Since the previous season, the tides have shifted, and Aston Villa is now behind Robert Vilahamn’s Lilywhites ahead of their midday match on Saturday.
Carla Ward is regarded highly in the Midlands, and with good reason—she led Aston Villa into the top half of the Barclays Women’s Super League league last season, earning her the title of genius.
Villa had only 21 points from 22 league games the previous season, which meant they had half of the points scored by fourth-place Manchester United.
Furthermore, there is no denying that Carla Ward’s team has improved significantly even if there were still ten points separating them from the top four at the end of the 2022–2023 season.
Villa’s success in the previous season provides for an intriguing plot, particularly in light of the notable decline in form that was observed throughout North London. Few would have predicted Tottenham Hotspur to be forced into a relegation fight the following season after finishing fifth in 2021–2022.
Unfortunately, though, football is a peculiar game. As these two teams are ready to play each other again on Saturday at Poundland Bescot Stadium, the stories have once again changed.
Aston Villa’s initial league games have proven to be a bad start, as Carla Ward acknowledged during her pre-game press conference on Thursday.
On the first day of the new season, her team played Manchester United. Although they had the lead, goals from Lucía García and Rachel Williams in the last minutes made sure that the home crowd’s cheers would be muted as the final whistle blew at Villa Park.
The following week, Liverpool easily defeated Aston Villa on Merseyside, but there were expectations that Carla Ward’s team may overcome their early-season misery on October 15 at the Emirates Stadium. They would run across an Arsenal team that was having form problems there as well.
However, much like on the first day, Maz Pacheco’s first goal wasn’t enough for Aston Villa. Arsenal secured all three points by conceding twice in the final moments of the match, leaving the visitors with no points in the standings—though they aren’t really last, since Bristol City has a better goal differential.
There is hope that Robert Vilahamn is able to turn things around in the Lilywhite half of North London, and if the early season results are any indication, it looks like he is.
On the first day of the WSL, Spurs too faced tough opposition and lost at Stamford Bridge; yet, the Lilywhites displayed incredible quality with their effort. If Martha Thomas had been a bit more proficient in front of goal, Vilahamn might have made history with a disastrous upset in his league debut.
However, they have subsequently figured out how to win; they defeated Brighton at the AMEX after winning easily over Bristol City, a team that was new to the league.
Less than a month into the domestic season, Tottenham Hotspur has already established a formidable reputation. Add the six-goal rout of Reading in the Conti Cup to the mix, and it’s simple to understand why.
Rachel Daly has only scored one goal in her team’s first three games, maybe as a result of Aston Villa’s sluggish start to the season.
It’s not a poor return by any means, but Carla Ward’s England international will be crucial to the team’s success if she wants to go up the table and comfortably make it to Christmas. Her goals are practically a must for this Villa team.
Spurs of Tottenham: Grace Clinton
Grace Clinton has had an incredible season thus far. She came to North London on a loan from Manchester United and has since flourished. Her spectacular goal against Brighton helped Spurs win three points against the Seagulls.
The 20-year-old was asked to join the England team for their two UEFA Nations League matches against Belgium at the end of the month, demonstrating that Sarina Wiegman has taken notice of his undeniable graft.
Kirsty Hanson, the Scottish international who received a red card against Manchester United, is scheduled to serve the last game of her three-game suspension, thus Carla Ward will still be without her.
Kenza Dali, a French player who is still recovering from a knee injury she suffered at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, will also be absent for Villa. But she’s “back on the grass” and will be joining the team again after the forthcoming international break.
Following her absence from the team due to illness last week, Georgia Mullett has rejoined.
Van Domselaar, Pacheco, Turner, Corsie, Patten, Mayling, Staniforth, Nobbs, Leon, and Daly are the players for Aston Villa.
Tottenham Hotspur: Clinton, Thomas, Bizet Ildhusøy; Summanen, Ahtinen, Spence; Neville, Bartrip, Bühler, James
The Poundland Bescot Stadium will host the game. Although this is Aston Villa Women’s customary home field, they will be playing there for the first time this season following two away days and a game at Villa Park.
