TNT Sports

Published 13/03/2025 at 08:04 GMT

Ange Postecoglou hopes Tottenham Hotspur will be a rejuvenated side in their UEFA Europa League last 16 second leg against AZ Alkmaar, and is banking on his leadership quartet playing an important role in securing a quarter-final spot. The under-pressure Spurs boss is banking on the likes of Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero and their experience to pull the side through to a win on Thursday.

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Ange Postecoglou is looking forward to having his group of leaders and veteran players back out on the pitch at once as Tottenham Hotspur bid to make the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

Spurs suffered a 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar in their first leg away, and host the Dutch side in the reverse fixture on Thursday in London - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

They followed that up with a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, which was only saved by a Son Heung-min penalty late in the game.

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"It's fair to say we were all disappointed with the first leg," Postecoglou told TNT Sports.

"Not the result, because I think losing narrowly away from home can happen, it was just more the performance and the way we played and the way we approached the game.

"We obviously had the game on the weekend, which again, didn't really go our way, but I thought the response from the lads towards the end of the game was what we needed."

The four senior players that Postecoglou relies on for leadership - Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, James Maddison and Son - have all at times struggled with injuries this season.

In a season in which Spurs' squad in general has looked thin at times, they have suffered without their leaders.

But Postecoglou is banking on those four leading Spurs to victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"I guess the beauty of tomorrow is with the likes of Romero, [Micky] van de Ven, [Dominic] Solanke all playing significant minutes, we're going to look a little bit different to last week.

"The leadership of this group is really important. We haven't had Vic [Vicario], Romero, Maddison, Sonny [Son] in our leadership group out there barely at all this year. I think they're gonna be important tomorrow night."

Highlights: Bergvall own goal sees Spurs suffer first-leg defeat

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While injuries have impacted the side perhaps more severely than their rivals, Spurs have still under-performed as they sit 13th in the league.

The pressure is mounting on Postecoglou with every passing week as Carabao Cup and FA Cup exits plunged his promise of a trophy in his second season into further doubt.

A loss to AZ, and their subsequent exit from the Europa League, could spell the end for the Australian, but he is doing his best to block the noise and focus on his players.

"I always think 'well, what's really important to me?' And what's really important to me is I still love what I do. I need to prioritise what's important in terms of supporting the players, helping us achieve what we want to achieve. And on a personal level, the only real feedback that matters is what I hear in here from the players and the staff and the people I work with.

"You can use a lot of energy and a lot of time on things that, in the end, really aren't important. Like everything in life, opinions will always sway depending on the outcomes. And if the outcome's positive, then all the noise will change as well."

Vicario: 'I will fight to the end with this group'

Spurs goalkeeper Vicario is roaring to right the wrongs from the first leg, in what was his first European start for the side since November after overcoming a fractured ankle.

Having watched much of Spurs' season from the sidelines, the Italian admits he understands the frustration of the club's fans for their inconsistencies this season.

"They've been unbelievable this season and I can understand at times their frustration. Not happy because of what we've delivered this year, our consistency made them not think of us as a big team, and it's our fault, so we take responsibility for ourselves.

"But tomorrow is a big night and I can say we can go through this round. The support will be buzzing tomorrow night. It will be very important for us and we'll feel it on the pitch."

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Vicario returned to the side in a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the middle of February, but spent his time on the sidelines reflecting and embracing the period.

"When you're fit and when you're able to play every three days and suddenly you're out...you think you're invincible, but setbacks are part of life. That period helped me a lot in the way of seeing of life, of seeing football, and to have a different scenario around the lads putting in the effort.

"Of course, I couldn't help them, but the reality is the injury is part of the past. Now I want to focus on reality back with them and I'm very happy.

"When you have a setback you have to try to stay strong, to have a good mindset to overcome this problem. I don't want to think back, the reality is now I'm okay and I will fight to the end with this group."

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Published 10/03/2025 at 13:00 GMT

Spurs go into their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 second leg 1-0 down from their trip to the Netherlands, where a Lucas Bergvall own goal gave AZ Alkmaar victory. The Eredivisie side travel to London hoping to spring a surprise against their Premier League opponents. Here's how to watch the clash on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Highlights: Bergvall own goal sees Spurs suffer first-leg defeat

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Tottenham welcome AZ Alkmaar to north London looking to overturn a 1-0 UEFA Europa League round-of-16 first-leg deficit after defeat in the Netherlands.

