Hotspur HQ

As bad as things have gotten for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, these are the times when you learn a lot about your club and the resiliency of your players. You learn who is worth keeping around and building the team around, while, conversely, you learn who isn't interested in being here and won't fight for the badge.

It is starting to look like Tottenham star center back Cristian Romero falls into the latter category. Despite being one of the most physically talented central defenders in the Premier League, Romero has now turned in two costly performances in back-to-back Premier League fixtures against Wolves and Nottingham Forest, even getting hooked off the pitch early in the Forest defeat after looking like he flat-out didn't even want to play in the game.

While Romero was significantly better last week in the clean sheet win over Eintracht Frankfurt to help Tottenham punch their ticket to the Europa League semifinals, the way Romero phoned in his performances against Wolves and Nottingham Forest is highly concerning. And for as talented as Romero is, he's earned a reputation for being an inconsistent, streaky defender whom Tottenham are having trouble trusting because of his overly aggressive style of play that seems to place the team second.

Cristian Romero wants to go to LaLiga

And now, Romero has committed a more grievous defense than even playing poorly on the pitch. With Tottenham in crisis mode, the club's vice captain publicly admitted in an interview that his mind is on potentially joining another club in the summer transfer window and that he'd love to play in LaLiga for the simple sake of collecting playing in other leagues like they were infinity stones.

Here is what he told Argentinian reporter Gaston Edul of the famous TyC Sports in an interview for his YouTube channel, as relayed by the Spurs Express:

“We're in the Europa League semi-finals, and I want to finish the season on a high note. After that, we'll see. My focus is always on growing and looking for new places to continue developing.”

Romero should know better

I have seen worse examples of players openly flirting with the idea of leaving a club, but the context of this quote from Romero is absolutely troubling. Romero is the vice captain for a Tottenham team that is rebuilding in the Premier League amidst a historically putrid season. They are facing a likely coaching change this summer, another potential squad overhaul, and further rebuilding while juggling a Europa League semifinal on the other hand with the potential to still qualify for the Champions League outright by winning that tournament.

While Romero does acknowledge Tottenham being in the Europa League semifinal, he uses it to try to soften the fact that he is basically saying that he wants out and that he can't see himself developing at Tottenham. And Spurs fans see right past that, especially since, well, Romero's quote itself and his recent performances at Wolves and Nottingham Forest highlight that he still has a long way to go in his own development.

Romero isn't some young rookie making quotes he shouldn't. Again, he's the vice captain and 26 years old. He knows what he's doing, and either he should know better or, more likely, he means exactly what he is saying and doesn't care about Tottenham or the fans.

As talented as Romero is, he's not good enough to be disparaging the club at this time or focusing on anything other than helping the team at this crucial moment. Tottenham need to seriously question if he wants to be here and if they even want to move forward in the future with him. Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso are both starting-caliber center backs, and Spurs can always sell him and use that money to buy someone else like Dean Huijsen, who, by the way, had a much better season than Romero.

Tottenham could have been blown out by Nottingham Forest on Monday night, as the boos rained down upon the players from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs headed into the break with a 2-0 deficit.

In the end, Tottenham buckled down to play significantly better football in the second half, with striker Richarlison waking up and pulling one back with a well-placed header after Matz Sels robbed him of a goal the first time around.

Like the 4-2 loss to Wolves, there is no question that the worst performance of the night was goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario's. Although the star center back duo of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven was, once again, highly disappointing in a big Premier League fixture, the reality is that Vicario was the one cost the team the game.

Guglielmo Vicario cost Tottenham again

He flapped helplessly at the two goals that Nottingham Forest scored, and if it weren't for the offsides flagged, he would have been hooked with a goalkeeper error for a first goal from Forest star striker Chris Wood.

