A 3-0 scoreline would have felt a lot different than a 3-1 advantage, but nevertheless Tottenham Hotspur is in decent position heading into Thursday’s second leg against Bodo/Glimt. A dominant first half in North London was followed up by a less impressive 45 minutes, allowing the underdogs to stay afloat in the tie and giving both sides (varying levels of) work to do in Norway.
Spurs obviously have the easier task, simply needing to hang onto the lead, but executing it will be anything but easy. Glimt have a distinct homefield advantage and will throw everything at Ange Postecoglou’s side, desperate to seize the momentum and potentially spring the upset. The stakes are massive on Thursday, but Tottenham absolutely can and should be the ones to advance.
Semifinals (2nd Leg): Bodo/Glimt (1) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (3)
Date: Thursday, May 8
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Aspmyra Stadion, Bodo, Norway
TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 2 (UK)
Aside from the pitch and location — which clearly point to a benefit for the home side — the other key area that benefits Glimt is in personnel. Back are three starters from suspension, including two midfielders, while Tottenham is going to be without Lucas Bergvall and Heung-min Son, and now James Maddison as well. The Premier League side still has the stronger depth, but it will be missing more pieces from its preferred XI.
Without Bergvall and Maddison, Spurs are unlikely to dominate in midfield, even with Dejan Kulusevski (hopefully) returning to the starting lineup and Yves Bissouma coming off an outstanding outing last week. It was Glimt who actually won the possession battle in the first leg and will be the ones who hold the ball for much of this contest as well, especially given the teams’ available and unavailable midfielders.
It still might set up fine for Postecoglou, with his team likely only needing one goal to feel confident. There will be plenty of opportunities on the counter, and one successful finish is all it takes to really up the odds of a prosperous evening. Therefore, while both the team selection and tactics should lean heavily defensive (compensating for the lack of Bergvall, specifically), there is value in having some outlets who can capitalize on the break.
Meep meep
With that concept in mind, the real question is whether or not to start Richarlison again. Postecoglou’s gamble of starting him next to Dominic Solanke paid off, with the Brazilian assisting Brennan Johnson’s early goal last Thursday before being subbed off at halftime. Having these two forwards able to press the back line and hold up play with the ball should work again and makes a strong argument for not tinkering with something that worked well.
Additionally, starting Richarlison with the intention of replacing him with fresh legs makes a lot of sense given the bench. Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert would both be huge threats in the second half, exactly the type to run free against an aggressive side trying to find an equalizer. Having a couple players able to play the No. 9 is going to be much less important if Spurs are simply looking to see out the final 30 minutes of a match.
Should the worst case happen and Tottenham actually needs a goal itself, having these speedsters ready off the bench could be the difference maker, especially if the contest goes into extra time. Johnson, Tel, and Odobert can all get up the pitch quickly, and if Postecoglou needs some critical reinforcements, the non-starting wingers have the ability to make a late impact. I like Richarlison to start, but give the speedy wings plenty of minutes as well.