We are back on the road in the Barclays Women's Super League today (kick-off 12noon UK) as we take on Aston Villa at Villa Park this afternoon.
You can watch the game live below via WSL's Official YouTube Channel...
One of our great players of the modern era, Jan was back in N17 for a weekend of nostalgia with his family that included a trip up the Dare Skywalk, speaking to his adoring fans at half-time and watching us come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Manchester City - and an exclusive interview for us with presenter and Spurs fan, Ben Haines.
One of only 17 players to reach 200-plus appearances for us in the Premier League and one of only 10 to make over 50 appearances for us in Europe, Jan is also Belgium's record appearance maker with 157 caps between 2007-2024, including winning bronze at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Forming a formidable central defensive partnership with compatriot Toby Alderweireld, Jan made 120 appearances of a possible 152 as we finished third, runners-up, third and fourth in the Premier League between 2015/16 and 2018/19. He also started 10 of 13 matches as we reached the UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool in 2019, producing one of the great performances topped with a goal as we beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the Round of 16, first leg at Wembley.
Jan signed off with appearance 315 against Newcastle during the Premier League's return in the 2020 COVID pandemic at St James’ Park on 15 July, 2020. Sadly, there were no fans at his final matches in Lilywhite – making his appearance at half-time with Paul Coyte all the more special.
After Spurs, he had spells at Benfica - where he won the Primeira Liga title in 2022/23 - and Anderlecht, where he played for two seasons before retiring at the end of 2024/25.
Part 3 | Battle of the Bridge!
When Spurs fans come up and speak to you, what is it they want to talk to you about the most?
Jan: “I think everyone felt like we were their team. The way we played and how we came across as a group of friends. They just want to talk about those times, about that (last) season at White Hart Lane (2016/17), or those times at White Hart Lane like everyone has, funnily enough, not that much about the Champions League final run, but more about the last season at the Lane and the games like when we beat Chelsea in January (New Year’s Day, 2015) - the 5-3. Chelsea became champions, and I think they were unbeaten until that game, if I'm not wrong. So, those kinds of games. The ‘Battle of the Bridge’, that was not in the end a positive, but at least they saw and felt we gave everything, and that was obviously the most important thing for the fans.”
Note: We needed to beat Chelsea to maintain any hopes of taking Leicester City further in the 2015/16 Premier League title race and led 2-0 at half-time before Chelsea came back for 2-2 - that draw was enough to hand Leicester the title...
When you said before there were maybe not necessarily ‘dogs’ in that team, in that game (‘Battle of the Bridge’) it came out, right? I think Spurs fans loved the team for that…
Jan: “Yeah, we did that for each other, and I still get goosebumps if I think about those times, and they ask me, what's probably your best memory, and whether it's a mistake or not, but I said that game and not the results, but what we stood for as a team. Those 11 or 18 or 20 guys, we would do everything, and I think people love that.”
Coming tomorrow...
Part 4 | Jan on Mousa and Toby...
Following a pitch inspection this morning, our Women’s Under-19s Capital Cup first round tie against Dulwich Hamlet this afternoon (Sunday 15 February) has been postponed.
A new date for the fixture will be confirmed in due course.
Our young side will be back in action with an away match against Liverpool in the Professional Game Academy League on Wednesday.
We can now confirm the starting XI and substitutes for our Barclays Women’s Super League encounter with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday (12noon UK).
Martin Ho has just made the one change to the side which started our 2-0 defeat against Chelsea last weekend.
Maika Hamano, who was ineligible to face her parent club last Sunday as part of her loan agreement, returns to the starting XI in place of Matilda Vinberg with the Sweden international named amongst the substitutes.
Here’s our team in full...
Starting XI: Kop, A. Nilden, Gaupset, England (c), Holdt, Hunt, Wijk, Hamano, Summanen, Koga, Blakstad.
