across the country.
“It’s going to be a great occasion and I’m sure that both sets of players, staff and fans will play a massive part in that.”
Tottenham Hotspur’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Arsenal kicks-off at 3pm.
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