Vicario continues to display suspect handling and even worse decision-making when trying to claim dangerous crosses into the corridor of uncertainty. He was an excellent goalkeeper for Empoli, but I am starting to worry that Vicario's lack of technical ability in goal and his sloppiness put a ceiling on him that won't enable him to be reliable enough to start every game for a side with Champions League ambitions.

The best player on the pitch is a more difficult discussion, because young winger Mathys Tel had another standout performance, particularly in the first half. He created a handful of good chances for his teammates, and whenever the Bayern Munich loanee is on the ball, you can tell he is a cut above the rest.

Pedro Porro was Spurs workhorse vs. Forest

But for me, the nod has to go to right back Pedro Porro, as he was the most decisive player on Tottenham at the end of the game when Spurs started to threaten a comeback. He had a jaw-dropping seven key passes with a team-high four combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn, providing an on-stop outlet with legitimate end product on that right side.

It was Porro who assisted Richarlison with a brilliant deep cross, and he has some of the best technical skills of any right back in Europe. Porro defended decently well, too, and whlie his key passes are buoyed by volume and a cross-heavy approach, he still had to put in the work to make those plays happen.

Tottenham still have everything to play for in the Europa League with the semifinals on the horizon against underdogs Bodo Glimt, as Spurs were able to dispatch tough Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday at the Deutsche Bank Park.

But the Premier League is a different story, as Tottenham aren't at any risk of relegation but are so far away from European qualification in 16th that they are playing for nothing more than pride and the future. At this point for Tottenham, the latter is more important, and fans are looking to the last games of the 2024/25 Premier League season as a key trial for up-and-coming players who want to become important to the Spurs cause.

One such player is recent center back signing Kevin Danso, who is ready to push Radu Dragusin as the top backup behind Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven - one of the best center back duos in not just England but in European football as a whole.

Kevin Danso was a great signing from Lens

Danso was a top-class central defender in Ligue 1, and he is ready to get his chance to show what he can do in North London as an excellent ball-playing center back. And it sounds like Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is ready to oblige Danso and the fans by giving the Austrian international his chance to shine before the 2024/25 season ends.

In the build-up to the game against Nottingham Forest, Postecoglou said of Danso, via the Spurs Express, “I think it's important that we get him some game time because I think he will be important [moving forward].”

Danso joined Tottenham this past winter transfer window for an affordable 25 million euros after three-and-a-half solid seasons with RC Lens in France. Known for his reading of the game and technical ability, Danso is a good athlete with above-average technical ability in the tackle and borderline elite marking skills with how he reads strikers off the ball.

Danso is a cerebral defender

With his talent, the 26-year-old Danso could potentially push Van de Ven and Romero for starts, but he needs some momentum to get going. Danso has started just four games in the Premier League, one game in the League Cup, and one game in the Europa League for Tottenham to this point. The end of the season could be Danso's time to finally get some consistent games going, sparing the starters wear-and-tear that they don't need.

Tottenham fans were surprised when manager Ange Postecoglou revealed just a couple of days before the do-or-die tilt at the Deutsche Bank Park against Eintracht Frankfurt that star man Son Heung-min would be unable to play in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals with an injury.

Son didn't start in the preceding debacle over the weekend against Wolves, but that was seen more as an opportunity for young loan signing Mathys Tel, rather than any injury to Son. But Postecoglou later added that Son had been dealing with an injury for more time than that, stating Tottenham finally decided to rest him because he wasn't getting better.

Cynically, I and others wondered, amidst a backdrop of transfer rumors and a very disappointing campaign, if this was a concocted story from Postecoglou and if Tottenham were attempting to phase the Premier League legend out of the starting lineup in preparation for a summer sale to Saudi Arabia.

Son Heung-min should have been rested sooner

While that may still be the case on some level, it does seem like Son's injury is real. Before Monday's tough matchup against surprise package Nottingham Forest, manager Ange Postecoglou gave more information about Son's injury, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

"Not really sure, something he's been dealing with for a while and we got to a point where it wasn't improving and it was deteriorating. So it's a good time to give him a bit of a rest."