Substitutes: Heeps, Bartrip, Rybrink, Ahtinen, Vinberg, M. Nilden, Gunning-Williams, Tandberg, Dennis.
Oliver Boast’s goal on the stroke of half-time secured a point for our Under-18s in their U18 Premier League fixture away to Crystal Palace, drawing 1-1.
The hosts, who sit second in the southern section of the division, took the lead through Donte Martin after 27 minutes, who pounced on a misplaced pass and converted past Dylan Thompson from close range.
Palace had the chances to double their lead before the break, but were unable to take them and were punished when Boast was there to push the ball goalwards from close range, beating goalkeeper Lucca Benetton.
Jamie Carr’s side responded well to the goal just before the break and looked the most likely side to claim all three points in the second half, but were forced to settle for a draw, which keeps us in third place on goal difference.
It was a lively start to proceedings in south London as the hosts nearly took the lead in the opening stages of the game through Euan Danaher.
The midfielder rolled the dice from distance, deciding to test Thompson early, hitting the post in the third minute.
What was a fast-paced start to the half transitioned into a tactical period where neither side tested the opposing goalkeeper for at least 20 minutes.
The next chance also fell the way of the hosts after 26 minutes when Stuart Oduro fired into the arms of Thompson, moments before they opened the scoring through Martin.
Palace capitalised on a misplaced pass at the back, with Martin picking up the loose ball and tapping past Thompson from close range.
Raihaan Anderson came close to doubling the hosts’ lead four minutes after Martin’s opener, but rolled his attempt from the left-hand side just wide of the far post.
Palace were made to rue that missed opportunity moments before the break as Boast got on the end of a six-yard box scramble, poking us level with just 30 seconds of regular time to go in the first half.
Carr’s side were boosted by Boast’s leveller just before the break, with a pair of substitutions just before the hour mark helping take control of the match.
Leon Myrtaj and Toju Wellspring were introduced in place of Miracle Adewole and Ronny Moncur, and helped execute a high press which the hosts struggled to deal with.
It gave Boast a chance to double his tally and give us the lead in the 64th minute, coming inside from the right after a turnover in possession high up the pitch, but his attempt was saved by the opposition goalkeeper.
Five minutes later, we created another opportunity from a turnover inside the opposition half. Reiss Elliott-Parris then got to the byline and whipped a ball across goal, but no one in Lilywhite was there to attack it.
Two more changes were made after 72 minutes, with Cameron Thomas and Armend Muslika coming on for Oscar Sandiford and Elliott-Parris as we pushed for a winner.
But the battle ended in a draw with neither side able to find a late goal. The hosts came the closest through David Angibeaud, who put an effort inches wide after 85 minutes, before Thompson got down to deny substitute Milo Bernard with two minutes of the 90 remaining.
In the tenth added minute, the opposition were reduced to ten players after Jasper Judd received a second yellow card for a foul on Boast, but the outcome remained the same through the final few minutes.
"This game had tonnes of things that you'll see in the men's game that you probably don't always see in academy football. It's great for our lads to come up against that"
Carr was pleased with the way that his side responded after a disappointing opening 45 minutes: “The second-half performance was pleasing. We saw a lot of things that we wanted to address from the first half in play in the second half, which was great. I think the standout piece for us was the general competitiveness from the boys when we're playing against a team that plays a little bit different style than us. It challenged us in certain areas that we don't always get in our games programme, so it was really, really good for the boys to be tested from that point of view.”
He then went on to explain how a battle like this is a great learning point for the players: “This game had tonnes of things that you'll see in the men's game that you probably don't always see in academy football. It's great for our lads to come up against that, and even in those moments like when Boasty has to tap it in and fight and scramble, and in the skirmishes, we ended up being able to be competitive. There are loads of things to take from it, but also loads to work on.
“There weren’t a million chances for us to convert, but I thought with the amount of set plays we had, we maybe would have created something,” he said.
