Robert Vilahamn believes Molly Bartrip should be in contention to be called up to the England squad due to her qualities ‘in and out of possession.’
Sarina Wiegman was watching Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Liverpool at Brisbane Road from the stands, paying particular attention to Grace Clinton – who received a call-up. However, Vilahamn believes Bartrip should also be focused on in the coming weeks.
Tottenham let a 1-0 lead slip again in the WSL, with Sophie Roman Haug’s second-half header cancelling out Celin Bizet’s stunning solo goal midway through the first half. The Swede was ‘impressed’ by the winger, suggesting that it is ‘exactly how I want her to work.’
Vilahamn also provided an update on Luana Buhler and Olga Ahtinen, who both went off injured against Liverpool.
“Bühler had a feeling in her hamstring, so we didn’t want to take a gamble. I wanted to give the chance to Amy Turner to play 45 minutes. Hopefully, she’ll be back next week. Olga, I don’t really know. I saw her get hit but I don’t know anything else. I’m praying she’s fine. Yeah [I was concerned]. She was in pain and had to be carried off,” he suggested.
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“Football is about winning”
The match against Liverpool brought flashbacks back to Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Everton last week, where – in similar fashion – they let a 1-0 lead slip in a lapse of concentration.
It leaves Spurs unbeaten since their opening-day loss to Chelsea but missing out on four possible points in the last two matches. Vilahamn was disappointed with the result, but he is still impressed by the improvement the team have shown this season.
He said: “I think the result and the feeling is bad, absolutely. We have a 1-0 lead in both games and we don’t really [finish off] those games. We actually had the ball and created chances. But on the other hand, we look quite good when we play. We create goal-scoring chances, so where we are in the phase, I’m happy actually.
"We play good football, create chances and players are developing. But football is about winning, so we need to learn how to win. It takes time but right now we’re struggling to win games, but the girls are brilliant.”
“The way we want to dictate the game [is an improvement]. We don’t want to kick long when the opponent presses us high. There were a few moments in the first half where we were a little bit stressed, but if you look at the second half, we were brave enough to play into these kinds of spaces. Grace Clinton. The way we have the ball that much and create chances our way [is an improvement].
"We want to press them high at all times and we’re brave to stand with a high block. The third [improvement] is the quality of the passes and combinations. I think the relations in this starting eleven are very good. Kit Graham came in – taking over from Drew – and that’s nice to see, knowing people can come in, take over and do the same stuff. We’re going to be even better in the future, but at the moment it is actually quite good.”
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Vilahamn ‘very impressed’ by Bizet
Before today, Bizet had not registered a goal contribution in the WSL all season, with Martha Thomas, Clinton and Spence often taking the limelight. Yet against Liverpool, it was finally her time to shine, with her dazzling solo goal giving Spurs the lead.
Vilahamn was impressed by Bizet, adding she has developed from last week’s underwhelming performance.
“Very impressed. She was unhappy last performance when I took her off, so we had a little meeting about that, but she needed to develop and she did that the whole week. She took that ball and had a good finish [today]. That’s exactly how I want her to work, so overall she was brilliant for 90 minutes and was a threat all the time. Good game – wonderful goal,” he suggested.
Vilahamn later added that Bizet’s partnership with Thomas – who drew defenders out of possession for the goal – is key.
He said: “I think when you’re that mature, she understands she needs to do stuff for others, so it’s so useful. Young players sometimes want the ball, so you just want them to get it. The young players in this team can look at Martha and learn lots.”
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“She should be on that list”
Molly Bartrip has excelled under Vilahamn’s new era and guidance. The vice-captain has led by example while Bethany England has been out injured – impressing her manager.
Vilahamn believes Wiegman should consider the centre-back for the next England squad, who was at the match in preparation for the international break.
He said: “I think Molly Bartrip is brilliant. I think she’s so good. Both in possession and out of possession, I think she’s been consistently good every minute this year. I’m not really sure how good the other options are in the national team, but I think she should be on that list to perhaps be in that squad.”
Vilahamn later added that regular England squad member Beth England is still a few more weeks away from featuring for Spurs.
“She’s taking steps and training more with the ball. I hope it’s just a few more weeks until we have her training with me and then it’s about how quickly she can get in the form to actually play. A few more weeks,” he suggested.
