Aston Villa Women fans all say the same thing about Natalia Arroyo sack after Tottenham rout
Aston Villa Women fans are all calling for Natalia Arroyo to be sacked after being thrashed by Tottenham on Sunday.
Villa fell behind in the 10th minute through Tottenham’s Signe Gaupset before Kirsty Hanson equalised six minutes later at Villa Park. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the home team.
The visitors went into the break with a two-goal cushion thanks to Bethany England’s deflected strike and an Olivia Holdt effort.
Hope of a comeback was sparked through Oriane Jean-Francois’ strike, but mere seconds later, Cathinka Tandberg restored Tottenham’s two-goal cushion.
Tottenham then raced away to secure a thumping 7-3 win in front of 2,563 fans as ninth-placed Villa lost for the fourth game in a row in the Women’s Super League. Now, fans have vented their anger.
Aston Villa fans fear relegation as Natalia Arroyo slammed
Former Real Sociedad Femenino boss Arroyo joined Villa in January 2025 on a three-and-a-half-year deal, and in her first season in charge, she guided the club to a sixth-placed finish.
Last term, Villa finished 15 points clear of the relegation zone, but this season, they are just seven points clear of bottom-of-the-table Leicester City.
While the Foxes do have a game in hand, it seems unlikely that Villa will be dragged into a relegation scrap with Leicester, Liverpool, and West Ham. But the Tottenham mauling was the final straw for many Villa fans.
Another Villa fan wrote on X: “Another appalling display. [Kirsty] Hanson, on her own, something is very wrong; either players or coaches or both need to change. Start of season went really well and downhill from then.”
And one Villa supporter tweeted, “Going backwards to how they were end of last season! Massive changes needed.”
This Villa fan commented, “I’ve never felt this embarrassed,” and another put, “Non-existent midfield, poor passing, shambolic tackling, no press, can’t win the second ball let alone the first. At least we scored three goals, though.”
Aston Villa told to promote coach and ex-Man City star to managerial role
One person who is being encouraged to become Villa’s next permanent manager is women’s first-team coach Shaun Goater.
The former Manchester City forward became Villa’s assistant head coach in August 2024, as he worked under manager Robert de Pauw.
But following the latter’s sacking, Goater was named caretaker boss that December and shone in the role. Indeed, before Arroyo was sworn in, he picked up 10 points from a possible 12 during his brief stint.
Now, some fans want Goater to take over.
Things could get even uglier for Arroyo and Villa as they host runaway league leaders Manchester City on 15 March.
However, the WSL breaks for a few weeks, potentially giving Villa the chance to regroup. And after the City game, they travel to lowly Leicester. Win that, and the pressure may ease on Arroyo. Lose it, and she could be dismissed.
This is in stark contrast to men’s manager Unai Emery, who is almost universally loved by Villa fans.
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