“Overall, I think, we didn't always show enough quality to create and score enough chances, particularly in the second half when we found that we were on top, and that's probably one of the areas that we'll look to reflect on during the week.”
Attention now turns to the second north London derby of the season at Arsenal’s London Colney on Tuesday, 17 February, where Carr’s side will be looking to make it five games unbeaten in the U18 PL.
Oliver Boast’s goal on the stroke of half-time secured a point for our Under-18s in their U18 Premier League fixture away to Crystal Palace.
The hosts, who sit second in the southern section of the division, took the lead through Donte Martin after 27 minutes, who pounced on a misplaced pass and converted past Dylan Thompson from close range.
Palace had the chances to double their lead before the break, but were unable to take them and were punished when Boast was there to push the ball goalwards from close range, beating goalkeeper Lucca Benetton.
Jamie Carr’s side responded well to the goal just before the break and looked the most likely side to claim all three points in the second half, but were forced to settle for a draw, which keeps us in third place on goal difference.
We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Igor Tudor as Men’s Head Coach until the end of the season, subject to work permit.
Igor joins us with a clear focus: to improve performances, deliver results and move us up the Premier League table. His mandate is straightforward – bring organisation, intensity and competitive edge to the squad at a decisive stage of the campaign.
Speaking about his arrival, Igor said: “It is an honour to join this Club at an important moment.
“I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.
“There is strong quality in this playing squad, and my job is to organise it, energise it and improve our results quickly.”
On the appointment, Sporting Director Johan Lange said: “Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience of stepping into challenging moments and producing impact.
“Our objective is straightforward – to stabilise performances, maximise the quality within the squad and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League.”
A Serie A title-winner with Juventus as a player and former Croatia international, Igor has regularly delivered improvements following mid-season appointments.
After spells with a range of clubs including Galatasaray, Udinese, Hajduk Split and Hellas Verona, Igor led Marseille to a third-place Ligue 1 finish in 2022/23, securing Champions League qualification.
In March 2024, he joined Lazio, delivering a strong finish to their Serie A campaign to secure Europa League qualification, and most recently at Juventus, guided them to the Champions League having arrived in March 2025.
Our Women’s Under-19s begin their Capital Cup campaign with a trip to Dulwich Hamlet on Sunday afternoon (2pm UK) at Champion Hill in the first round of the competition.
Following a positive few weeks in the Professional Game Academy League, where our youngsters sit fourth in the table and just five points off leaders Leicester City, attention now turns to the senior cup as we begin our journey in the competition against the FA Women’s National League Division One South East side.
Dulwich, who are currently eighth in their league and unbeaten in five games in all competitions, progressed from the preliminary round after a 4-0 win over Millwall Lionesses last month.
We faced the south-east London side in the semi-final of competition last season, where our youngsters put in a spirited performance against the senior side but fell short in the end, as we suffered a 2-1 defeat at Champion Hill.
Supporters will be able to attend the fixture at Champion Hill, with tickets priced at £5.30 for adults (aged 18-64), £2.80 for Concessions (aged 65 and over) and free for Under-13s. Tickets will be available to buy on the day but, please note, that the stadium only accepts card payments.
Watch | Academy player Nife Aramide reflects on the season so far
Under-19s Head Coach Sabiha Jamal will be able to call upon a number of players that are currently on dual registrations in the FA Women’s National League, including Kendra Brown, Cruz Fuller-Fagan, Beatrice Cunnison, Erin Radbourne, Grace Breen and Jhanaie Pierre. Midfielder Ruby Gaitely and defender Blue Bartlett-Antwi will be unavailable for the cup tie.
Having competed in the FA Women’s National League Cup earlier this season, where our Under-19s reached the knockout stages of the Plate, Sabiha feels the squad is in a ‘better place’ to go toe-to-toe with senior opposition this time around.
“It’s massive for this group of players,” she told us. “We obviously played against senior opposition earlier in the campaign, but I think this game is bigger now that we’ve spent more time as a group since.
