Football.London

Tottenham will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on high-flyers Bournemouth in the Premier League later today.

The erratic form we've come to expect of Spurs this season continued midweek, with Ange Postecoglou's side falling to a 1-0 defeat against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Round of 16 first leg clash. It was a second defeat in a row for the Lilywhites following their 1-0 loss to Man City in the Premier League, and Spurs will be looking to avoid a third consecutive loss when they take on Bournemouth later today.

The Cherries enter the weekend just four points off the Premier League top four, though they have dropped off in recent weeks, losing their last two league games. A few key players returned to the Spurs squad on the weekend after long injury lay-offs, though Dominic Solanke is set to miss out after picking up another issue on his return to the pitch.

So, can Spurs pick up a much-needed win in the Premier League later today? Let's take a look.

We simulated Tottenham vs Bournemouth to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Spurs could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Danso, Spence; Bentancur, Sarr, Maddison; Johnson, Tel, Son.

We predict that Bournemouth could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Kepa; Cook, Hill, Hiujsen, Kerkez; Scott, Adams; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson.

An electric first few minutes saw the visitors take a deserved lead, with Evanilson finishing off a well-worked passing move with a simple tap-in at the front post. There was no improvement from Spurs after going behind, and they were made to pay for their lacklustre start to the game as Bournemouth scored a second with half an hour on the clock.

Justin Kluivert surged forward as he led the Bournemouth attack, with the Dutchman finding Evanilson on the edge of the box before continuing his run forward. The striker did well to hold up the ball before flicking it back to his teammate, and on the half-volley, Kluivert fizzed his strike into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

Two minutes after half-time, Spurs grabbed a goal of their own with Djed Spence's driven cross into the box being turned into the goal by Lewis Cook at the front post. It was the slice of luck needed to push Spurs on though, and in the 82nd minute, Postecoglou's side levelled the score.

Desperate for a goal, Spurs started to throw more bodies into the box, with Rodrigo Bentancur one of them. Brennan Johnson beat his man down the right before lifting a ball into the box, and on the volley, Bentancur guided his shot into the bottom corner, leaving Kepa with no chance.

Spurs' tails were up, but they couldn't find a winner as the points were shared in north London.

EA FC 25 predicted final score: Tottenham 2-2 Bournemouth

What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou has big decisions to make over a few of his key Tottenham stars as he picks the team to face Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.

Spurs delivered a dismal display on Thursday night in Alkmaar in their Europa League last 16 first leg defeat at AZ, with just one shot on target which appeared to be a miss-hit cross from Wilson Odobert. Sunday brings a tough opponent as the Cherries come to town having had eight days to prepare for the game against Postecoglou's side.

The Australian did not use the returning Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven on Thursday due to concerns about the pitch in Alkmaar and the risk of another re-injury. Postecoglou will also be sweating over the fitness of Dominic Solanke, who returned to the action but suffered a painful knee to his backside from the AZ goalkeeper which required him to be helped off the pitch in the Netherlands.

With Bournemouth coming in after a long rest, Postecoglou could look to inject plenty of fresh legs into his starting XI and he can do that in all departments with so many options now back in contention.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Postecoglou will select to face Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon:

Djed Spence has made it clear that the Tottenham players are firmly behind Ange Postecoglou and believe in what he wants them to do.

Spurs' upturn in recent weeks in the Premier League with three wins in a row came to an abrupt halt with a defeat to Manchester City and then a dismal display in Alkmaar against AZ in the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday night. Tottenham escaped with a 1-0 deficit to take into the second leg in north London next week but Spence believes that not only will they turn it around but that the players are firmly behind Postecoglou.

"Most definitely. We believe in what he wants us to do. We try to implement that in every game," said the 24-year-old. "Of course it’s not going to work in every game but the manager has our full support. We are all behind him and we want to show that by winning games. We didn’t win today but come next week we’ll get the win."

He added: "We’ve got to play better. Most definitely we can turn it around. We’re a good side and come Thursday, we will turn it around."

