Tottenham Hotspur

A determined Eveliina Summanen reiterated ‘there are going to be ups and downs’ in a long season – but sees our next fixture against Chelsea in the quarter-final of the Women’s FA Cup on Monday (1.30pm UK) as an opportunity to bounce back.

While there has been a difficult run of results in the Women’s Super League, suffering defeats in our last three games on the bounce, there have been plenty of aspects in the performances that Martin Ho and his players can build on in the closing stages of the campaign.

But, for now, league football stops and the attention turns to FA Cup action at Kingsmeadow as we look to reach the semi-final for just the second time in our history.

Experienced midfielder Eveliina, who was part of the squad for our historic FA Cup run in 2024 where we reached the final for the first time, says ‘anything can happen’ in a cup knockout game and go into the fixture with plenty of motivation.

“We know that Chelsea is a good team, but we'll have this week time to prepare for it and give our best shot,” she told us, previewing the clash with Chelsea in the cup. “We've not had the best performance the last few games and we're really hungry to improve.

“We have a good chance against Chelsea and obviously it's a cup as well, so that adds that little extra bonus to the game. We know that's our opportunity to win something and get to the final this year, so that's the extra motivator behind it. It's 90 minutes of football - anything can happen.”

When asked about the recent run of the results, she added: “The football season is long. There are going to be ups and downs, and all the difficult moments actually give a little bit more than those good moments.

“There is something to build on and it's a good chance to learn as well, it's still the first season with Martin as well - it's not a sprint, it's a marathon in a way. We kind of need to keep on building and be resilient in that way.

“We just do the basics well and then stick to the plan and see it as a little bit longer project as well. But, at the same time, we know that we want to get results when we have the chances.”

A determined Eveliina Summanen reiterated ‘there are going to be ups and downs’ in a long season – but sees our next fixture against Chelsea in the quarter-final of the Women’s FA Cup on Monday (1.30pm UK) as an opportunity to bounce back.

While there has been a difficult run of results in the Women’s Super League, suffering defeats in our last three games on the bounce, there have been plenty of aspects in the performances that Martin Ho and his players can build on in the closing stages of the campaign.

But, for now, league football stops and the attention turns to FA Cup action at Kingsmeadow as we look to reach the semi-final for just the second time in our history.

Experienced midfielder Eveliina, who was part of the squad for our historic FA Cup run in 2024 where we reached the final for the first time, says ‘anything can happen’ in a cup knockout game and go into the fixture with plenty of motivation.

“We know that Chelsea is a good team, but we'll have this week time to prepare for it and give our best shot,” she told us, previewing the clash with Chelsea in the cup. “We've not had the best performance the last few games and we're really hungry to improve.

“We have a good chance against Chelsea and obviously it's a cup as well, so that adds that little extra bonus to the game. We know that's our opportunity to win something and get to the final this year, so that's the extra motivator behind it. It's 90 minutes of football - anything can happen.”

When asked about the recent run of the results, she added: “The football season is long. There are going to be ups and downs, and all the difficult moments actually give a little bit more than those good moments.

“There is something to build on and it's a good chance to learn as well, it's still the first season with Martin as well - it's not a sprint, it's a marathon in a way. We kind of need to keep on building and be resilient in that way.

“We just do the basics well and then stick to the plan and see it as a little bit longer project as well. But, at the same time, we know that we want to get results when we have the chances.”

Roberto De Zerbi took his first training session at Hotspur Way on Friday (3 April).

Unveiled on Tuesday and sitting down for his media duties with the Club on Thursday, our new Head Coach met his new squad for the first time as our Men's first team got to work following the March international break.

After putting in some gym work, Roberto and the playing squad were then out on the grass with the 46-year-old heavily involved in giving feedback and coaching instructions throughout a session which comprised of a physical warm-up, passing rondos, an end-to-end possession drill and a competitive six-a-side match with three teams.

It's nine days until the maiden outing under the Italian as we return to Premier League action against Sunderland with full focus on preparing the team for the trip to the Stadium of Light on Sunday 12 April (2pm UK).

Victor Wanyama has announced his retirement from professional football.

The popular midfielder made 97 appearances for us in all competitions following his move from Southampton in June, 2016, and scored seven times, including the opening goal in our final game at White Hart Lane.

Victor was part of a strong midfield unit alongside the likes of Mousa Dembele, Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier during his time at the club.

Indeed, it was his partnership in the engine room with Dembele that powered us to our best-ever finish of second in the Premier League in 2016/17. The pair started together in some of the dominant wins fans will always remember in that last season at the Lane - 5-0 against Swansea, 4-0 against West Brom, Stoke, Watford and Bournemouth.

