Spurs have scored 16 goals in five WSL games so far, joint-highest with league leaders Manchester City.
In his second season as coach of Tottenham Hotspur, Martin Ho continues to keep the team among early-season pace-setters. The form they have kept in the initial part of the 2026-27 season is proof of that.
However, a tough defeat against a reloaded London City Lionesses might have exposed that they still have lingering problems that are separating them from the top teams. Even so, that disastrous performance shouldn’t erase the evidence of a broader tactical improvement and better finishing.
Opta’s The Analyst report on Tottenham Hotspur dug into some of the stats, highlighting what we can expect from Ho’s team. If we compare the start of this season with last year, Tottenham has more than doubled their goals scored in five games (seven to 16). Nobody expected this team to be one of the league’s most prolific attacking sides and yet they’re doing so at an extraordinary rate.
Some of their most notable stats include their 42 shots against Crystal Palace (the opponent played with 10 players from the seventh minute) and their 35 shots against Aston Villa. That makes 77 shots in only two games, which speaks to how Spurs not only generated an extraordinary volume of shots but also repeated that attacking pressure in consecutive matches. They’re not always playing direct either with one attacking action consisting of 14 passes in total before a goal.
Ho’s team wasn’t just shooting because they could, nor were they simply scoring by luck. They were producing sustained pressure, getting players into the box and moving the ball forward with a purpose in mind.
Tottenham’s prolific attack in their first five games was not built on shot volume alone. They’re among the leaders in the league with a 14.1 xG and 20 big chances, while they ranked second in shots on target per match with 7.4.
The players behind their attack
Dutch international Victoria Pelova is Spurs’ finisher. With five goals and one assist in five games, she became joint-top scorer after the defeat against London City. Beyond her goals, she’s also recorded 24 touches in opposition penalty areas showing Pelova. Her finishing has been world-class, outperforming her personal xG of 1.48.
Danish international Olivia Holdt is another route to goal for Spurs. The 25-year-old tallied a hat-trick against Crystal Palace. Holdt is also leading the club in shots, shots on target, touches in the box and big chances since Ho took over.
What about Signe Gaupset? The Norwegian became the youngest player in the English league to create eight chances from open play in a single match. The 21-year-old is the creator behind the strong start creating 29 chances under Ho.
A reality check?
As much as Tottenham impressed everybody in those first four games, the match against the Lionesses was a completely different story.
London City generated 5.99 xG, but Tottenham still got into attacking positions. Actually, the number of shots from both teams wasn’t that different. Tottenham generated 18 shots to London City’s 21. The difference was the number of shots on target (only two to 10), which produced a 2.41 xG.
Ho spoke in the post-match press conference about the importance of winning first and second balls. He also said the decision-making was nowhere near the expected level and the team struggled to react to developing situations. He cited the opening goal scored by Alexia Putellas as an example, when London City scored on the rebound after the initial shot was saved.
“Against those types of players, if you don’t respond quickly enough and when she’s in those positions, she scores often,” Ho said.
The coach also pointed out the physicality, acknowledging that the opponent was stronger in individual battles.
Spurs’ early attacking output is a product of Ho’s style—more purposeful progression, sustained pressure and different players helping create chances. However, the defeat against London City Lionesses exposed their weak points and the gap that exists between them and the top four teams in the league. It was hard for them to look dominant and at the same time, compete physically and defensively against a high-quality attack.
Although they have two tough tests ahead of them, London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, maybe they figured out some of their issues during the international break. We will see if they learned one or two things from their defeat against London City and can have a better performance against their next top-flight opponent next Sunday.