Paul Konchesky says that this weekend’s Barclays Women’s Super League match has added importance.
The Hammers make the short trip east to take on Tottenham Hotspur at The Breyer Group Stadium, and as somebody who has been involved in this fixture as a player, Konchesky knows it’s importance.
Indeed, it’s not just important because of the fact that it’s a London derby – this fixture allows for the east Londoners to pull further ground on their neighbours, whilst also closing the gap on those above.
And with the side looking to bounce back from their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last weekend, the boss believes that this is the perfect fixture for them to head into and bounce back in their final league game of the calendar year
We’re excited for the derby
A London derby is always a good match to come back into after a loss because it means that little bit more, particularly against Tottenham.
The players have responded really well out on the training pitch this week, and all of them know the importance of finishing well in the league before we pause over Christmas.
The players understand the importance of this fixture
Anybody connected with West Ham knows that it’s a big game – you always want to get one over on your rivals. We’ve got experienced players who have played in this fixture before, so they will pass on what it means to some of the younger ones.
It gives the game that little extra spark, and we want the bragging rights come the end of the season, so our aim to go out and get the job done on Sunday.
It’s a really good opportunity to keep the pressure on the teams around us
We were disappointed that we couldn’t do it last week, particularly with Tottenham slipping up. It would have meant that we could have put a little bit of a gap between them and us, but it wasn’t to be.
As I said in the post-match last weekend, we know that we didn’t start well enough in the game against Liverpool, which was uncharacteristic of us this season.
It’s important that we start well, particularly away from home to give us the best possible chance of coming away with all three points.
With two games to go before the break, we need to give it everything
We have aspirations of making sure that we finish as high as possible in the table, so we need to be picking up points against those around.
Tottenham have a good side, and we need to make sure that we compete for every ball and put a lot of pressure on their goal when we can.