An unfortunate Lucas Bergvall own goal gave the Dutch side victory, with Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario making some important saves to keep the scoreline down.

In what has been a tricky season for Tottenham, the Europa League remains a last shot at glory as manager Ange Postecoglou aims to fulfil his trophy-winning prophecy at the club.

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When is Tottenham Hotspur v AZ Alkmaar?

Spurs host AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, March 13.

Kick-off is at 20:00 UK time on TNT Sports 3, with live coverage beginning at 19:00.

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur v AZ Alkmaar?

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

Spurs host AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, March 13.

Kick-off is at 20:00 UK time on TNT Sports 3, with live coverage beginning at 19:00.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder tool.

Postecoglou facing big decisions as he looks to 'rescue season' - Keown

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How do I watch Europa League live streams on TNT Sports? What is discovery+?

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports and entertainment in one destination.

You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

How many UEFA Europa League games are on TNT Sports?

TNT Sports offers more than 185 UEFA Champions League matches, as well as every UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League fixture.

Which UEFA Europa League matches are on TNT Sports?

For the latest information on which football matches are on TNT Sports, click here.

And for the full UEFA Europa League schedule, click here.

What is the TNT Sports app?

The TNT Sports app is a sports news and results app which is free for anyone to download.

Live premium content is available via discovery+.

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Published 09/03/2025 at 18:40 GMT

Ange Postecoglou reflected on a pulsating 2-2 draw with European qualification chasers Bournemouth on Sunday, as his Tottenham side recovered from 2-0 down to claim a Premier League point in north London. Goals from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson put The Cherries on course for the win, but Spurs hit back through Pape Matar Sarr and Son Heung-min's penalty.

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Ange Postecoglou was left to bemoan some "really careless" passing in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, but praised the response from his players after going 2-0 down.

It was a fourth draw of the season for a Spurs side who have largely alternated between wins and defeats in a tumultuous campaign, and Postecoglou was keen to acknowledge the effort of his players in securing a point.

"Yeah, chaotic game for sure," he said in his post-match press conference. "We added to the chaos, and it was a little bit self-inflicted, especially in the first half.

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"Just with the ball, we were really careless with our passing and that allowed the game to be played on the terms Bournemouth would like with their transition football.

"So yeah chaotic, but at 2-0 down it would have been very easy, particularly with the atmosphere as it was, for the boys to just let the game get away from us.

"But credit to them, they found a way to get back into the game and we got something out of it."

The other positives to take after Bournemouth's visit were the return of Cristian Romero following three months out, while Dominic Solanke featured for the full 90 minutes, and Micky van de Ven received a rapturous reception after coming off the bench.

There was a nervy moment for Romero inside the opening 20 seconds, gifting the ball to Evanilson, whose effort was brilliantly saved by Guglielmo Vicario.

"Yeah, that's the key thing, they got minutes," Postecoglou added. "It was just great to get him [Romero] back out there. He's such an important player for us, but you could see he hasn't played for a while. I thought he grew into the game and got a lot better as it went on.

"Great for Dom to get 90 minutes today, he's such a workhorse for us and I'm sure he'll feel better for that. Brilliant to get Micky out there as well.

"I think before Thursday night that was key for us to get some minutes into these guys and thankfully they got through it unscathed."

Attention now turns to the UEFA Europa League last-16 second leg against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - as Spurs look to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit.

Postecoglou continued: "I can't sort of dictate to people how they sort of interact, but AZ’s crowd certainly helped them on Thursday night, and we need our crowd to get behind the boys on Thursday to make it an atmosphere where maybe we lose some of that nervousness and anxiety within our game.

"But the reality is, we as a team have to respond irrespective of the atmosphere and one may follow the other. If we start the game strong, it’ll get the place nice and loud, which will help us."

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Why Ange Postecoglou must adapt to avoid 'accident waiting to happen' at Tottenham - ‘He needs to rescue his job'

Published 07/03/2025 at 14:09 GMT

Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero are two of Tottenham's most important players, but, aside from the Dutch defender's brief display against Elfsborg, they have both been out since December with hamstring injuries. The duo returned to the bench for their defeat to AZ Alkmaar and TNT Sports expert Don Hutchison believes that Ange Postecoglou needs to adapt his style to avoid any more injuries.

