For so much of this season, Tottenham Hotspur have appeared to be falling apart at the seams. But not here, up on the Arctic Circle, where Spurs pulled together to overcome unique conditions, making it through to the final of the Europa League, right to the brink of history.
The overwhelming impression was of unity, joy and pride after the 2-0 win at Bodo/Glimt secured a 5-1 aggregate victory. Mathys Tel sprinted bounded over the hoardings and into the arms of the Spurs fans, freezing cold, soaked through, but ecstatic to be heading to Bilbao for the final in two weeks. The rest of the Tottenham squad caught up with Tel, celebrated with the fans as Yves Bissouma climbed onto the advertising hoardings, twirling a scarf around his head.
The players joined arms and sang, ‘When the Spurs go marching in.’ And Ange Postecoglou, whose recent relationship with the crowd has been up and down, to put it mildly, lingered in front of them, warmly applauding, being applauded back, soaking up the moment.
The story of Spurs’ European campaign has been one of inversion. Everything that has been seen and said about Spurs’ season has been turned on its head. As Tel hurdled into the fans’ embrace, it was impossible not to think back to Craven Cottage two months ago when he tried to go up to the away end after a 2-0 defeat against Fulham, and found himself on the receiving end of a frank assessment of where Spurs were going wrong. But this was a different competition, a different energy and ultimately a very different Spurs.
No one has confounded his reputation more than head coach Postecoglou. For every Europa League game, there has been a new plan, perfectly tailored to Spurs’ strengths and the opposition’s weaknesses. We saw it in Frankfurt, where Tottenham surprised their hosts by sitting deep, counter-attacking, scoring a penalty then shutting down the game. We saw it in the first leg of this semi-final, where Spurs played direct, relied on their physical edge and controlled the game.
Even more impressive in the second leg was that Tottenham had to play not just the opponent but the conditions too. Everyone knows about the artificial surface here. Bodo/Glimt saw it as their trump card. It was soaked beforehand, not just by hours of heavy rain but by the sprinklers. Porto, Besiktas, Twente, Olympiacos and Lazio had all come here and lost this season. This sleepy port town, penned in by snowy mountains on one side and endless freezing sea on the other, could have been where Spurs’ European dream died.
It should not be forgotten that Spurs came here facing the latest episode in their injury permacrisis that has blighted their season. Last week, they lost Lucas Bergvall on Wednesday and James Maddison on Thursday to injuries (ankle and knee respectively) that have ended their seasons. They had been Spurs’ two best players in recent months, particularly at keeping and progressing the ball. And now Postecoglou needed to build a team without them.
So, what do you do when you have lost your midfield and the opponent’s secret weapon is the surface itself? Take them both out of the equation. Spurs went long throughout, even more than they did in the first leg. No qualms about booting goal-kicks upfield, aiming for Dominic Solanke and Richarlison up front. No reluctance to fire a diagonal ball whenever Pedro Porro or Cristian Romero had some free possession. And with Solanke and Richarlison working as hard as they did, the ball almost always stuck.
Some teams come here and get overwhelmed by the speed of Bodo/Glimt’s possession, the relentless attacks roared on by the home crowd. Spurs were happy to run down the clock, taking their time over every single restart, earning the fury of the home fans and the frustration of the referee. Guglielmo Vicario was eventually booked for it halfway through the second half. But it worked. Glimt never got any momentum with any ball. And with Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson doing disciplined defensive jobs — Kulusevski almost man-marking Patrick Berg — there was never any rhythm to the hosts’ play. The home crowd lost belief as much as the players did.
People will say that a club of Tottenham’s means should always be able to win here. But the story of this season is that big European clubs with better players than Bodo/Glimt have always tripped up. Spurs’ success lay in their ability to build a platform for their superior individual quality to tell. Solanke, Romero, Micky van de Ven and Porro could show how good they are.
Postecoglou has faced plenty of criticism in recent months for how he has rotated his team in the league to keep players fresh for Europe. It has not been easy to do, as the defeats have added up, contributing to a league record so poor it probably means that this season will be Postecoglou’s last at Spurs. It might have been easier to go strong in the league and relieve some pressure, at least for a while.
But who could argue with that rotation policy watching Spurs play like this? Van de Ven and Romero have both started Spurs’ last five straight European games, ever since the AZ second leg that effectively re-launched this campaign when it was already looking over. They were both at their best here, Romero rising to the role of captain, talking his team-mates through the game, keeping them calm and patient throughout. Solanke has been managed too, rotated out for two recent league games. He ran heroically tonight, pressing from the front, and has now scored in his last three European appearances. Destiny Udogie and Porro have more energy now than they have in months. Only because they have not always played in the league.
This European campaign has been a tightrope walk for Postecoglou. Ever since Spurs went out of the domestic cups in early February, this has been the only way to save their season. And with the league form so historically bad, there has been no safety net. Exiting this competition would mean the season was written off as a failure, and Postecoglou with it. The stakes could not have been higher.
And yet every time it looked like Postecoglou and his team had lost their balance, and were about to fall from the tightrope, they re-established their footing and moved further on. The wins against Hoffenheim and Elfsborg after going three games without a win in the league phase. The second leg against AZ after a disastrous 1-0 defeat in the Netherlands. Winning in Frankfurt after only drawing at home. And now this, the penultimate step, making Europe’s hardest away trip look like a breeze.
The final step on the rope takes them to Bilbao. Beat Manchester United and it would be Spurs’ first trophy for 17 years, first in Europe for 41 years. It would be the most thumping vindication for Postecoglou, whatever happens to him at the end of this month. He would upend the modern story of the whole club. Just like he has been upending the story of his own management every step along the way.
(Top photo: David Lidstrom – UEFA/Getty Images)