Vic will always be remembered for two moments in particular in a Spurs shirt - as already mentioned, a towering header to open the scoring against Manchester United in the Lane's Finale in May, 2017 and an absolute rocket into the top corner against Liverpool at the Kop end at Anfield in February, 2018.

Born in Nairobi, Victor left Kenya for Europe in 2007 when he joined Helsingborg in Sweden. Less than a year later, he joined Belgian side Beerschot AC where he made 56 appearances before a move to Glasgow Celtic in July, 2011.

He won the league title in his first season in Scotland before enhancing his reputation further in 2012/13 with 49 appearances as Celtic clinched the SPL and Scottish Cup double. Victor scored nine goals in that campaign including the opener against Barcelona in a famous 2-1 win in the Champions League at Parkhead, as they went on to advance to the knockout stages. His performances earned him the SPL's Young Player of the Year award.

Vic joined us in 2016 and after four years here, moved on for a new challenge in the MLS with Montreal. He won the Canadian Championship in 2021 and made 133 appearances in four years before returning to Scotland and a brief stint at Dunfermline last season.

Capped 64 times by Kenya, Vic made his senior debut aged just 15 and went on to become the captain of his national team, and a sporting icon back home.

Congratulations on a wonderful career, Victor!

Leading the line against for our Women's Under-19s against senior opposition, Grace stepped up with a pivotal moment in our Capital Cup tie with the Hamlets, grabbing our second goal with a stunning finish in the 2-1 win at Champion Hill.

After some excellent work by Heidi Hills to find Grace outside of the box on the left, the young forward, with her back to goal, switched the ball on to her right and sent a wonderful curling effort into the far top corner to spark jubilant celebrations between players and staff.

That goal proved to be difference in for our young side on the day as they booked their place in the quarter-final of the competition, where they went on to record an emphatic 5-2 victory over London Bees on Thursday (2 April) evening - with Grace netting three goals in that as well.

All eyes turn to Women’s FA Cup quarter-final action on Monday afternoon (1.30pm UK) and it’s a big one - a London derby against rivals Chelsea at Kingsmeadow.

Having faced the Blues in 18 different meetings in two competitions – Women’s Super League and Women’s League Cup – this will actually be our first-ever meeting in the FA Cup.

While we suffered defeat against our city rivals in the two encounters this term, we put in resolute and determined performances to go toe-to-toe with the six-time WSL champions. However, Martin Ho will be looking to turnaround our fortunes over the Blues and return to winning ways ahead of the April international break.

This is just our fourth appearance in the FA Cup last eight and, although we were defeated in our first two quarter-finals, our last clash at this stage was a memorable one.

Facing Manchester City at Brisbane Road in March, 2024, captain Bethany England netted an injury-time equaliser to cancel out Mary Fowler’s opener and take the tie into extra time and, with no further goals, a penalty shootout.

Our goalkeeper at the time, Becky Spencer, produced the heroics as she saved City’s first two spot-kicks before Amy James-Turner stepped up to calmly convert the winning penalty and to earn a 4-3 win in the shootout – and a spot in the semi-finals for the first time in our history.

And we can expect goals in this contest on Monday. While our last two games in the WSL have seen 14 goals in total, Chelsea also edged Aston Villa in a seven-goal thriller at Kingsmeadow last weekend.

Watch | Our FA Cup quarter-final success over Man City in March, 2024

Seven games remaining – and Roberto De Zerbi says we have to focus solely on each challenge at a time as we look to climb the Premier League table.

That starts at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Sunday 12 April (2pm) – Roberto’s first match as our new Head Coach following his appointment on a long-term deal earlier this week.

With every point at a premium as we sit 17th, Roberto does not intend to look beyond the next task in hand. “I think we have to be focused just on the Sunderland game,” he told us as he spoke to us for the first time.

“I don't want to listen to people speaking about the schedule or the Brighton game or the Wolverhampton game. Game by game, we have to prepare the players to win the game and to be focused just on the game.

“We have to play with courage. We have to play with the qualities of the players, because if I accepted this challenge, it's because I have a big confidence in the players and the history of Tottenham football is a very clear style of play.

“We are lucky, I am lucky, because I have big players with big talent and my work is to help the players to show their qualities.”

Exclusive | Roberto De Zerbi's first interview

A 13-minute second-half hat-trick from Grace Bellwood ensured an emphatic 5-2 quarter-final win over London Bees in the Capital Cup on Thursday evening to set up a semi-final tie with Fulham later this month.