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TNT Sports expert Don Hutchison insists Ange Postecoglou must adapt his style of play to accommodate Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero's injury concerns.

The two Spurs defenders have been out since December after aggravating injuries they picked up earlier in the 2024-25 campaign, with Van de Ven making a brief reappearance against Elfsborg at the end of January.

But both players returned from hamstring issues to make it onto the Tottenham bench for their 1-0 defeat against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

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Hutchison believes that Postecoglou's high line may have contributed to the pair's injury record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"Go back to the game they played against Chelsea," he said. "That crazy game where they had Micky van de Ven back and Cristian Romero come back.

"It was their first games back in quite a while, and he had them on the half-way line. Both of them went back off injured in the same game.

Highlights: Bergvall own goal sees Spurs suffer first-leg defeat

Video credit: TNT Sports

"So hopefully Ange Postecoglou will go into the game against Bournemouth with those two 10 yards deeper instead of having them run 50 yards.

"Have them a little bit deeper and they only have to run 25 to 40 yards."

Spurs will play Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday before welcoming AZ Alkmaar to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the second leg on March 13.

And Martin Keown believes part of Postecoglou's job is to manage the injury concerns of his players.

"It is exactly that [the season is done]," added Keown. "Micky van de Ven looks like he is an accident waiting to happen, it is a major problem for him.

"It is definitely linked to the way they are asked to play.

"[Cristian Romero] is going [on international duty with Argentina] apparently, and he is going to be in the squad so that is an interesting one.

"It is good news that they are coming back but it is about when the manager uses them. This is why he is paid the top dough - when do you bring them back?

"It has to be at the right moment. He needs to rescue his job and Spurs' season."

- - -

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Published 06/03/2025 at 21:50 GMT

Tottenham have plenty of work to do in north London next week after losing 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie. Head coach Ange Postecoglou admitted their performance was not good enough, but also suggested a tricky pitch made it hard work for his team. TNT Sports pundit Les Ferdinand was not impressed with the Spurs boss' comments.

Highlights: Bergvall own goal sees Spurs suffer first-leg defeat

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Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou insisted a "tricky pitch" was partly to blame for his team's "disappointing performance" at AZ Alkmaar - an excuse instantly dismissed by TNT Sports pundit Les Ferdinand.

Spurs were disappointing in the Netherlands on Thursday, as a first-half own goal from Lucas Bergvall saw them lose 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie.

Postecoglou admitted his team's performance was well below where it needed to be, but also said the surface at the AFAS Stadion did his side no favours.

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"Not a great night for us, it was a really disappointing performance," he told TNT Sports.

"We just never got to grips with the game. We didn't really get control at any stage. We were always kind of struggling, both on the ball and without the ball.

"It was a tricky pitch and we really didn't handle it well. Aside from that, we just weren't aggressive enough, we were way too passive in terms of the way we wanted to press.

"Even with the ball, too many times we just circulated the ball without any real intent to hurt them.

"We certainly felt like we were well prepared for the game, but that didn't transpire. Collectively we were nowhere near the level we needed to be and that's the thing we need to address.

"It's halfway, we're still in the tie. At home, we're capable of scoring goals and putting pressure on the opponent, and we'll perform better than what we did tonight."

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Ferdinand picked up on the comments from the Spurs boss in the TNT Sports studio, and the former Tottenham, Newcastle and QPR striker was not impressed.

"I wish he hadn't said that," Ferdinand said. "We're not there, so I don't know what the pitch is like. They [AZ] seemed to play alright on it, they seemed ok on it.

"He said before the game, we want to be aggressive, we want to be in their faces, and we saw none of that. He alluded to it, he said we weren't good enough.

"I'm not sure I would blame the pitch for the problems that Spurs had."

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min did not mention the pitch when he spoke after the game, and said there were no excuses.

"That was nowhere near where we should perform," Son said. "It's very disappointing that we performed like this, including me.

"It's a big wake-up call as next week is the biggest game of the season. It was sloppiness and not performing the way we should. Everybody is disappointed with their individual performance and team performance.

"No excuses, it was not good enough. We have to be much, much better next week."

- - -

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AZ - Tottenham Hotspur Live - Europa League: Football Scores & Highlights - 06/03/2025  TNT Sports

Published 05/03/2025 at 18:32 GMT

While in conversation with Joe Cole, Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand, Ally McCoist stated that Tottenham Hotspur can win the UEFA Europa League this season. The Scot believes Spurs can outlast Manchester United in the competition and clinch the trophy despite their domestic shortcomings in the Premier League. The quartet also discussed Rangers' chances against Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce.

