Meet Tottenham Women’s new coach bidding to emulate Postecoglou magic
Ambitious Swede arrives at Spurs with big plans to transform the club into WSL and Champions League contenders
There are other Tottenham managers with a ravenous desire for taking on new tasks in addition to Ange Postecoglou.
Robert Vilahamn, a Swede, took over as manager of Spurs Women this summer after leaving Swedish club BK Hacken. On Sunday, he will face Chelsea in the team’s Women’s Super League (WSL) debut.
The 40-year-old Vilahamn shares Postecoglou’s drive to make his name at the top.
I was doing well in Sweden, but when I’m happy, Vilahamn says, “I want to move on.” The Women’s Super League is the greatest league in the world, and one of the clubs with the potential to be among the best in the world is Tottenham.
“We play the way I want us to, but there’s a long way to go because last season wasn’t the best and the players weren’t in the best shape,” said the coach.
Spurs narrowly survived relegation last season by seven points, but there is fresh hope going into the new season.
According to Vilahamn, “the same staff that recruited me also recruited Ange.” We probably play and lead similarly, Angel and I.
“Daniel Levy conducted my last interview, and the main topic of conversation was ensuring that the women’s squad is something we can be proud of. I have meetings with Ange, the academy coach, chief football officer Scott Munn, and head of football development Andy Rogers. I have a strong sense that everyone shares the same desires.
One of Vilahamn’s early decisions was to appoint Lionesses striker Beth England as the new Spurs captain, though the 29-year-old will miss the start of the season after hip surgery.
Ange Postecoglou and I probably play and lead in a similar way
“You look two years ago, they [Tottenham] finished fifth, but I think perhaps they didn’t play the best football,” says Vilahamn. “Finishing fifth was a bit of a [false position].
“In the long run, we want to make sure we’re a team developing young players to make sure we can compete in the Champions League and for titles. I don’t think we can be like Arsenal and Chelsea and buy 10 players every year, we need to recruit cleverly.”
