Tottenham Hotspur managed a late comeback last night in Norway to secure a 2-2 draw with Bodo Glimt in their second Champions League outing of the 2025/26 campaign.
At one stage, it looked certain as though Thomas Frank’s men would be heading for a defeat after the hosts established a two-goal lead with just 24 minutes remaining.
However, Micky van de Ven’s goal and an own goal from Jostein Gunderson secured a point for the Lilywhites to maintain their unbeaten European record this season.
It was far from an impressive display by Frank’s men, but the Dane will no doubt be impressed by his side’s ability to come back from an almost certain defeat.
Despite the fightback, numerous starters failed to take advantage of the chance that had been handed to them, with the manager desperately needing to drop multiple of them from his side.
Brennan Johnson’s performance against Bodo Glimt
Over the last couple of weeks, Brennan Johnson has been dropped to the Spurs bench in somewhat controversial fashion, after scoring twice in his first two outings of the Premier League campaign.
However, the Welsh international was handed a recall to the side for the clash in the Champions League last night - subsequently having the perfect chance to stake his claim for a regular starting role again.
The 24-year-old was unable to take advantage of the opportunity handed his way, producing a performance to forget against the Norwegian outfit.
He featured for an hour of the contest, but failed to create any chances for his teammates, whilst only registering one effort on goal, but failed to direct it on target.
Johnson also failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles, whilst also being unable to find a teammate with any of his crosses - subsequently being replaced by Mohammed Kudus.
However, despite the winger’s dismal showing, he wasn’t alone in failing to impress, with one other starter unable to make the impact he would’ve craved.
The Spurs star who produced a 3/10 display
After winning the Europa League last season, it has handed a generation of Spurs supporters the chance to endure a new and memorable adventure across the continent following their team.
The victory on the opening day may not have been the most convincing display, but it did manage to kickstart their ambitions of going deep in one of the world’s biggest competitions.
However, the performance against Bodo Glimt was one the manager will want to forget in a hurry, but their ability to come back will please the manager somewhat.
However, just like Johnson, numerous players failed to deliver during the draw, with centre forward Richarlison another talent who had an evening to forget.
The Brazilian has been the Dane’s main talisman during the opening weeks of the season, but he may need to experiment with his options after the latest showing from the forward.
During his 90-minute display, the 28-year-old only managed a total of 10 touches - an average of one every nine minutes, with such a tally lower than goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who notched 46.
Richarlison also only managed to complete two passes, whilst also losing possession five times - an average of once every two times he made contact with the ball.
To further rub salt into his wounds, the attacker also missed a big chance, highlighting his wasteful nature despite having limited chances to make an impact in the final third.
As a result of his showing, the Brazilian was handed a measly 3/10 match rating by The Standard journalist Matt Verri - further highlighting his lack of quality in Norway.
After such a display, Frank simply must be left with no choice but to finally drop the attacker from his starting eleven, with Richarlison unable to build on his impressive form early on in the season.
It’s clear that reinforcements are still needed in such a department, but if the club are to be successful in the short-term, the boss desperately needs to come up with an immediate solution to the current centre-forward issue.