Suffice to say, Tottenham Hotspur are not having the best of times in the WSL. They have lost all of their last seven games in the league – including defeats against teams in the bottom half of the table (West Ham and Reading).

Last season, Spurs exceeded everyone’s expectations as they secured a 5th-place finish in the WSL. Manager Rehanne Skinner was also nominated for the WSL’s manager of the year award, losing out to Chelsea’s Emma Hayes. So what has gone wrong?

Defensively, Tottenham have been distinctly below par this campaign. They have conceded 24 goals this season – meaning they are shipping an average of two goals each game.

They also lost a trio of key players in the summer – Rachel Williams, Angela Addison and Josie Green all departed the club during the transfer window. Another star player, Kit Graham, has also been out of the team with a long-term injury – she has only just returned to the active squad.

Spurs were also damaged when Ellie Brazil, signed in the summer, suffered an ACL injury that will keep her out of contention for the rest of the season.

While the addition of Beth England in January was inspiring, Spurs may have been better off if they had they invested in a rock-solid defender – rather than adding to their already-impressive attacking ranks.

They can certainly score goals – for example, they defeated Brighton by a score of 8-0 earlier in the season – and this was before they snapped up England’s services.

In summary, Spurs’ poor form is not entirely their fault. While they would have benefitted from signing a top-quality defender in January, there is little they could have realistically done to avoid their injury woes that have left their squad somewhat threadbare.

They may benefit from playing a more attacking style of football, committing more players forward. It will not sort out their defensive problems – it may even excarbate them – but they would at least be playing to their strengths.