Although we were on top in the first half, creating a number of good opportunities including Jhanaie Pierre striking the woodwork, we initially found ourselves behind after Sandy Martins fired the visitors into the lead in the opening quarter-of-an-hour.

However, after the restart, we came out looking like an almost completely different side. Cruz Fuller-Fagan grabbed a much-deserved equaliser on 52 minutes before Bellwood continued her excellent run of form in front of goal, netting a hat-trick in 13 minutes – making it eight goals in her last six games – to give us a 4-1 lead with 20 minutes to go.

While the Bees pulled a goal back through an own goal by Holly-Mae Elmes, we reinstated our three-goal advantage through Grace Breen to earn us a statement win over senior opposition and progress to the last four of the competition for the second year running. We’ll travel to Fulham in the semi-final, which is set to be played on 19 April.

Looking to stamp our mark against an experience side who are competing in the fourth tier of Women's football, our young side started well in the early stages at Cheshunt Football Club but it was our shot stopper Eleanor Heeps, who was once again able to provide a senior leadership to the group after featuring in the victory over Dulwich Hamlet last month, who was called into action first in the encounter, getting across to her front post to deny Martins from the right side of the box.

However, minutes later, the Bees forward would eventually find the back of the net as she found herself one-on-one with Heeps and Martin showed composure to calmly pick out the bottom corner to open the scoring for her side. Despite the setback, we responded well and controlled the proceedings for most of the first half where we carved out a number of good opportunities, Jhanaie Pierre striking the underside of the crossbar with an effort from distance while her excellent ball across the face of the goal was unable to be converted at the back post by Fuller-Fagan.

The visitors still posed a threat on the counter and we had to bet alert, with goalscoer Martins a lively outlet, but Pierre’s curling effort from the edge of the box that went over the bar was the final chance of the first period, where we remained a goal down despite a strong first half showing. So, it was no surprise that just seven minutes after the restart, we eventually got the equaliser that we rightly deserved.

Ruby Mace’s free-kick from the left was deep but inch-perfect as it allowed Fuller-Fagan to charge on to at the back post to tap home from close range. Two minutes later, the game had completely turned into our favour when Pierre, with space on the far left of the box, raced to the byline before lifting the ball into the six yard box and, with her back slightly to goal, Bellwood managed to direct a first-time volley into the roof of the net.

We scored a key third goal just after the hour mark to put the daylight between the sides, Rania Oukriss’ initial effort was blocked but Bellwood was there to scoop up the loose ball on the edge of the box, worked it on to her right-foot and sent a low curler into the bottom corner for her second of the night.

Then, six minutes later, the hat-trick was completed by Bellwood. Having been brought down inside the box by goalkeeper Emma Roberts, after she capitalised on a lapse of miscommunication, Bellwood calmly converted from the penalty spot, firing low into the bottom left despite the Bees’ shot stopper guessing the right way.

The Bees managed to pull a goal back on 73 minutes when Hayley Hoare’s free-kick took a slight deflection off Elmes and into the back of the net. We were then indebted to a big save from Heeps, getting a strong hand to deny Sam Lanza as she got behind our backline, before we went up the other end to reinstate our three-goal lead as Pierre delivered an in-swinging cross from the left which saw Breen rise highest and send a looping header towards goal that Roberts was unable to keep the ball crossing the line.

Both sides came close to adding to the scoreline in the closing stages, Pierre’s powerful left-footed strike from the left side of the box was pushed around the post by Roberts, but it remained 5-2 as the referee blew the full-time whistle. An excellent night for our Academy to topple another senior opposition in the competition and reach the semi-final for a second year running.

'This shows a real reflection on the programme as a whole, I’m super proud of them'

Reflecting on a brilliant evening for our Under-19s, Nick Hardy said: “It was brilliant. This shows a real reflection on the programme as a whole; the group and the hard work that the players put in, day in, day out, the staff and their support network around them. I’m super proud of them.

“We had enough entries in that first half but just lacked that cutting edge in the final third and purpose in and around the box, so that’s what we exactly asked of them at half time. We said those moments will still come about if we show that intent, play with our style and the final third behaviours – and that’s exactly what they went out and did. They were direct with a purpose, creative and relentless and even when we went 2-1, you could see that they wanted more. I’m super pleased for them all, it’s exactly what we asked for that second 45 minutes. But, as I said to the group at the end, we go into that semi-final wanting to compete. We’re one step away from where we want to be which is the final and competing for silverware.”