That sounds well and all, but it raises the question as to why Son wasn't held out sooner. If he's been dealing with discomfort and a knock for "a while", then why was he playing regularly and allowed to struggle for that timeframe before the manager and club finally stepped in? I get that athletes, especially high-performing ones, always want to play and are willing to play through pain, but we could all see that Son wasn't playing anywhere near his usual standard lately.

Mathys Tel could have gotten more chances

If Son was playing through an injury that long, it's a serious problem and shows a lack of foresight or leadership by Tottenham and Postecoglou to have allowed that situation to fester. It took minutes away from a young player like Mathys Tel who needs that chance to show himself, and a healthy Tel is much better than an injured Son.

And certainly, the decision did Son no favors either, as it made him look bad at a critical point in the season in which his future at Tottenham is on the line due to sour performances. Son didn't need that bad film due to an injury shrouding his perception, and fan perception does end up mattering when transfer rumors are whispered. This is another case of poor decision-making by Postecoglou.

Tottenham will face Nottingham Forest on Monday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and given that Spurs are buried in the Premier League table while Forest are legitimate Champions League contenders, this could be a long night in front of the fans if players don't step up for an increasingly under fire Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs will already be without the legend of their biggest player, club legend Son Heung-min, who has finally been shut down after an apparently lengthy injury issue. That's a tough enough loss, but as recent games have shown, a healthy Mathys Tel is better than an injured Son.

However, Tottenham look set to miss an even more important player to them in the short term, as manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that attacking midfielder James Maddison is a doubt against Nottingham Forest with some soreness after a monstrous second leg victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night in the Europa League quarterfinals.

James Maddison is a doubt with soreness

Big Ange said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "We had the day off yesterday as we didn't get back until the early hours of Friday morning. Madders is probably a bit sore so a doubt for Monday. Sonny is still out."

Confirmation of Son's absence is not surprising and honestly a positive, because the last thing Tottenham or the South Korean icon need is for the winger to be playing when he's not healthy. But the Maddison blow would be a very tough one for Tottenham against a Nottingham Forest side that is legitimately one of the best defensive units in European football.

Maddison has been Spurs most consistent player in the 2024/25 season, particularly from an attacking perspective. He is their best technician and playmaker, making the difference in so many big matches, especially in the hard-fought Europa League quarterfinal draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Tottenham must play it safe with Maddison

While Postecoglou has left the door open for Maddison by calling him a "doubt" instead of saying he is outright "out", with Tottenham not really playing for anything meaningful in the Premier League this season but having everything on the line in the Europa League, messing with any soreness makes no sense. That's especially true when it comes to Maddison, who is not only vital to what Tottenham do but also has an injury history that makes the cautious approach best.

Tottenham will probably shift Dejan Kulusevski into a midfield role without Maddison and have him take on the most attacking role in the middle of the park with Brennan Johnson starting again on the right side of the attack across from either Wilson Odobert or Mathys Tel as the Son replacement.

Tottenham need some heroes to emerge in the twilight of what has been a comprehensively atrocious 2024/25 Premier League season. With just weeks remaining in the campaign, Spurs are nowhere near qualification for European places, and while they could actually make the Champions League next season by winning the Europa League, even that may not be enough to save Ange Postecoglou's job - and it's certainly not enough to wash away the stench of a historically poor domestic campaign.

Now is the time for players on the bubble to show that they are deserving of a future at Tottenham. After rebuffing serious offers from the Saudi Pro League this past summer, Richarlison made it clear that his loyalties lie with Tottenham and not a paychec - a move that endeared him to the Spurs faithful despite a wretched start to life in North London.

Well, through injury and continued poor individual displays, things have not turned around for the former Everton star in the 2024/25 campaign, but Postecoglou remains optimistic that Richarlison can be a factor in the final games of the season.