“I feel the squad is a better place and, having faced those senior sides previously, hopefully the team can go into this weekend game with not many nerves around it and the feeling that they can compete – as shown in the FAWNL Cup. However, we remember being at Dulwich last season, that noise, that fanbase is something that a lot of players are not used to. We know how tough Sunday will be against an in-form side, but we’re excited to test ourselves once again.”
One of our great players of the modern era, Jan was back in N17 for a weekend of nostalgia with his family that included a trip up the Dare Skywalk, speaking to his adoring fans at half-time and watching us come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Manchester City - and an exclusive interview for us with presenter and Spurs fan, Ben Haines.
One of only 17 players to reach 200-plus appearances for us in the Premier League and one of only 10 to make over 50 appearances for us in Europe, Jan is also Belgium's record appearance maker with 157 caps between 2007-2024, including winning bronze at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Forming a formidable central defensive partnership with compatriot Toby Alderweireld, Jan made 120 appearances of a possible 152 as we finished third, runners-up, third and fourth in the Premier League between 2015/16 and 2018/19. He also started 10 of 13 matches as we reached the UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool in 2019, producing one of the great performances topped with a goal as we beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the Round of 16, first leg at Wembley.
Jan signed off with appearance 315 against Newcastle during the Premier League's return in the 2020 COVID pandemic at St James’ Park on 15 July, 2020. Sadly, there were no fans at his final matches in Lilywhite – making his appearance at half-time with Paul Coyte all the more special.
After Spurs, he had spells at Benfica - where he won the Primeira Liga title in 2022/23 - and Anderlecht, where he played for two seasons before retiring at the end of 2024/25.
Watch | 2016/17 team in full flow...
Do you remember a period when you think we were at our best?
Jan: “I do. It was not the year when we went to the Champions League final. That was 2019. I would say it was around 2016/17 and when we just went on the pitch, it was not the question of if we were going to win the game, but just how much. We really felt unbeatable. It took us a couple of games to get that same feeling at Wembley. At the end, we went there and created that same feeling. It was not our own stadium, but we made it our own. We had a season where we went unbeaten at home. It was the best team, the best spirit and the best physical team I've ever played in.”
You say about that feeling of ‘we're going to win today’, but it didn't feel arrogant, it felt like that was a side that was supremely confident…
Jan: “I don't think we came across as arrogant, ever. If I speak to people who are not particularly fans of Spurs, or even rivals, I'm not saying that's a good thing - everyone liked us - but we didn't have ‘dogs’ or whatever in that team. We were still a very aggressive and entertaining team to watch, very physical, but very attacking and great, great players as well.”
Coming tomorrow...
Part 3 | Battle of the Bridge!
We make the trip to Villa Park to face Natalia Arroyo’s Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s all the pre-match information you need...
What times does the match start?
The game begins at 12noon UK time.
How can I watch the game?
Supporters in the UK will be able to watch the game live on Sky Sports’ and WSL’s YouTube channel.
If you’re following us from overseas, check out here to see if the game is live in your area.
As always, our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app will bring you full live text throughout the game, keeping you fully up-to-date with the action as it happens.
Video highlights will be available on club channels 10 minutes the full-time whistle, alongside all the post-match reactions.
What is the team news?
Maika Hamano is back in contention after being ineligible for last weekend’s London derby against Chelsea due to her loan agreement with her parent club.
Midfielder Drew Spence continues to serve her three-match suspension – this will be her second game – and defender Charlotte Grant remains out, but Martin Ho says she could return next week for the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
Ella Morris, Jess Naz, Maite Oroz and Luana Buhler remain long-term absentees.
Who is the referee?
Sunday’s game will be refereed by Kirsty Dowle.
Daniel Skyes and Zeyad Ahmed will serve as her assistants, with Adewumni Soneye as the fourth official.