The week ahead brings three matches in eight days in a crucial period for Postecoglou's future. Sunday brings the visit of Bournemouth to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium, Postecoglou received criticism from the travelling Spurs fans as he went over to applaud them and it was Spence who came over and placed his hand on the head coach's back to check on him.

“He’s the manager of the football club, you know. He’s the manager and we are a team and a family," said Spence. “When one of your family members is in trouble or whatever, you go to support them.

“That’s what I did, supported the manager. We all fight for him at the end of the day and that’s our main target for the team."

Spence's form has earned him a Premier League player of the month nomination and the full-back looks like a man ready to take on all-comers on the pitch.

"Yeah, I’m very confident at the moment, I’m playing well," he said. "Most importantly it's about the team, we need to win. Come next week and Thursday, we need to get through to the next round so I think that’s the most important thing.

“There’s always something to play for [in the Premier League]. We want to win as many games as possible and when we do that, we’ll see where we are at the end of the season."

With the current plight of Tottenham, firmly in the bottom half of the table and out of both domestic cups, you might expect a sense of frustration among the squad but Spence said that's not the case.

“No, no frustration. The only frustration is we’ve had a lot of injuries so naturally it’s a setback for the team but we have a strong mentality, we fight," he said. "The mood in the group is good."

Spence has been tipped to earn a spot in Thomas Tuchel's England squad sooner rather than later and while it's something that would delight him, he's not going to focus on it.

"Who doesn’t want to play for their country? That’s something I’m looking forward to. If I get called up, happy days, if I don’t, I’ll just keep working hard," he said. "I haven’t heard from anyone. I’m just focusing on right now, I just want to keep playing well and help the team to win games."

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly shown an interest in Viktoria Plzen midfielder Pavel Sulc just in time for the transfer market reopening this summer.

Ange Postecoglou and key figures behind the scenes in north London are likely to be busy this off-season, on the back of their horrendous luck with injuries this season. With more strength in depth required, it appears as though the club have already started doing their due diligence.

The midfield has been a cause of persistent concern when it looked the most well-stocked during this season's injury nightmare. Rodrigo Bentancur has real quality, while he's in negotiations over a new deal in north London.

Yves Bissouma, meanwhile, might not stick around moving forward and it could open up a position for a signing. And that's where Sulc comes in.

According to Czech Republic outlet E Fotbal, Spurs are one of the clubs "keeping tabs" with the 24-year-old along with Aston Villa and Leeds United. However, they are yet to submit an offer for his services.

The report adds that Sulc also has interest from the Bundesliga, and is waiting for his big transfer. Manchester City are also claimed to be on his trail, having sent scouts to watch him this season.

As he's set to enter the final year of his contract with the Czech side, Plzen consider not selling him this summer a real risk. It's noted that it's "hardly conceivable" they would allow the situation to go that far.

They are said to be looking for a fee of between €8-10million (£6-8million).

Sulc on the other hand, previously revealed how Manchester United great Wayne Rooney was his inspiration growing up. "I used to watch them [Manchester United] a lot when I was younger," the midfielder said before Plzen's Europa League match against United back in December.

"I used to really admire Wayne Rooney. I admire Wayne's style and he always tries to put his all in the match.

"I kind of try to channel his energy, too, so that's my inspiration. As for other players, of course I respect them. It's impossible not to respect them. Right now, I focus on my people, on myself." Although the Red Devils aren't in the running for his signature, a move to the Premier League could be on the cards this summer.

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Mathys Tel might not have impressed during Tottenham's 1-0 defeat against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday evening, but it appears he has already been working hard to improve and rectify his woes.

The 19-year-old has scored just once in six appearances for Spurs since he made his loan move from Bayern Munich last month. He struck on his debut in the FA Cup at Aston Villa, but has not found the net in five matches since. The 2005-born forward struggled as the lone striker in Alkmaar.

Although Tel was starved of service for most of the game, he didn't help himself when the ball came his way. He showed the odd glimpse of development in his hold-up play - but was largely ineffective. Ange Postecoglou had seen enough when Tel was taken off at half-time for Wilson Odobert.