Midfielder Mace also reflected on a memorable evening in the Capital Cup, she said: “I don’t really have words for it. These moments are the reasons you want to play football. In the first half, we kept ourselves in the game, maybe had a few moments, but I think after the half-time talk, we came back into the second half and we were unrecognisable. We took our chances well and the togetherness on the pitch was unavailable, which I thought won us the game along with the teamwork and desire.”

Our Under-21s return to action on Easter Saturday with a home London derby against West Ham United in the Premier League 2 (1pm UK) – and you’ll be able to watch the action live on SPURSPLAY.

Wayne Burnett’s side haven’t taken to the field since a 1-0 defeat at Leeds United on 16 March and have three fixtures remaining in the league stage of the season.

Visitors West Ham, meanwhile, won 4-2 at Blackburn Rovers in their last outing on 20 March, with Saturday’s match representing their final game of the competition’s initial phase.

Both sides are well placed to enter the end-of-season play-offs but will be determined to claim maximum points at Hotspur Way to build up some momentum.

Supporters will be able to watch Saturday’s game live on SPURSPLAY – tune in just before kick-off at 1pm to enjoy all the action as it happens.

Martin on how much confidence the squad gets from reaching the latter stages of the FA Cup…

“I think, in the competition, we've done well. You have to play the top teams if you want to win the competition. I think we had a good run, the last game was a very good one for the neutral, definitely. Going to extra time, going to penalties and then showing a really strong mentality in that game. We know that this test against Chelsea is going to be tough, but we know that in the games we've played against them this season, they've been really tight. We've had numerous opportunities, we've controlled parts of those games. We need to go in with the confidence there.”

Martin was asked whether there’s something to take advantage of Chelsea’s early exit in the Champions League…

“They've just come off the back of being knocked out of the Champions League over two legs. I think they performed really well in both of them, but they're still a wonderful team. They'll probably want to respond in the right way and Sonia [Bompastor] will want her players to respond in the right way. We have to be prepared that there are going to be moments where we're going to have to suffer and we will, and then there's going to be moments where we have the ball, but when we have that, do we have quality in those moments that we can show what we're capable of, and I think we've done that really, really well in the last game when we played them at home.”

Martin on how the international break affects him and the team…

“We'll still have a group of players training here. We'll have a lot of players away on international, like we did on the last break, so you're away from the group and maybe you lose a little bit of rhythm, a bit of continuity around the pitch because they go away with the different nations and play different ways. Yes, sometimes it's tough, don't get me wrong, because you want a continuity and a consistency with it. But also, that's part and parcel of the programme, and what we have to do is not find any excuses with it but to try and find solutions of how we can best prepare the players when they come back.”

Martin on how important it would be heading into the international break on the back of a potential win in the FA Cup…

“Huge - and that's the ambition, that's the drive and that's the focus of the team. Have we been happy with parts of our performances in the last games? No. Have we been happy with some of it? Yes, because I think there's spells and there's progress that we've made. But we go into this game with the belief and confidence that we can get to a semi-final, with the belief and confidence that we can progress forward and compete against Chelsea, which we've shown in our games that we can when we're at it. We'll make sure we're at it going into the weekend.”

Martin on how the international break affects him and the team…

“We'll still have a group of players training here. We'll have a lot of players away on international, like we did on the last break, so you're away from the group and maybe you lose a little bit of rhythm, a bit of continuity around the pitch because they go away with the different nations and play different ways. Yes, sometimes it's tough, don't get me wrong, because you want a continuity and a consistency with it. But also, that's part and parcel of the programme, and what we have to do is not find any excuses with it but to try and find solutions of how we can best prepare the players when they come back.”

Martin on how important it would be heading into the international break on the back of a potential win in the FA Cup…

“Huge - and that's the ambition, that's the drive and that's the focus of the team. Have we been happy with parts of our performances in the last games? No. Have we been happy with some of it? Yes, because I think there's spells and there's progress that we've made. But we go into this game with the belief and confidence that we can get to a semi-final, with the belief and confidence that we can progress forward and compete against Chelsea, which we've shown in our games that we can when we're at it. We'll make sure we're at it going into the weekend.”

Martin on whether a win would be a big statement for the Club…

“It's shown it's capable of taking that next step and keeping that progress going for the rest of the season and beyond. I don't think we need it. We should want it more than just needing it. We should want to win those games. I have no doubt we want to win the game, but we don't go into it thinking we need to do this and add more pressure than we need to. I think when we play with freedom and we play our way and we do things the way we want to do it and focus on us, then I think we perform at a really high level. But we have to make sure that we know that in these games we need to lift our performances if we want to get over the line. There's no bigger test than Chelsea, so we've got to make sure we're really at it come Monday.”