Richarlison is impressing Ange Postecoglou

Postecoglou said of the Brazilian forward, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, “Richy is another one who is going to get some game time in the next couple of games because he's looking really good in training.”

Looking good in training is never a bad sign, but Tottenham fans will believe it with Richarlison when they see it in actual games, plural. And goodness, do they want to believe it. Richarlison at Everton was absolute money and a saving grace, somehow turning this awful Everton side into something competent. Well, Tottenham are even worse than Everton these days, and heroic displays from a healthy Richarlison would go a long way to helping the team, especially with superstar Son-Heung min disappointing.

It's easy to forget, but Richarlison is only 27 and in the athletic prime of his career. He's just been unlucky. And even though he's scored a meager three goals in the 2024/25 Premier League season, all three of those goals have been in the last four games, an indication that the old Richarlison - the one that got links to Real Madrid and PSG in 2021 - may be lurking around the corner.

It would benefit Tottenham for Postecoglou to give Richarlison some starts in the Premier League as the season winds down and make it a priority to help him rebound. Richarlison honestly has more talent to offer the club than Dominic Solanke at striker and can play on the wings, too. Even if Tottenham sign a striker this summer, they should continue to have a vested interest in Richarlison's success.

I have been a Spurs fan for more than 15 years now, and I have never seen they win a trophy. It all started when I got home one afternoon from school, and my grandfather was watching a Champions League match: Inter Milan vs. Tottenham. For context, I am a Spurs fan from abroad, so I had absolutely no affiliation with them whatsoever before becoming a fan.

Seeing that team playing in white, the same color as my local club, and Gareth Bale storming at San Siro made me curious about that random club with a funny name: Tottenham Hotspur. As a disclaimer, I have nothing against the name; it was just a combination of words I had never heard of for my native language or in my life at that point, in general. From that day on, I started to follow the club and got frustrated after most matches, like any good old London-born Spurs fan.

Since that time, I have identified several reasons why the Spurs are experiencing a particularly unbearable trophy drought (don't you dare think it's my fault; we've been here since 2008), and I have come up with a few explanations to account for this phenomenon.

For instance, the constant manager carousel, except for Rednapp, Pochettino, and now Postecoglou (for now); the transfer market methodology, with the underspending and missing on the right players, and the overspending on the wrong players (despite some bullseyes here and there); and, mainly, the culture behind the club, which innevoquotely gave us the famous nickname: Spursy.

I don't personally believe in that Spursy narrative, per se, as it's mostly banter from rivals. However, Tottenham Hotspur undeniably provides enough evidence for that same chat to repeat itself over and over again. Apparently, there is no such thing as an easy win at White Hart Lane, as I always tell my friends: the Spurs can be winning by a 10-goal margin, it ain't over yet.

With all that in mind, recent events and protests over the 25 years without winning a trophy circle back to one individual: Daniel Levy. Since purchasing the club and assuming the role of chairman in December 2000, his tenure as the decision-maker of Spurs football has been marked by controversy and questions regarding the development of a winning mentality. But, is it really all his fault?

The pros and cons of the ENIC administration?

I don't want to be unfair to Levy, despite my emotional attachment to Spurs sometimes clouding my judgment and preventing me from showing any sign of empathy towards his administration. At the same time, it is relevant to acknowledge the pros of ENIC's ruling before diving into the cons.

First and foremost, it is undeniable that Daniel Levy has transformed the football club from both a financial and structural perspective. I know, I know, that is precisely the main piece of criticism surrounding Levy and the whole "business before football" discourse. Even so, that aspect is pivotal for any professional sports enterprise to succeed and elevate its capital and its status to a new level.

If we have now one of the most modern and eye-catching stadiums in Europe and one of the most advanced training centers, it is due to Levy and his good spending on infrastructure, which is a solid base from which the club can flourish. The maintenance of proper booking balances, resulting in positive financial outcomes, enabled Tottenham Hotspur to move from a mid-table club to the 9th with the most revenue in the world, according to a Deloitte report.