It proved to be a frustrating night at the office for Tel, but that hasn't stopped him from putting more graft in less than 24 hours from the match. The Bayern forward has shared an Instagram story of him involved in a mini-training session with two peers, including French fitness coach Julien Lugier.

The photo showed Tel pointing instructions and surrounded by 10 footballs and one small-sized goal. It's unclear the type of training Tel was doing, however, though it's very much clear that he's determined to right the wrongs of his performance against Alkmaar, as Spurs prepare to play Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

Lucas Bergvall's 18th minute own-goal proved to the difference between Spurs and AZ at AFAS Stadion - a result that has left Postecoglou's side a difficult task to progress through to the Europa League quarter-final. Tottenham host the Dutch side in the round of 16 second leg next Thursday.

In the meantime, Spurs' immediate attention turns to the Premier League - with Bournemouth coming to town this weekend. Speaking ahead of the game, Postecoglou said: "Look, we definitely need another game to get the squad to where we need to get to. It's an opportunity to get more game time into certain guys.

"The best way to put last night's disappointment to one side now is perform well at the weekend, and our league form hasn't been too bad over the recent period and we want to continue that.

"The Europa League is a massive emphasis for us, but I still want us and have a real desire to move up the table, and we get that opportunity on Sunday."

Ange Postecoglou needs something to get his team back on track as Tottenham host Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

With Spurs putting in a dreadful display in Alkmaar in their Europa League last 16 first leg clash with AZ, with just one shot on target which was a miss-hit cross from Wilson Odobert, something needs to change on the pitch. Sunday brings a tough opponent with Tottenham at a low ebb as Bournemouth come to town with eight days for them to prepare for the game and fresh to implement their own high-energy game, which is what Postecoglou's side are meant to employ.

The Australian will need to freshen up his side and had a strong bench on Thursday night that can be rotated into the team. He did not use the returning Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven over concerns about the pitch in Alkmaar and whether it increased the risk of another re-injury.

Postecoglou will also be sweating on the fitness of Dominic Solanke, who also returned to the action but suffered a painful knee to his backside which left him unable to move freely and he had to be helped off the pitch in the Netherlands.

We asked our Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold and head of football.london Lee Wilmot to select the teams they would like to see face the Cherries on Sunday.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

If you'll pardon the expression, all eyes are on Solanke's backside right now. That's because the striker is so key to getting Spurs up the pitch and in front of goal with the ball more likely to stick at his feet, not to mention his own ability to put it into the net.

Elsewhere Postecoglou will be keen to use at least one of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, if not both, after deciding it was too risky to bring them back on the pitch in Alkmaar. Giving Kevin Danso and Archie Gray a rest might not be the worst thing for them but Postecoglou might decide to split the duties for the returning duo alongside Romero.

In midfield, Lucas Bergvall gave everything on Thursday night and took a big whack in the second half on the touchline and Postecoglou might look to bring in a fresh midfield to counter Bournemouth's extra energy.

Up front, Son Heung-min might struggle with two games in three days and if Solanke is fit to play then it could provide an opportunity to give Mathys Tel a chance on the wing.

Gold's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Tel, Solanke, Odobert.

Lee Wilmot - Head of football.london

Who does Postecoglou start in defence with the two first-choice stars back from injury? If it were me, I think I'd throw them both in, under the proviso that neither will last the full 90 minutes. They both need minutes in their legs ahead of a huge game against AZ Alkmaar next Thursday and both Archie Gray and Kevin Danso can come off the bench.

Destiny Udogie looked incredibly rusty against AZ and Djed Spence looks the better bet in that position, with Pedro Porro coming back into right-back.

In midfield, I'd rest Lucas Bergvall for the more important game on Thursday. I'd give Yves Bissouma a runout with Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison, with no Dejan Kulusevski to call upon.

Up front, Brennan Johnson had a poor start to the match on Thursday but did come into it a bit more as the match wore on. He plays on the right for me, with Mathys Tel on the left, and I'm going rogue and giving Dane Scarlett a start through the middle, to give Son Heung-min a bit of a rest too.