McCoist backs Spurs to win Europa League, particularly if they get key boost

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TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist believes that Tottenham Hotspur can win the UEFA Europa League this year, as they look ahead to their round of 16 tie with AZ Alkmaar.

Spurs' run of three straight Premier League victories came to a crashing halt as they lost 1-0 to Manchester City on Wednesday, leaving them 13th in the table.

Despite the domestic struggles endured by Ange Postecoglou's side, they did manage to finish fourth in the league phase in Europe, losing just one match in that run.

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They now face AZ in the last 16, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Thursday, after the Eredivisie side stunned Roma in the league phase and dismantled Galatasaray in the play-offs.

"I think Spurs are going further," McCoist said. "I think Spurs could win it. If they get key players back, they get a boost. I honestly think Spurs could win it."

McCoist also discussed Rangers' chances alongside fellow TNT Sports pundits Joe Cole, Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand.

The Scot believes that his former club will make it past Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in the last 16, but feels they will struggle from the quarter-finals onwards.

"I think Rangers will beat Fenerbahce but will not go further than Spurs or [Manchester] United," he said.

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"I think they can win the next tie against Fenerbahce, but sadly, I think the round after that might be too much for them.

"I hope I'm clearly wrong... I just hope the second leg is a [good] tie. Rangers stay in the game first and then get back to Ibrox and see how it goes."

Crouch intervened: "I thought they were really unlucky against Spurs [in their 1-1 draw]. They played well, but I don't think they can get past Fenerbahce, unfortunately."

'I'll be stunned if United get to the semi-finals'

Joe Cole, meanwhile, said that he would be "stunned" if Manchester United make it to the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Ruben Amorim has yet to oversee an upturn in form at Old Trafford, as his side languish 14th in the Premier League table.

In Europe, though, United managed to clinch third in the league phase table, earning them automatic qualification for the round of 16, and they travel to Real Sociedad in the first leg on Thursday - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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"I'll be stunned if United get to the semi-finals," Cole stated. "I'll be stunned. Spurs, I fancy more. If you give me one team [out of the two] I'd take Spurs."

The quartet talked about the club's chances compared to Spurs, and unanimously decided that the north Londoners have a better chance of making it further than Amorim's side.

"I'm just going with my heart over my head," Ferdinand said. "So I'm going to agree with you and say that Spurs will go further, unfortunately."

---

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Published 03/03/2025 at 08:02 GMT

Tottenham Hotspur will continue their quest to win the UEFA Europa League and secure UEFA Champions League football for next season when they travel to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands for the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie. This is the last chance of a trophy for Ange Postecoglou's team this season. Here is all you need to know to watch the contest on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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Tottenham Hotspur will continue their quest to win the UEFA Europa League when they go to the Netherlands to take on AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their last 16 meeting.

Ange Postecoglou's team will know this is the last chance of a trophy available this season, following recent exits in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

They have shown improved form lately, recording three Premier League victories in a row, but lost their last match 1-0 to champions Manchester City.

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AZ Alkmaar are currently in sixth place in the Eredivisie, and lost 3-1 to Heerenveen on Sunday.

The Dutch team finished in 19th place in the Europa League group stage.

They saw off Galatasaray 6-3 on aggregate in the play-off round.

When is AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham Hotspur?

AZ Alkmaar host Tottenham Hotspur at the AFAS Stadion on Thursday, March 6.

Kick-off is at 17:45 UK time on TNT Sports 3, with live coverage beginning at 17:00.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

How to watch AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham Hotspur?

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

Real Sociedad host Man United at the Reale Arena on Thursday, March 6.

Kick-off is at 17:45 UK time on TNT Sports 1, with live coverage beginning at 17:00.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder tool.

How do I watch UEFA Europa League live streams on TNT Sports? What is discovery+?

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports and entertainment in one destination.

You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

How many UEFA Europa League games are on TNT Sports?

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season.

Which UEFA Europa League matches are on TNT Sports?

For the latest information on which football matches are on TNT Sports, click here.

And for the full UEFA Europa League schedule, click here.

What is the TNT Sports app?

The TNT Sports app is a sports news and results app which is free for anyone to download.

Live premium content is available via discovery+.

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