Matt Beard has called on his West Ham United side to show intensity and work hard in order to beat Tottenham Hotspur at Rush Green Stadium this weekend.
Beard’s Irons will take on Spurs in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup on Sunday, marking the second time in three weeks the two clubs will face off after the history-making league match at London Stadium.
Having watched his side enjoy a strong outing away to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, Beard says the Hammers must show the same heart and fight when Tottenham visit this weekend.
“Tottenham have had a great start to the season,” Beard told whufc.com. “When we played them at London Stadium, they came into the game after a 4-0 loss to Reading, and this time they’re coming into it after being beaten 3-0 by Manchester United. In that respect, they will be looking to respond, and we need to be conscious of that.
“The game at Brighton last week was our best performance of the season so far in terms of taking our chances. We restricted Brighton to long balls, and we didn’t drop our standards. We just played our game and that was the really pleasing thing. Some of the play was really good and we now need to take that intensity into this weekend’s match.”
London derbies are never easy games. We know we have the quality to hurt teams within this group of players we have; we just have to work hard and show it.
Matt Beard
Beard has been impressed with what he’s seen from Spurs this season, with the north London side playing their first campaign in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, and feels head coaches Karen Hills and Juan Amoros were fully deserving of winning the September Manager of the Month prize.
The West Ham United head coach knows his squad have the ability to get at Tottenham and reiterated the need for hard work.
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He continued: “I’ve known Karen Hills for a very long time. Her and Juan have got a very good squad with a good blend of youth and experience, and they’ve recruited very well.
“They have enjoyed a good start to the season and, in my opinion, they deserved to win that Manager of the Month award. They’re a really good team. They’re effective and they have a great balance.
“London derbies are never easy games. We have to show intensity. If we don’t, we’re going to lose games. We didn’t play that way in the last match against Tottenham. They probably outworked us. We know we have the quality to hurt teams within this group of players we have; we just have to work hard and show it.”
Beard confirmed that defenders Erin Simon and Laura Vetterlein will miss out this weekend due to injuries, and revealed fans in attendance could get a glimpse at some of the budding West Ham United stars of tomorrow from the Academy.
“Erin underwent surgery this week and Laura won’t be involved either due to a concussion from last weekend,” Beard added. “Hopefully everyone else will be fit and able to play.
“We’re looking to bring up some of the Academy kids that have been training with us for this game. They will work with us on Friday and Saturday and we will see about involving them this weekend. We have the opportunity to look at all the members of our squad with this game.”