Martin on Chelsea’s season so far and their difficult run of form in recent weeks…

“They don't become a bad team because they’re not top of the WSL. Look how many seasons they've won the league consistently, then the Champions League and [progressing to] latter stages. They've only won one cup this year and they're still in the run for the FA Cup. So, under no illusions, they're a good team and every team can have its season where maybe they're not completely at it. Chelsea are in a bit of that transition, maybe if you want to say. New manager, new players and they're trying to find their way with it, but they're still a wonderful team. They've got world class players, a world class manager. If you're having a bad season and you're still sitting in the top two of the WSL, I don't think it's too bad. If that's a bad season, I would take it. So, yeah, they're in a good place and they're a wonderful team. We know what they're capable of doing, they're serial winners.”

Martin on how it has been in the last few games in the Women’s Super League…

“It's difficult, don't get me wrong. I don't doubt what I'm doing or doubt what we're doing but you become frustrated and maybe doubted at times in terms of am I doing something wrong? Can I be doing something different to make sure that we can get over the line? But I'm under no illusions in terms of the progress we've made and what we've delivered this season. When we come into these games, we know they're going to be tough, we know the sides we're up against and we know we've got a lot of work to do to get to that level of where they're at. We've got work to do, we want to be competing at that top level. But what you shouldn't shy away from, if you won't, is making sure we're competitive in games and we're building on those performances."

Martin on the importance of developing Academy players as our Under-19s face London Bees in the quarter-final of the Capital Cup on Thursday night...

“We have young players training with us from the Under-19s regularly, so the youth development here is a really big ethos of the club, to develop your own players and make sure we have an Academy that produces a pathway and a conveyor belt of talent for the Women's First team - and the same for the Men's and Academy teams too. We need to make sure we continue to build on that. Yeah, we've got some wonderful, talented players and they deservedly should be in that position after the performances they've had. Yeah, I wish them all the best with their game, and I have no doubts they should get through.”

Martin on what the FA Cup means to him…

“It's the most prestigious competition in England. A cup competition that you play at Wembley as a final, who doesn't want to play there as a coach, as a player, and as a club, so you want to make sure you can get to those finals. They've [Spurs] been there before, so they know what it feels like to be there as a team and as a club, so we need to make sure we can give the fans and the club more days like that. We've got a task in front of us now in Chelsea and we have to make sure that if we want to get there, you have to beat these teams.”

Martin on what he enjoys most about watching his team…

“More the desire, the passion they play with, the enthusiasm for the growth and development of the team, and then furthermore seeing players play with a smile on their face and play with freedom. Then, when we're performing and we know we're at our best, the energy and enthusiasm that gives not just the team, but gives the staff, the wider staffing group, the wider club. I get a lot of pride in watching the team play, they're playing a really brave way of football and a brave way of playing and when we do that, I think we're at our best.”

On what the main takeaways have been in the defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal…

“Lots of aspects, definitely with the ball especially. I think second half against Arsenal, even first half, we created moments. [In the] second half, we had some moments with the ball where we progressed well, but we just lacked maybe that cutting edge in front of goal and maybe the bravery to actually go and finish, go and take a little bit of responsibility. Then, the City game was the same, the second half against Manchester City, we created so many chances, pushed them back in their half, I think they only got out of it a handful of times, and then really defended well in that game. What we've got to make sure is we start games quicker than we have been but be better in terms of defending the box from set plays and that's an area we need to really push, which we spoke to the players about. We can take those lessons from those games; gives you experience and the best practice moving forward to tell you where you're at and where you need to go.”

Martin on the impact from Lize Kop in our last outing in the FA Cup and her involvement for the game against Chelsea…

“Hopefully she doesn't have to make any saves. If she doesn't have to make any, then we’ve defended well. But I think in the last game, she's done wonderfully well in the FA Cup; she made some big saves, she obviously made the saves for the penalty shootout win and she's made some big moments. If she is asked this game to step up and make big saves and moments, then I know Lize will do her best to do that, but hopefully she doesn't have to have too much work to do."

Martin on the mentality from the team with a big crowd expected at Kingsmeadow…

“We know what it's like, the fans are close to the pitch, it's hostile, they make a lot of noise, they back their team and they're the games you want to be part of. I want stadiums where we play to be full, I want them to have a good crowd, it adds more to the interest of the game, it adds more interest for us as a team and for Chelsea, and it spurs the players on when you've got so many people watching. It maybe adds that little bit of pressure that you know you've got to perform and I think at times when we've had that pressure, we've performed well. Hopefully lots turn out for the game and we can put on a good performance.”