Wilmot's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Scarlett, Tel.

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Things are looking much better on the injury front for Tottenham Hotspur. But that does not mean they are completely free of injury issues just yet.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero returned to the squad for Thursday's limp Europa League clash at AZ Alkmaar, although neither got on the pitch from the substitutes' bench. Wilson Odobert is back in action, while Timo Werner is also available.

It means Ange Postecoglou has some welcome selection decisions to make, something he has not had in recent months. The first decision he needs to make is who does not deserve a place in the starting XI after the limp and lifeless display against AZ Alkmaar on Tuesday night.

Spurs turned in a woeful performance to lose 1-0 in the Netherlands, giving them it all to do in the second leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next week. It has also added further pressure on Postecoglou's shoulders.

Focus returns to the Premier League this Sunday, with Bournemouth the visitors to the capital and Spurs will be looking to close the gap to the top ten with a victory against Adoni Iraloa's side. More than that, however, it will be an opportunity to get minutes in the legs of returning players.

Despite players coming back from injury, however, a number remain sidelined. Richarlison is out of action, although he could be back before the international break. Radu Dragusin is obviously missing, having been ruled out for the rest of the campaign, while Dejan Kulusevski is the new name on the treatment table.

His foot injury will keep him out until after the international break, which, having been arguably Spurs' best player this season, is a big blow for Postecoglou.

Those three are definitely out and there are question marks over Dominic Solanke , who went off injured on his return from injury against AZ on Thursday. Ben Davies is also a doubt.

Postecoglou said on Friday : "With Dom, obviously it's a knee going into the backside so a bit sore but it's a knock so hopefully he'll be back pretty quickly.

"We're not really sure [with Ben Davies]. He's training at the moment so we will see how he feels. He's definitely progressed and he feels good so let's see how he goes in the next 24 to 48 hours. He's a chance but we'll see how he goes."

Arsenal are back in action when they make the trip to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. Mikel Arteta's side are looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League after failing to beat West Ham and Nottingham Forest.

However, the Gunners are going to be buoyed following their 7-1 rout of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Arteta's team ran riot at Old Trafford, with Martin Odegaard scoring a brace, while Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori also found the net at Philips Stadion.

And if Arsenal want to mount a late title charge, they are going to have to replicate similar performances in the Premier League during their remaining 11 matches. The Gunners sit 13 points behind leaders Liverpool, but boast a game-in-hand on Arne Slot's Reds, and there's still an outside chance they could win the top-flight title this season.

But it's clear the Gunners must beat United to stand any chance of winning the Premier League. Ahead of their trip to Manchester,football.london takes a look at the latest news and gossip from the Emirates Stadium;

Arsenal 'want' Fenerbahce talent

Arsenal are set to battle ManchesterUnited and Tottenham for the signing of Fenerbahce prospect Yusuf Akcicek, according to CaughtOffside. The 19-year-old has enjoyed a sensational rise at the Super Lig outfit and has played 14 times for them this season, although he was hooked off at half-time during Thursday's 3-1 defeat to Rangers.

Despite this, Akcicek's progress has put him on the radar of the likes of United, Arsenal and Tottenham who could end up battling out for hi signature. The versatile defender could be available for around £16.8million.

football.london says: Akcicek may be talented and go on to have a successful career, but another centre-back is the LAST thing Arsenal need right now. Although the Gunners could buy him for the future, they could do without using a sum of their budget on a defender and instead look to spend that on a new forward.

It makes the most amount of sense for Arsenal to use that additional £16.8million on them trying to sign Alexander Isak or Benjamin Sesko, even if it's just to beat a rival to signing either of them.

Arteta fires clear Man Utd warning

Mikel Arteta has warned his Arsenal players that they can't look back on Tuesday's gigantic win at PSV and must turn their focus to replicating a "great performance" against Manchester United.

"Yeah, obviously it was a great night for us, an important competition that we have a lot of hope on that, and the manner and the way we did it obviously lifted everybody," Arteta said. "That's the past, unfortunately, so it's about what we do today, the preparation for tomorrow, and try to replicate a great performance again on Sunday."

