Robert Vilahamn has hinted that he is set to analyse Eveliina Summanen's potential as a centre-back after the Finnish midfielder played an unconventional role in Tottenham Hotspur's 3-2 win against Sheffield United.
The 25-year-old, who was making her first appearance since suffering an injury away to Manchester City at the end of November, regularly plays for Tottenham in the middle of the park, partnering Olga Ahtinen at the start of the season.
However, due to injuries, Vilahamn tweaked her role to become a centre-back. It played a part in Tottenham's last-gasp win against Sheffield United.
Goals either side of half-time from Sophie Haywood and Jessica Sigsworth looked to have put Sheffield Utd on the verge of a shock fourth-round FA Cup win. Yet two goals from Bethany England - and then a well-placed chip from Rosella Ayane in the 96th minute - secured victory for the hosts.
Post-match, Vilahamn provided a quick update on Grace Clinton and Martha Thomas, both of whom missed the match through illness and injury.
"Grace is a bit sick. Martha is struggling a bit with her hamstring; she’ll probably train on Tuesday," he stated.
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“Eveliina is a very smart player"
Summanen has played a key part in Tottenham's WSL campaigns in recent years. She is capable of dictating the tempo of the match with her precise passing and pressing.
She was one of Spurs' star players during their start to the season before injury cut her form shot. Her return against Sheffield Utd highlighted her versatility, which Vilahamn believes could be crucial for the team.
The Swede stated: “Eveliina is a very smart player. She can play many positions. Amy [Turner] had a hit on her foot and Luana [Bühler] needs one more week. Shelina [Zadorsky] and Grace [Pearse] are on loan. We worked with Eveliina this week as she’s coming back from injury. It’s good to play as a centre-back and see how she can deal with that. We have a lot of good players in central midfield right now.
"I wanted to check how that could work. We’re going to analyse this and see if she can be an option. It was the first try to see because Eveliina is very important to this team. I like to have her on the ball. If she plays centre-back, she can do stuff on the ball that I like. She needed to work on her jumping and working with the defence line, which could be key.
"The way we want to play, we need players. If you look at it, I want tens, sixes and eights - and I want sixes and eights as centre-backs because I want good ball holders on that side. Sometimes I want [Angharad] James on the right because she’s good on the ball. We need to find the right players who can take one step back and deal with it. [Kit] Graham is nailing it for example. For us to have this squad and the development in it, we need to find ways to develop players in positions and in new positions."
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"Sheffield Utd showed that they can defend very well"
Sheffield Utd currently sit eighth in the Women's Championship, overshadowed in recent months by the investigation regarding Maddy Cusack's death.
Manager Jonathan Morgan had not taken charge of a match since the 17th September due to the club's investigation into the death of Cusack. The celebrations with the squad for both goals showed togetherness, whilst their performance on the pitch left fans in attendance impressed.
Like others, Vilahamn was impressed, suggesting that their high press caught Spurs by surprise.
He said: “The whole game was high pace. I think Sheffield Utd showed that they can defend very well with a high press and that they’re a very good team when they’re that sharp. I think we were a little bit surprised by that and it took a while to actually deal with it and understand how to play against it. When you bring that back and win the game, then it’s still a good game and you get energy from the fans. But the first half was not a good half for us.
"We had a week with a few players dropping off just because of sickness and a small feeling. I knew some of the players couldn’t play 90 minutes. It’s always hard when you’re going to compete with the squad and know you can’t play 90 minutes. I feel in the end the finishing level was really good. The starting 11 didn’t work for us but we looked better in the second half."
Meanwhile, Vilahamn was impressed by the togetherness his side showed in the second half.
“If you look at top teams, they learn how to win. They want to win in a certain way, but sometimes it doesn’t work. You need to find ways to win those games, otherwise you’re not a top team and you’re not going to go far in the cup. I think this shows that they don’t give up. You can tell the players coming in were very determined to turn it around. They showed character and a winning culture. I love to see that," he said.
