Cathinka Tandberg: ‘Spurs fans hate Arsenal. That’s how it is’

“It means more than just three points. It’s for the whole club. It’s for the whole place. It’s for the whole of Tottenham.” One only needs to be in the presence of Tottenham Cathinka Tandberg for a few minutes to feel the passion that emanates from her when it comes to this weekend’s north London derby. As a lifelong Spurs fan, the forward understands more than most the intensity of the rivalry that exists between her side and Arsenal, one that she cannot wait to experience once again on Saturday.

“It will just be an incredible feeling,” she tells Moving the Goalposts. “I think you will feel a few nerves that you maybe don’t feel in a normal game but that’s good.

“All the Spurs fans hate Arsenal and Arsenal hate Spurs. That’s how it is. You want to show that you’re the best team – simple as that. You just want to fight for the club, the badge and for the people around you.”

It has been a significant 13 months for the 22-year-old who made her dream move to London in September 2025. After catching the eye as a goalscorer in the Damallsvenskan at first Linköping and then Hammarby, the Norwegian was signed by Martin Ho on deadline day to bolster the team’s attacking options. She made her mark on her first start, scoring a spectacular 40-yard goal at Everton.

“I settled really well,” she reflects. “I’m really enjoying it and want to push myself forward. It’s been a tough start [to this season] and I haven’t really got what I wanted. But there’s loads of games left. I’m still young. I’m still improving and learning. I just have to trust the process and trust what I’m surrounded by.

“It’s a big difference from Sweden,” she continues. “You meet World Cup players week in, week out, so you have to perform every week if you want results. I feel like my physicality has changed a lot. I’ve got stronger and fitter. Playing under Martin has made me think more away from the goals. I think more about how I play with the ball, how I press and all of those things that I maybe didn’t focus on before … it’s a bit like Harry Kane. The older he gets, he has developed his game as well. He needed to be deeper in the pitch because that’s how they wanted to play and then he has to be better with the ball. That’s a bit how I also need to be. I can’t only just stand in the box. I need to be good everywhere else.”

Spurs have been transformed under Ho and finished fifth last season. However, with success comes expectation, ambitions that Tandberg clearly shares but with a sense of perspective.

“Tottenham has always been a Champions League club for me,” she says. “But I’m a fan so I can’t really talk for the other players. When I came to the club, I said that I want to get top three. But you also need to be realistic and to see where the team has been before. The transformation that Martin has done in a season is unbelievable. I don’t think anyone else could do that. That tells you everything about him. He’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve worked with and I think everyone that comes here, one of the reasons is because of him. We all trust him and the process.”

That faith is currently being tested. After an unbeaten start, Tottenham have suffered back-to-back defeats, conceding six goals to both London City Lionesses and Chelsea.

“You can call it a dip in form but I still feel like we also showed our qualities in those games,” Tandberg says. “It’s just about ourselves. We maybe need to change our mentality a bit, find that fire and dig a bit deeper when we play those top teams. I feel like maybe it’s good that it’s come because it had to at some point. It’s about how we respond.

“We also have to realise where this team has been. Two years ago, it was a relegation club. We need to realise how quickly it has [changed]. But, of course, we have expectations and levels that we want to come to and we know that we can. I feel like we’re working so well … we just have to believe in everyone.”

For Tandberg, putting that right against a struggling Arsenal in front of a home crowd would be the perfect tonic. “I’ve always been a passionate player and I’ve been a supporter,” she says. “I play for the supporters because I just enjoy it and I know how it is to be in the stands. I think [that connection] is very important because we have their back and they have ours. To give them something back is important and to show that we see and hear them every time.”

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