Ange Postecoglou has made it clear that people will realise what a talent Mathys Tel is when Tottenham can use the teenager properly.

The 19-year-old arrived in the winter window from Bayern Munich with an option for Spurs to buy the Frenchman for £45.7million, which Postecoglou said will happen. The early weeks have been tough for Tel, who has scored just once, with the absence of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison meaning the youngster has been thrown into a central attacking role which has proved a difficult transition into the pace and physicality of the English game.

Those tough times continued in continental competition with his first Europa League game for Tottenham with the disappointing 1-0 defeat at AZ on Thursday night in the round of 16 first leg clash in Alkmaar. Tel had to fight for any scraps of possession with his back to goal for much of the first half and was taken off at the break by Postecoglou.

"The reason I took him off is I just thought we needed a spark, we needed something. It wasn't about him because I could have taken of any one of a number of players. It's just it felt like I needed something to change the course of events," said the Australian.

"Mathys came in a really tricky time for us in that it's different if you haven't been playing regularly and then jump in but he's kind of been trying to build up his fitness. At the same time we've been putting him out there pretty regularly because of our lack of options. He's still a young man, it's a different league and there are different demands. Certainly at the moment we are not in our best moment like last night when he is going to get loads of chances.

"Again, working with him since he came in, he's got a really strong head on his shoulders and last night, as disappointed as he was to come off, it didn't seem to affect him in terms of his mental aptitude to deal with it and get on with it and try and make an impact in the best way he can.

"It's fair to say we've put a lot on a very young player and introduced him to our league. I remember Lucas [Bergvall] was a similar one at the beginning of the year. He struggled a little bit in certain games, especially in Europe. He struggled a couple of times but over time we've seen him flourish and I'm sure once we can get Dom back in and hopefully Richy not too far in the future, we can use him in the way we want to."

Spurs did get a immediate boost in the winter window with the arrival of centre-back Kevin Danso from Lens and it was put to the head coach that the point of the mid-season window was to bring in players who can make an immediate impact.

"That's a fair assessment, but at the same time, we had got to a point in that window over whether we pass up an opportunity to sign an exciting player and go without, that was the reality of it, or we commit to bring another talented player to the football club," said Postecoglou.

"[Mathys] hasn't made the impact that he probably wanted to but the circumstances of where we are at, I think it's unfair to put that on his shoulders. He has done as well as he possibly can. I'm sure in between now and the end of the year people will see him and realise what a talent he is and my job is to make sure we protect him through that."

Postecoglou indicated that despite a feeling back in Germany that Tel sees his long term future through the centre of attack, the wing is where the Frenchman can do most damage certainly in the more immediate future.

"Initially my view was that he would probably play in a wide area for us. Once Solanke was back I'm keen to try him out there," he said. "The first game he played out wide on the left, you can see he's really comfortable there or out wide on the right. I think he'll get more opportunities there."

Postecoglou also made it clear that while people might not understand his decisions with players coming back from injury, they do not have all of the information. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were not used from the bench on Thursday because the Spurs boss was concerned about them returning on a pitch that he did not think was the best.

"Anyone who hasn’t played for the amount of time they have and the position they have, it just didn’t make sense for us, and it wasn’t that kind of game where we needed central defenders, we were trying to score goals, so in my mind there was no point," he said.

"Look, I get the whole medical thing has obviously been a big issue for us and everyone is questioning every decision I make, but with the greatest respect, everyone here and in the outside world probably has five per cent of the information I do. If people think I am just going out there and making decisions on what I feel or my gut, then I don’t think you understand the position I am in and all the information I have.

"I have all the information and I am sure if I shared all the information, which I can’t for various reasons, you might sit back and say, ‘totally understand that’, but I also understand people will question everything I do at the moment, every decision I make against the prism that I don’t know what I am doing."

So will Romero and Van de Ven be in a position to feature in the second leg against AZ next week?

"Oh, I would say so, for sure, yeah. Maybe even Sunday, we’ll see how things go," said the Tottenham boss.

