How Tottenham became the WSL's surprise package in battle for Champions League qualification

It might sound reductive, but this fantastic season likely does not pan out the same way if Spurs had not started it with a 1-0 win over West Ham. Having ended the 2024-25 campaign on a 10-game winless streak, with their last victory in the WSL coming way back on January 26, it's no surprise that new head coach Martin Ho was concerned about where the group might be at psychologically coming into this campaign.

"When I first came in, we needed to lift [the players]," he explained, speaking before the winter break.

After all, he had little doubt about the ability and talent in the group. In the squad Ho inherited from previous coach Robert Vilahamn, 13 players were part of the team that reached the FA Cup final and finished sixth in the WSL in the 2023-24 campaign, just one place and one point off the club's best-ever season in the top-flight.

"There's a lot of talent in the staff and players here," Ho added. "[I] just needed to give them processes to enable them to work and a framework to perform."

Nothing underlines that existing talent more than the fact that Spurs made just two signings in the summer window. Ho didn't come in and sign a whole new team; rather, he assessed what he had at his disposal and has given them what they needed to be able to perform and get results.

Though Spurs only made two summer signings, both have been excellent.

Toko Koga, the Japan international who only turned 20 last month, has been one of the best defenders in the division this season, showing a maturity that belies her age, while Cathinka Tandberg, who arrived just three days before the WSL season got underway, has made a telling contribution with four goals and two assists from just seven starts.

Five players have since arrived in a much busier winter window, giving Spurs a boost midway through this extremely promising season. Signe Gaupset, the much-sought after Norway international, is the stand out recruit, but all of the new arrivals have the potential to be very impactful.

While the chances of securing the services of Gaupset were boosted by Ho having coached the 20-year-old in his previous role, at Brann, she certainly would not have chosen north London had Spurs not impressed as a club and a team this season.

So, how has Ho revived this group? A lot of it is down to the playing style.

"I would say he's brought a lot of intensity. He's got a style of play which suits our players quite well. We're probably fitter than we've ever been. We're moving a lot more freely and just playing much better football and actually finding that belief within [ourselves] to be able to do the job that is asked," Bethany England, Spurs' captain and star striker, told GOAL just before the winter break.

"I think before, we were kind of, I'd say, a little bit lost in searching for that direction. But Martin's obviously done a great job since coming in and his assistants he's brought in, Lawrence [Shamieh] and Adam [Jeffery], are amazing technical people that are helping the girls improve every day as well. I think it's been an all-round effort, really, but I think the girls have really bought into what he wants and how he wants to play. and it is suiting us."

The improvements that playing style has made is evident in the numbers. Spurs are much more adaptable this season, able to fluidly switch between a back-three and a back-four depending on what is needed, while the double-pivot in midfield of Eveliina Summanen and Drew Spence has been vital in protecting that back line so that the full-backs, or wing-backs, can really get involved in the attack.

As England noted, this approach suits the players in the squad and, as a result, Tottenham have been much better in both halves. Last season, only Crystal Palace, who were relegated, conceded more goals than Spurs, who kept just two clean sheets in their 22 WSL outings. This season, the north London side have only conceded 19 goals in their 14 games, to sit a respectable sixth in that column, while keeping five clean sheets in 14 outings to date. Only Chelsea, with arguably the world's best goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton, between the sticks have shut teams out more often.

It's worth noting, also, that Ho has played the same goalkeeper in every league fixture so far. Last year, for varying reasons, Vilahamn used three different shot-stoppers, something which can impact the cohesion and understanding at the back. Ho, though, has been able to entrust Lize Kop with the No.1 role on a full-time basis, and she has repaid that faith with some outstanding performances, to the degree that no team in the division has a more positive differential between their expected goals against statistic and their actual goals against than Spurs.

In attack, the numbers are particularly interesting, as Tottenham aren't actually shooting more or creating a greater number of chances; they're just being a lot more clinical. In fact, per 90 minutes, Spurs are having marginally fewer shots and shots on target than last season.

Yet, in an attack that encourages the forwards to interchange positions and seek out pockets of space, they're scoring 1.35 goals per game, a noteworthy increase on the one per game of last season. Combine that with a much-improved defence, and it has led to better results.

Spearheading it all is an exciting and infectious leader, in Ho. The 35-year-old was always highly thought of when he worked as the assistant to Marc Skinner at Manchester United, and he showed why in his time at Brann, leading the Norwegian side to an unlikely Champions League quarter-final where they would give a good account of themselves against three-time winners Barcelona.

Now, the energy, enthusiasm and - underpinning it all - knowledge that he brings to the table is inspiring another unlikely success story.

To lift the confidence in players, to get individuals to buy into your vision, a leader must be charismatic and respectable, and Ho clearly is. He deserves credit, too, for how his players have bounced back from disappointments, such as the 3-3 draw at United or the recent loss to Liverpool.

Spurs have not lost back-to-back games all season, and that's a testament to the resilience and work ethic in this group, something both the staff and the players should get a lot of plaudits for.

Spurs have achieved nothing yet. Indeed, at this stage last season, the north London side were sixth in the WSL table, before a dreadful run of results saw them plummet to 11th by the campaign's end. Given that experience, the players will know full well that they cannot rest on their laurels.

But nothing about this team suggests there is any danger of complacency. It's quite the opposite, in fact. This season is seen as a foundation being laid for greater things to come down the line, rather than being the ceiling of what Spurs can achieve.

"We’re not even 15 percent of the way to where I want us to be," Ho told the Guardian last month. "We’ve seen some solid performances, but we’re nowhere near the finished article. I’m really excited about what’s ahead and the ambitions of the club."

And yet, it is by no means ridiculous to suggest this season could see Tottenham qualify for the Women's Champions League for the very first time. It's not going to be easy for them to get there, but Ho's side have nailed down a consistency across the season that no team outside of that 'big four' has managed yet, something necessary in order to stake a real claim for a top-three finish.

If Spurs can get a result on Sunday against Chelsea, it would make that European dream much more realistic. But even if they fall short against one of the very best teams in the world, and even if they can't quite sneak into those Champions League places this year, that won't change the fact that this Tottenham team looks to have an extremely bright future.