Tottenham Hotspur got off to a fantastic start in their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, earning a 3-1 win and a two-goal cushion to take to Norway next week.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the Europa League match:
Atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Wow. We haven’t seen an atmosphere like that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since our 2019 Champions League run – and that includes North London derbies. Everything about last night was perfect, from the players and the staff down to the fans and volunteers.
A huge well done to THFC Flags for working with Spurs to organise such a memorable tifo. Thank you to Tottenham for providing the flags in every seat, which was a fantastic touch under the lights. And a huge congrats to the 60,000 Spurs fans who sang and supported their hearts out for 90-plus minutes. We have endured some quiet, dreary, and dismal Sunday afternoons this season in the Premier League, but it just goes to show how powerful this modern stadium can be under the right conditions. It has to be said, the players really lived up to that energy too last night.
James Maddison steps up in the big moment
James Maddison was accused of not stepping up enough in the big moments by Roy Keane, but he did exactly that once again last night. Let’s not forget, Spurs were only in the semi-final to begin with because Maddison made a superb run and took one for the team to earn a crucial penalty against Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarters. Last night, he was at his creative best in midfield, pulling the strings when dropping deep and looking dangerous in and around the box. You just get the feeling that we haven’t seen the last of that long ball from Pedro Porro into a deep run from James Maddison, too. It has been such a weapon for Tottenham in Europe this season.
We all know what a world-class player Maddison can be; it’s all about showing that consistency. I honestly think that with a team playing well around him – like we saw at the start of Ange Postecoglou’s era – Maddison could elevate his game to the next level. Let’s just see if Spurs actually commit to building that kind of high-quality team.
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Rodrigo Bentancur back to his pre-injury best
We were starting to wonder whether Rodrigo Bentancur would ever reach the heights of his first year at Tottenham again. You see it time and time again – players coming back from year-long injuries and struggling to ever get back to where they were. This season, Bentancur has struggled with the pace and physicality of a Premier League midfield. His entire game is built around composure, being press-resistant, and finding those clever passes between the lines.
When you are not at 100%, it is so difficult to play that kind of role with the consistency you need to positively impact games without giving the ball away in dangerous areas. However, over the last month, we have seen a return to the Bentancur of old – and just in time, too! Fingers crossed this is not just a purple patch and Rodrigo can keep setting the Spurs tempo over the next (hopefully) two European matches this season. He was our Man of the Match last night.
A few injury concerns for Tottenham
Tottenham and injuries have gone hand-in-hand this season. Spurs fans would have feared the worst last night when both James Maddison and Dominic Solanke went down with respective injury problems. Not to mention the fact that Lucas Bergvall was seen on crutches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fortunately, Postecoglou has provided a positive update on Maddison and Solanke, but it remains to be seen whether they will be involved at the weekend, or even next Thursday. One thing is for certain: if Spurs have any chance of lifting silverware this season, they need their strongest XI to stay fit.
That pesky artificial pitch at Bodo/Glimt
One thing stands between Tottenham Hotspur and a European final: an away leg on Bodo/Glimt’s artificial pitch. It is well known in football that astroturf pitches are harder to run on and increase the likelihood of injuries – which is something Spurs need no help with this season. It will be interesting to see who Postecoglou risks on the artificial pitch vs who he protects.