Here are some key points on what he had to say…
On whether there was any frustration to not come away with three points against Manchester United last weekend….
“A lot of frustration, [but] a lot to be happy with. We've been asking for a performance from start to finish, where we have pushed a big team, and I think we've done that through all the game. They had some moments in the second half, I would say, but I thought we deservedly were the better team and if any team deserved to win the game, it was us with the chances that we created.”
He was asked since matchday 14, we have recorded the second-highest amount of shots, so is it just that we are lacking that cutting edge with our chances…
“It's just that little bit of cutting edge. The good thing is we're creating those chances and we're getting in good positions, maybe a couple of yards out from goal, and either the ball not bouncing our way or it's not falling our way. Hopefully, in the game on the weekend, some of them start to drop to us, but I think we've done really well with how we're trying to play and trying to really stick to that, the way the team operates through the middle of the pitch as a midfield, but also the forward players. Sometimes just need that ball to fall to you a little bit and in the game it did to us numerous times, but it seemed to get away.”
On whether he is expecting another tough meeting with London City Lionesses…
“The game away, I thought we performed well with the ball, but defensively it wasn't great, then we conceded two transitions and two from set play, which was disappointing. Then, the second game we played, which was the one in the FA Cup, which was brilliant for the neutral, definitely, but I thought we performed relatively well in that game again, held on there at the end to win on penalties. They've got a world-class team, world-class players and they've started to get a lot of those players' back who have been out for a while for them. They're a team with a lot of depth and quality so we know we have to respect them, but we must be right on it at the weekend if we want to get a result.”
On how the squad has taken the news about the six announced departures this summer…
“Naturally all the players, because they're close together, they see each other every day, they work together every day, there will be some emotions, but I think we’re as a group are professional enough to know that those decisions are part of football, and now we have to now make sure that we focus on the weekend, which is London City – that’s a big game for us moving forward.”
On how he would reflect on Bethany England’s time at Spurs…
“Really good, wonderful captain and someone who I've got huge respect for. She’s so committed and leads by example. These decisions are never easy, but we have to make the right decisions for us moving forward and what we're trying to build going forward, but she goes with our best wishes and I have nothing but respect for her.”
On the importance of depth in every position in the squad with the number of competitions…
“I've said this since the start, you need the depth in your squad to be able to be competitive in all competitions, whether you are in Europe or not. You need the depth now with the league expanding, that adds another four games, then you've still got the Subway Women’s League Cup, the FA Cup, so there's a lot of games to play and throughout the season, you'll pick up injuries here and there. So, the strength in depth but also the numbers in depth is key but one thing I'm really big on is I don't want to just recruit players for the sake of having a number and quantity. I want to make sure there's quality within that and if I don't feel it's right to bring a player in, I'll wait until the right opportunity presents itself.”
On whether we can realistically challenge the top three next season…
“We don't go into any season to finish any lower than first, but that's not me saying I want to win the league - that's me saying I come in to win. I want to win. I'm a winner. I want the team to win. I want us to finish as high as we can. I want as many competitions as we can. We've shown good parts of our game throughout the season, we probably need more consistency throughout if you want to be in that top three and you also need to find levels of performance where maybe you're not at your best when you come out with results and not be on the back end of big losses, which we have had and is my responsibility. Moving forward, I think we can take a lot of confidence and belief from what we've done this year and I have no doubt when we're at our best and we're really consistent, we can compete with those teams, which I think we've shown in a lot of games.”
On Lenna Gunning-Williams' development this season…
“With me and Lenna, obviously, I've had a lot of conversations with her and I made sure that I wanted her to be here with us for this season because I feel she still has a lot to learn, a lot to develop. When you go out on loan, you don't always get maybe the same coaching, the same programme, the same attention and the way we play is totally different to probably the way most teams look. My demands on the players are a lot higher and the expectations are a lot higher on the pitch and you need your players to be able to be in your environment to see that. If you look at Lenna from previous to now, physically, technically, she is in a totally different space and tactically, she is a lot better than what she was. If she didn't have this moment with us now and this season with us, she wouldn't have taken those steps and I think she's a lot closer now to the playing group, starting games and pushing. We just need to make sure we got Lenna grounded and more competitive player for how we want to play, but I think she's taken really big steps and I'm really pleased with where she's at.”
On what type of game he is expecting this weekend…
“Competitive one, like the two fixtures we have had, especially the FA Cup, that was a lot more kind of nip and tuck, a lot closer, the margins were smaller and we were punished, both teams were punished for kind of mistakes or errors they made. As I said, they've got a world-class team and world-class players at the top level who have now come back from injury and they're starting to really click. We know that if we're going to have to be on the end of a result that we want and a positive one at that, we have to be at our best, but I expect a really tight game and a close encounter.”
On giving the supporters an opportunity to say goodbye to the players departing this summer…
“That's a big thing for me. Maybe people don't see that but I want to make sure that anyone who leaves the club, they get the opportunity to say bye to the fans and they get to show their respect and appreciation to them. You can do that at the end of the season, but I don't think it shows any sign of respect or any kind of courage to just do that. I want to make sure that we allow the players to do that and it'll allow them on the weekend to do that. I think they're happy with that they get a chance to say bye to the fans because they've built such a strong relationship with them over the time, they've been here.”
On how impressed he has been with Ella Morris since her return from ACL injury in recent weeks…
“To come back and play 90 minutes in a big game at [Tottenham Hotspur] stadium, I thought she'd done exceptionally well. She still has lots to grow, develop, learn and we know Ella's ceiling for potential and talent is high and we need to help her to fill that. She's got her own ambitions and her own objectives set at club and for the national team football, and I want to help her get closer to that. It's not putting too much pressure on her, just allowing her to play, giving her some direction with that and hopefully moving forward, we'll see the best of her. Overcoming that injury shows a big sign of resilience. It shows a lot of courage and belief that she's able to overcome that situation. The work I've seen her do to come back from that injury has definitely helped her and seeing that kind of confidence, kind of enthusiasm in her performance against Manchester United. It's really nice to see a player coming back into a game and playing a full match, especially after a long-term injury.”
Predict the score | Spurs vs London City Lionesses
