Tottenham is experiencing the worst season in the Premier League era. Ange Postecoglou's teachers and students lost 19 matches after 34 rounds and certainly could not lower the season with the position in the upper half of the rankings. However, in the Europa League, Spurs are wide in the final entrance when they defeated Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in the semi-final first leg at home. Earlier, they also defeated very rivals like AZ Alkmaar or Eintracht Frankfurt.
If they reach the final stage at San Mames, Tottenham will have their biggest match since the 2019 Champions League final (losing 0-2 to Liverpool). If they win, Spurs' image will completely reverse, from the abyss to heaven.
To achieve the success they have had so far, Spurs have accepted to change their identity to serve their purposes. Postecoglou no longer allows his players to play defensive games. Instead, the "Roosters" showed a rough face, accepting to proactively defend from the start against all opponents, then finding an opportunity to finish.
Discipline in playing style is being promoted above all. This can be seen from Postecoglou's choice of personnel to play. Lucas Bergvall was out with an ankle injury during training. Postecoglou was not replaced by Pape Matar Sarr or Dejan Kulusevski, he chose Yves Bissouma. The 28-year-old star has repaid all that trust, giving his best performance since the start of the season. Together with Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield, Bissouma blocked most of Bodo/Glimt's attacks.
Against Bodo/Glimt, on the left wing, instead of choosing Mathys Tel as his last four or Wilson Odobert, Postecoglou trusted Richarlison. This is the Brazilian striker's first left-wing start for Spurs since October 2023. He took advantage of his physical strength in the breakthroughs into the box. Richarlison took only 38 seconds to win the close-range aerial match, thereby helping Brennan Johnson score the opening goal.
After scoring, Tottenham were very patient in still giving up the game to Bodo/Glimt because Postecoglou believed the Bentancur - Bissouma duo could stop all attacks from the away team. When Spurs regained the ball, they quickly pushed forward. Postecoglou knows Richarlison and Dominic Solanke have a physical advantage over their opponents. Meanwhile, James Maddison is always ready to stab directly into the penalty area. It was the English midfielder who scored the second goal for Spurs.
After Solanke put Tottenham up 3-0, everything was considered settled. After that, the home team somewhat declined and let the opponent score 1 goal. The gap is now 2 goals instead of 3. Therefore, the return match in Norway is not expected to be too easy for the English representative.
Tottenham had held Frankfurt to a draw at home but then beat the strong opponent away in the return leg in Germany. Bodo/Glimt will be played on familiar artificial turf in the cold climate of the northernmost part of Europe. Those will be challenges Tottenham must overcome before thinking about winning a title at the end of this month.
The match next week is Spurs' 13th Europa League match of the season. They are not always excellent but always find strength at the most necessary times. The "Roosters" have left a forgettable journey in the Premier League and turned all their attention to Basque country, where the final is awaiting ahead.