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou has maintained his defence of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after he confronted Tottenham fans on Thursday night following defeat at AZ Alkmaar. The Italian shot-stopper was one of the few to come out of a disappointing night with any credit for his performance but it was his actions afterwards that overshadowed the result.

Heading over to the Tottenham supporters at full-time, he tried to rouse them, throwing his arms up to draw a reaction. When that proved to be unsuccessful he didn't hide his own hurt.

Vicario turned with a strop, waving his arms again but this time out of apparent outrage rather than in a plea. The Italian has been one of the few players Spurs supporters have stayed committed to during the dark times. This hit him hard.

"I can understand the disappointment for the night because we didn't play our football," he said afterwards about the incident. "So I can understand the frustration of the fans, but we still have a lot to play for, especially in the second leg. It's just a way of trying to stay together because we have the opportunity to go through to the next round.

"They can [be critical]. They have to be, they must be disappointed for the game we played tonight but we still have another game to play against AZ at our place, so it's the moment to stick together now because we can go through this round."

Postecoglou was less forgiving of those hitting back at Vicario. When reminded that playing Bournemouth would see a reversal of the fixture in which he and his players were openly hounded by fans on the south coast, Postecoglou said: "Vic is just so passionate. He wants everyone to push on and get something don't know what people want.

"Do you just want robots and people standing there and clapping, [then they] walk off. We are all human beings. Whether it's me, whether it's a player. Whether it's the fans.

"There's emotion after the game and you understand that. Sometimes it's not positive and you want to deal with it in the right way but they are human beings, mate. I don't get this kind of narrative that there's all of a sudden an issue.

"If anyone doubts Vicario's commitment to this football club or his passion, mate, watch the bit they did on him coming back from injury. That guy did everything in his power to get back as quickly as possible. Why? Because he cares. He cared last night, he cares this morning.

"He's a wonderful asset for this football club and if people think that he was trying to do anything but something that he hopes will push this football club onwards then they're trying to find stories for the sake of it."

It was a common theme of Postecoglou's press conference. Asked directly about the Vicario incident he also said: "Vic is very, very passionate about this football club and very passionate about what we're trying to do here and he wants to win and he wants everyone on board with that. If people think there is one bad or vindictive bone in Vicario's makeup then they don't know the man that I do.

"The guy is one of the purest human beings you have ever come across, mate, so whatever he does he does for what he thinks is best for the team and for the football club because he really cares."

Postecoglou was defensive as a whole over the sorts of responses that his players give to dissenting supporters when times get tough. "Why would a player do that [go over to the fans] if negative stuff comes out?" he questioned in retort.

"They're going to look now at what is being said about Vicario, which I haven't seen, but obviously there's some negative aspect to it. The next player will go, 'actually no, you know what I'm just going to clap and walk off quietly.'

"Do we want it or don't we want it? Because as soon as a player shows emotion, it's like 'okay, how can we put a negative spin on that?' Either there's a problem with Vicario or between Vicario and the fans, or Vicario this or Vicario that.

"If I was a player I'd go 'I don't want any of that, I'll just slink off down the touchline and into the tunnel and nobody will say anything'."

He also pointed out the emotions at play after a match. "I think we all are, aren't we? We're all passionate about something. If you write a crappy article and at the end of it you go 'I got that totally wrong' and I go up to you straight afterwards and say 'how are you feeling?' and 'are you okay? That was a terrible article.' You reckon you'd go 'yeah it wasn't great'?

"No. I reckon you'd react in the same way. We forget sometimes that we're all human beings. People will never be in any doubt about how I feel. I just think what's the point hiding it. Some people will like it, other people will. It's just you have to be yourself.

"That's what Vic was doing last night. He was showing people who he is because what he showed out there is what he showed in the dressing room, it's what he shows every day in training. You lose a game in training and he's not happy. That's just who he is."

Tottenham will now need Vicario to show his personality in a positive sense when welcoming Bournemouth to north London on Sunday. More importantly, Postecoglou will need his squad to show the required strength and backbone throughout the week to try and keep the season alive in the return leg.

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.