Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to face Newcastle United on Saturday, Ange Postecoglou addressed the media at Hotspur Way and issued a rallying cry for fans to also turn out and support the women’s team on Sunday.
It’s a big weekend for the club, with the men’s first team looking to solidify their grasp on the top four before the women’s team contest their first-ever Adobe Women’s FA Cup semifinal against Leicester City on Sunday.
That clash has been moved to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Postecoglou was asked for his thoughts on the performances of the women’s team throughout the season. The Australian has reportedly spoken with his managerial counterpart, Robert Vilahamn, on a number of occasions.
‘I think Rob and the girls have been outstanding this year. You’ve got to remember that they’ve had a disappointing year last year, and Rob has come in and he’s changed a lot of things in terms of their football. I can see that they’re building some real belief,’ said Postecoglou.
Embed from Getty Images‘Look, it’s the semifinal of a cup and it’s great that it’s at the [Tottenham Hotspur] stadium and I’m sure the girls will get plenty of support and they’ve had a great deal of belief to get to this point. You need that for a cup run and hopefully that comes out again at the weekend and they get through to a final, which would be great for them and great for our club.’
Postecoglou has a tough task on his hands too, with Spurs keen to emphasise that they don’t expect Saturday’s clash on Tyneside to be an easy match. ‘I don’t think it’s about ladder positions right now,’ he explained. ‘It’s about knowing that you’re going into a game on the weekend against an opponent who’ll be determined to gain something for themselves and we’ve got to gain something from that.’
The Lilywhites will be without Richarlison for Saturday’s trip though, who is ‘close’ to returning to full fitness. ‘But with the weekend off next week, and with the last two rounds stacked with games for us, we feel having him ready for that is more important, but he’s progressing quite well,’ assured Postecoglou.