With a high-level structure and a good reputation in the market, Tottenham Hotspur have all the tools to attract some of the best players in the world, as one of the most intriguing sporting projects in place. Or, that's what you would assume, at least.

The real problem with Spurs is how they allocate their resources and which footballing brand they wish to stand for. Unfortunately, neither of these factors has been adequately explored, nor has it provided a clear path for fans to support it fully. Over the years, between a few periods of certainty, such as the Pochettino Era, Levy has been fluctuating regarding those two key factors.

The real issues with Daniel Levy and Spurs

In terms of transfer market strategy, this club has been a mess. I mean, who can forget the 2013 package, which included players such as Soldado, Paulinho, and Chadli? Players who required significant funds for club standards at the time and had little to no impact. Or the so-called "club signings," who allegedly had no managerial approval over the years, that Antonio Conte has emphasized during his tenure at the club? My point is that there is not always a clear strategy or consensus in that department, even with some good business being made.

Who should call the shot? The manager, the sporting director, or Levy? It is not the first time we have heard about the issues with Spurs' transfer policy, as I alluded to previously regarding the decisions to underspend and overspend. While Levy prefers to be more cautious in the market, even leaving it to Deadline Day to make moves at a cut price, the Spurs ultimately lost quality players. A recent example is Désiré Doué, who is excelling at PSG and was heavily linked with us.

However, the problem runs way deeper than just the transfer policies, which are directly reflected in the club's identity. Without a clear brand of football or a well-defined sporting project, the people in charge of football operations struggle to find a clear direction when making significant decisions, which is also a concern for Levy. From managers with completely opposing profiles to desperate attempts to win trophies at any cost, Tottenham Hotspur wasted some precious time.

The truth is that the Pochettino Era was an exception that proves the norm at Spurs. Although the Argentinian went trophy-less, the Spurs were a different animal than in previous years, where a 4th place in the league was almost considered a Premier League title. Poch elevated the standards for us and made us dream of higher heights when we had no hope of achieving them. Indeed, he has won nothing, but his project was the most solid in recent Spurs history, and we have never been closer to a trophy than under his leadership — after all, it's not just us who want to win, and it's not simple to do so at this level nowadays.

Therefore, it is clear that Spurs need a trophy to take that weight off our shoulders, but at what cost? I ask you, dear reader. If we change managers every one or two years, especially ones with no connection between one another, how are we supposed to sell a project with higher goals to future players, coaches, and investors? Levy's decisions in that area have given fans reason to worry, as maintaining the club's financial balance and structure is one thing. At the same time, making a concise sporting project, combining it with an organized transfer plan, and delegating it to the right people to execute it, is a whole different story.

I know this is a lengthy one, but overall, I don't believe Levy is the only one responsible for Tottenham Hotspur's trophy drought, as managers and players from past and present are also to blame for that. However, in my opinion, Daniel Levy is a significant part of the problem due to his confusing tactics in managing the football department, rather than leaving it to other professionals and focusing on the business side of the club, where he excels. Ange's project, for instance, has its merits, albeit limited, and it might ultimately bring us a trophy, but the problem at the club runs deep within the hierarchy.

Tottenham need a statement win in the Premier League after losing 4-2 to Wolves last weekend in what was a truly embarrassing result for a team that is closer to the relegation places than they are to qualifying for any sort of European football in the 2025/26 season.

After defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 on the road to punch their ticket to the Europa League semifinals, there is room for optimism at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night, but this season's surprise package in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest, beckons.

Here are five players who will decide the game.

Tottenham CB Kevin Danso

All eyes will be on Kevin Danso, who, like so many center backs in the Premier League right now, was once one of the biggest standouts at the position in Ligue 1. Renowned for his reading of the game and passing abilities for upstarts Lens in the 2022/23 season, we have yet to see the best of Danso in a Spurs kit.

