Tottenham Hotspur were criticized for not beating elite opponents en route to the Europa League last season, but Ange Postecoglou's greatest achievement for Spurs looks even better after Bodo Glimt made mince meat out of Inter Milan for a second time.
Inter needed two goals to even draw the tie and send the game to extra time, but instead of winning or even drawing in the second leg, the Nerazzurri were outclassed again by a fluid, free-flowing Bodo Glimt attack that may just be playing the best football in the Champions League right now.
The scorelines read 3-1 and 2-1 for both of the legs of the first round of the Champions League playoffs, as the clear leaders in Serie A were decimated by the small, plucky underdogs from the northenest of the north Champions League clubs.
Bodo Glimt tore Inter Milan apart
Somewhere out there, Big Ange was smiling watching Inter get bossed by a small side entirely unafraid to attack, attack, and attack, even against an aggressive attacking side that turned up the intent to 11 in search of goals. And Inter could only get one while giving up two.
And Postecoglou was smiling because he outclassed this very Bodo Glimt side across two high stakes legs in the Europa League semifinals last season. At the time, Bodo Glimt were looked down upon by the Premier League masses as well, Bodo Glimt, a team nobody could pronounce, much less spell, even at the time despite now becoming regulars in European football.
Well, everybody knows Bodo Glimt now, and if they don't fear them just yet, they definitely do respect them. Looking back at the way Postecoglou deftly handled them in the Europa League even when Spurs were starting to get spread thin by injuries whlie getting pummeled in the Premier League, you really have to say that the former Spurs manager comes out looking like a genius for bringing the Europa League Trophy back to Tottenham for the first time in more than 40 years.
Postecoglou, of course, undid the reputation boost somewhat by having a downright shocking run as Nottingham Forest manager earlier this season, and Spurs fans won't necessarily see him as a true martyr since he had serious tactical flaws that were exposed in the Premier League.