Under normal circumstances, equalising in the 89th minute of an away game in the Champions League would prompt wild celebrations, but Tottenham Hotspur’s players and coaching staff were subdued after their 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday evening.
Glimt produced a frenetic firework display before kick-off, which was soundtracked by AC/DC’s 1990 hit single Thunderstruck, and it served as a complete contrast to Spurs’ performance.
Five months ago, under then head coach Ange Postecoglou, Spurs beat Glimt 2-0 in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final to secure a 5-1 victory on aggregate. Glimt had 69 per cent possession but, according to data from Fbref, only registered an xG of 0.5. It was a rare, disciplined display from Spurs, who lost 22 games in the Premier League last season and conceded 65 goals.
Spurs have improved defensively under Thomas Frank, who replaced Postecoglou in June, but they were dreadful on their return to Norway. Possession was split fairly evenly, but Glimt recorded 18 shots and an xG of 2.5, according to Fbref. Frank’s side took eight shots and, not for the first time this season, mainly threatened from set-pieces. They escaped with a point thanks to a combination of poor finishing from Glimt’s strikers and a slightly bizarre own goal by Jostein Gundersen.
After a bright start under Frank, Spurs seem to be slowing down. This was the third time in the last four games that they have conceded first and equalised after the 80th minute. You are allowed to be excited and proud on the first occasion that you pull off an unlikely comeback. By the third time, you should be worrying that it is part of an unhealthy and unsustainable pattern.
Tottenham’s best performances under Frank have been the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain and last month’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad. He came up with a specific plan for both opponents, which the players executed superbly. This squad seems to find it a lot more difficult when they are expected to be the protagonists and dominate the ball against lower-quality opposition.
This is partially because they are missing their first-choice centre-forward, Dominic Solanke, along with creative midfielders Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison due to injury. Xavi Simons looks destined to be the long-term solution in the No 10 role, but Frank keeps using him on the left. They should still have had more than enough firepower to beat their Norwegian opponents.
Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha and Simons dropped to the bench as Brennan Johnson, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert supported Richarlison upfront. Pedro Porro and Johnson wasted possession on the right wing on multiple occasions. In the 26th minute, Odobert dribbled across from the left and linked up nicely with them until Porro’s simple pass for Bergvall went out for a throw-in.
Kevin Danso, who replaced the injured Cristian Romero at centre-back, lost the ball after trying to dribble past Glimt’s forwards, and the move ended with Jens Petter Hauge firing a shot inches past the post. Spurs did not progress the ball with any conviction. They were content to pass it sideways and backwards.
Spurs improved after the introduction of Simons and Kudus in the 60th minute, but this picks at an awkward issue. Frank is excellent at reacting in games and making adjustments to help his side recover. Spurs fans have seen glimpses of this, and it happened during his time in charge of Brentford. For example, when Brentford were losing 2-0 to Leicester City on the opening day of the 2022-23 season, Frank switched to an aggressive 3-4-3 formation and they drew.
But Spurs need to be more proactive and assert their authority. Spurs played the game on Glimt’s terms
Frank admitted that they were slightly surprised by Glimt’s clever midfield rotations, but it was concerning how easily full-back Frederik Andre Bjorkan was allowed to rampage down the left wing. He earned a penalty, which Kasper Hogh missed, by overlapping and being wiped out by Rodrigo Bentancur. Hauge skillfully evaded Porro for both of his goals. Andreas Helmersen hit the bar while Patrick Berg’s stinging effort was saved by Guglielmo Vicario. Spurs did not just play badly against Glimt; they were battered. Micky van de Ven’s reckless tackle on Sondre Aukland straight after Bentancur’s goal had been disallowed hinted at the underlying frustration.
After the game, Frank was asked why Spurs are struggling to control games and have to keep mounting comebacks. “That can be various reasons,” he said. “I think against Wolves we had no problem controlling in the beginning. I think we were by far the best team against Wolves in the first half.
“I think Brighton was a different game. I think also we were by far the best team in the first half. Just conceded one fairly well-played goal, and as we talk about a game, a goal that shouldn’t have been conceded. Today, I felt we struggled in the first half. So I think that’s the only time we struggled in the three games against a very good Bodo team. Up here, a lot of teams will struggle when they play against them here. So it’s just fair play to Bodo.”
Maybe this was an important lesson for Frank about European competition, and Spurs fans should be glad it has happened now. This was his first away game in the Champions League, and he will have a better understanding of the different challenges they can present.
Spurs have still only lost once under their new head coach. They have a newfound resilience and mental fortitude. They have four points from their first two games in the Champions League. The most important outcome is that they grow in confidence and start to click in attack sooner rather than later.
(Top photo: Lise Aserud/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)