The game against Nottingham Forest is a great opportunity for Ange Postecoglou to roll out the Austrian international as a starter and see what he is made of against one of the most in-form strikers in the Premier League this season, big man Chris Wood.

Nottingham Forest ST Chris Wood

With 18 goals scored this season, Chris Wood has found the back of the net more than any player in this fixture, and you can make a compelling argument that he will be the best player on the pitch this coming Monday.

The priority for Tottenham will be stopping Wood. They cannot afford to give him even an inch of space, because he can take the smallest amount of breathing room and turn it into something with his strength and with the finishing chops he has shown this season. Wood is the toughest striker to beat in the air in the Premier League, and Tottenham are going to need whoever plays at center back to be extremely vigilant on crosses and set pieces.

Tottenham CM Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma is, quite frankly, on his last legs as a Tottenham player, and I think that no matter what happens to end the 2024/25 Premier League and Europa League seasons, the former Brighton midfielder isn't going to be starting many games for Tottenham next season.

So he's fighting for a spot as a squad player, and he is going to have to start showing some tangible value to Tottenham, otherwise they need to find anyone willing to take on his wages. Bissouma has been disappointing defensively and flat-out terrible offensively. He's not creating chances, his progressive output has been meandering, and he is a dime-a-dozen midfielder in the Premier League.

If he can't put in a convincing performance on both ends of the pitch against Nottingham Forest, he will be one step closer to getting pushed out the door. Forest are a good team, and this is the kind of test that Tottenham should use as a measuring stick for underperforming players like Bissouma.

Nottingham Forest AM Morgan Gibbs-White

It's been great to see Chris Wood getting a lot of credit this season as the leader of the Nottingham Forest attack when Forest are mostly known as a defensive team. But I like to think of Morgan Gibbs-White as the mastermind behind the operation, beacuse he is a well-rounded and active creative impetus who sits behind Wood and does so well at negotiating all of his duties, whether they be defensive or in creatively supporting the lone striker.

Gibbs-White is one of the top players in the Premier League right now in his role, and I'd rate his season above James Maddison's. He is an intelligent and hard-working footballer, and if Tottenham's midifeld isn't as alert and as adept defensively, he could pick them apart this Monday.

Tottenham RW Brennan Johnson

As tough as I can be on Brennan Johnson sometimes when it comes to his inconsistent play and inability to grab games by the scruff of their neck, I am that way with the young Welsh international because I can see the clear ability and future superstar potential in him.

Johnson quietly has the second-most goals in the 2024/25 Premier League season of any player in this fixture with 11. His all-around play as a winger needs to get better, and facing Nottingham Forest is a great chance for him to break out of his shell and prove to Tottenham that, at 23, he already has the ability to get it done against one of England's best defensive sides. This game is a great test for Johnson to rise to the occasion under pressure.

As Tottenham stare down the barrel of their worst Premier League season in ages and contemplate the future of manager Ange Postecoglou, they are evidently having a difficult time making the same cutthroat decisions with their squad where you would think that a harsh dose of reality would be coming.

Normally, contract renewals are a celebratory time for fans of a club, but in the case of journeyman defender Ben Davies - well, at least he should be a journeyman at this stage - that isn't the case. Spurs fans are befuddled by the latest report from The Athletic's Jay Harris, who writes that Davies is set to return for the 2025/26 season, with Spurs ready to exercise a one-year player option on the defender.

Davies would otherwise have an expiring contract, allowing him to leave this summer for free. And it's honestly a bit surprising to see that Tottenham wouldn't just allow him to relieve his wages and walk to another team this summer, as the 31-year-old only made about 10 Premier League starts in the 2024/25 season.

