West Ham “need to be much better” on the ball, says head coach Rita Guarino.
· Yahoo Sports
The Hammers suffered a 3-1 defeat away against Spurs in their opening game of the WSL season, with a consolatory goal from Viviane Asseyi in added time providing little comfort.
Speaking after the match, West Ham coach Rita Guarino said that her team need to develop their style of play on the ball.
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She said: “Our identity is to fight for every single goal and be very aggressive on the ball, and something we need to improve a lot – it is a process I say – is a style of play with the ball. We need to be much better.”
The match began evenly, with neither team able to mount successful attacks.
However, Spurs recovered quickest with Norwegian midfielder Signe Gaupset volleying in Julie Blakstad’s header across the box in the 18th minute.
Their second came only ten minutes later. Former Aston Villa striker Kirsty Hanson scored twice on her debut to solidify Spurs’ win.
Guarino said: ““We started well in that direction and they were not comfortable to play, but if you concede two goals it is very difficult to come back.”
Guarino plans on taking the match as a learning curve and to “work every week to grow and learn something new. We know exactly where we are and where we want to go.”
“Our goal for the season is to implement what we did last year, and try to repeat the second part of the season where we got more points,” she added.
The Hammers have evolved since last year, however, with new star signings including Saki Kumagai, Laia Codina, Estelle Cascarino and Katie Zelem.
Guarino said: “We have changed a bit from last year where it was more focused on being sure and safe in the league. The defending part of the game, for us, is in our attacking point.”
By the end of the game, Tottenham Hotspur had registered 20 shots with eight on target, while West Ham had half that.
The West Ham coach acknowledged Spurs’ strength coming into the season.
She said: “They have high quality football. If their goal is to stay in the first position, they can. It’s hard because there are many other teams that are good enough to be in the top of the table, but they are a very good team.”