As the 2024-25 Women’s Super League season enters its final stretch, Tottenham Hotspur find themselves languishing in 6th place, a far cry from the lofty expectations set after last term’s promising 6th place finish and FA Cup final appearance. With inconsistent performances plaguing their campaign, Spurs are at risk of sliding backwards rather than building on that impressive foundation. The question is, what’s gone wrong for Tottenham this season, and can they turn it around before it’s too late?
Lacking Cutting Edge in Attack
One of the most glaring issues hampering Spurs’ progress has been their blunted attacking threat. The summer departures of creative fulcrum Grace Clinton and electric winger Celin Bizet to Manchester United left gaping holes that haven’t been adequately filled. New signings like Hayley Raso and Maite Oroz were meant to provide fresh impetus, but Oroz’s lengthy injury layoff disrupted those plans.
The numbers paint a stark picture – Tottenham have managed a meager 19 goals in 13 WSL games, half the tally of leaders Chelsea. Without the ingenuity of Clinton and Bizet, Spurs’ forward line of Martha Thomas, Jess Naz and Beth England often find themselves starved of quality service. Head coach Robert Vilahamn must find a way to reignite their stuttering attack if they hope to salvage something from this season.
You need to remind yourself that if you think that you’re going to dominate the possession and goal chances against the best teams in the league, we are not there yet.
– Tottenham head coach Robert Vilahamn
Defensive Frailties Proving Costly
While Tottenham’s attack has sputtered, their rearguard hasn’t fared much better. Only basement side Crystal Palace have shipped more goals than the 26 Spurs have conceded in 13 matches. It’s a damning statistic for a side with aspirations of gatecrashing the top four.
Injuries to key defenders like Eveliina Summanen, Amy James-Turner, and Ella Morris certainly haven’t helped matters. The summer addition of Clare Hunt was intended to solidify their backline, but consistency has been elusive. If Spurs are to haul themselves up the table, shoring up their leaky defense is non-negotiable.
Chasm to WSL Elite Growing
Perhaps the starkest reality check for Tottenham is the widening gulf between themselves and the WSL’s top four – Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Spurs have been roundly outclassed in meetings with that quartet, shipping 13 goals while scoring just 2.
Much of that disparity boils down to financial muscle. While Tottenham have recruited shrewdly on a budget, they simply can’t match the heavyweight spending of the league’s elite. Chelsea, for example, have obliterated the transfer record twice recently, becoming the first club to splash $1 million on a single player when they signed USWNT star Naomi Girma in January. Competing with that kind of firepower is a tall order for Spurs.
If you expect us to win against the top teams, it’s too early to expect that. You should have hope for it, you should aim for it, and we should try to do it. But if we don’t succeed with individual details and tactical details, we lose those games because those squads are much stronger than ours right now.
– Tottenham head coach Robert Vilahamn
Crunch Arsenal Clash Could Define Season
This weekend’s monumental North London derby against Arsenal takes on added significance given Tottenham’s travails. 5th-placed Arsenal have been a model of consistency and will provide a stern test of Spurs’ mettle. How Vilahamn’s side fare under the Emirates lights could go a long way to defining the narrative around their season.
A statement victory could light the touchpaper for a strong finish and re-establish forward momentum. Another meek surrender to their cross-city adversaries might only embolden the notion that Spurs are a club treading water while their rivals swim onwards.
Assessing Spurs’ Trajectory
Looking ahead, Tottenham’s priority must be recapturing the spark that made them such a compelling outfit last term. With five of their nine remaining WSL fixtures coming against bottom-half opposition, the opportunities are there to make up ground. Consistently dispatching the division’s lesser lights while causing an upset or two against the big guns could yet see Spurs match last season’s 6th-place finish.
Whether that would constitute progress or stagnation is open to interpretation. Without a deep FA Cup run to fall back on, Vilahamn may point to underlying metrics and a still-maturing squad to argue his side are on the right track, even if results have stalled. The Spurs faithful, however, could be forgiven for wanting to see more tangible signs of growth.
The coming weeks will go a long way to revealing the true trajectory of this Tottenham team. If they can get their act together at both ends of the pitch and bloody a few noses in the process, this season may yet be remembered as an important consolidation phase for a club on the up. But a limp conclusion played out to a backdrop of festering frustration would make it hard to escape the sense Spurs have stood still while the WSL’s best disappear over the horizon.