Tottenham should be looking towards the future

Although Davies isn't a terrible player and is a decent, versatile backup, Tottenham could easily sign someone better and younger with the upside to develop into something at the club. Davies hasn't been a starting-caliber Premier League player in about eight years, and at 31, he offers no future value and will decline even more sharply in the coming seasons.

Tottenham need to keep building towards the future, and spending a squad spot and wages on Davies is a puzzling step in the wrong direction. Spurs fans have long lamented a lack of forward thinking from the organization, which often seems more intent on standing pat and taking an ostensibly safe route that, in truth, isn't any safer in helping the team secure a more stable standing as a top-four contender

With Spurs so far out of top four contention this season that it is truly an embarrassment, you'd think that the club would be more selective with the players it chooses to keep around, knowing that each subpar player that remains in the squad is one less spot that can be offered to someone with more future potential. The Davies decision isn't a drastically idiotic one, but it is a frustrating choice that falls in line with a long list of similar choices from a club that can never seem to match the ambition of its fans.

After the 1-1 draw in the home leg and the recent defensive disaster at Wolves, it was not clear that this result was coming for Tottenham. Even better was the way in which it happened.

It has not been the smoothest return for van de Ven and Romero after their long time out with injuries. Romero in particular has not produced the consistent performances we know he can (with the defeat at Wolves being a good example). Even in Frankfurt there were some stray passes early on. As we quickly settled into the game, though, our first-choice center back pair looked increasingly comfortable. It was a great run by Maddison that led to the penalty, but it was a perfect ball from Romero to find him, lifted in between the defenders and tempting Santos out to make the foul. There has been links with Romero moving on but performances like yesterday show how important he is to the team and his ability as a defender. The win in Frankfurt, and a clean sheet against a team that rarely fails to score at home, was a whole team effort. Udogie and Porro were certainly excellent too but having Micky and Romero back and in form is a critical block to build from.

The defensive performance started from the front. Dominic Solanke has not always been the goalscoring threat we need this season, and there is more to come from him there, but his work rate is never in question. Solanke led the press and hurried Frankfurt's defenders and keeper into errors. Johnson and Tel followed this lead, Kulusevski improved it further when he came on, and it did make things difficult at times for Frankfurt to build. While it was impossible to quiet that amazing atmosphere the Frankfurt fans generated, this did help to frustrate the opposition. We dropped back in the second half but pressing as we did kept us a little more solid.

Ekitike looked dangerous in the second leg, just as he did in the first. The idea of Spurs signing him in the summer is one that could be very interesting. As well as positional awareness, he provided a threat with the classic "ball over the top", which is something Spurs are really lacking. Ange's system is great when it works but mixing up attacks with something more straightforward at times would be hugely beneficial. A few of Frankfurt's attacks were long balls straight down the middle ("route one" as it is known, although "route two" or "route three" never seem to be a thing). Early on, one of these resulted in Ekitike being through on Vicario and only Micky's ridiculous speed saved us. If not Ekitike, then another striker who offers this type of threat is needed next season.

"Losing the dressing room" is a cliched phrase but it can happen, and when it does it inevitably spells the end for a manager. Results and performances have not been good this season, of course, but the scenes throughout the game and particularly at the final whistle show the players are fully in this with Ange and his staff. Vicario leaping on to the coaches at the end summed it up. Great to see.

Lucas continues to cement his spot in the 5-a-side appreciation note. The young Swede did not have the greatest of games in the last Europa round, but he has generally outperformed expectations this season. The game in Frankfurt was no exception. Lucas showed his calmness on the ball when needed and put in an excellent shift tracking back as well. Defensive midfield is still an area of need for the summer (and I would like to see a true ball-winner signed for next season, even if they do seem to be going out of fashion a little), but if Lucas is working with Bentancur like this, then we may have enough to get where we need to be this season. Lucas is not shy about putting in a tackle, even if his main strength is on the ball, but that combined with Bentancur's reading of the game formed a decent defensive wall when under pressure. Onto the semi finals. More of the same, please.