BBC

James Maddison says Tottenham's squad are "100%" behind manager Ange Postecoglou and can still turn their season into "something very special".

Spurs are 16th in the Premier League table after a dismal domestic campaign and pressure is mounting on Postecoglou despite their contrasting fortunes in Europe.

The North London club, who have not won a trophy in 17 years, host Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.

Attacking midfielder Maddison, 28, acknowledges the club's disappointing season but says the narrative surrounding the manager is "not healthy".

"We are behind the manager 100%," said Maddison. "I think he's a great man. We have had a poor season, especially in the league. We've been very good in Europe, but the league season has been unacceptable.

"He's my manager, he's my gaffer and I respect him an awful amount. The narrative [of Postecoglou's job being under threat] is something we players are trying to keep away from because it's not healthy.

"I just know that I come into work every day and see the lads listening and taking on the messages on how he wants us to play and doing the best for this club and we are in a real good position in Europe, where we can still have a special season under his management.

"I will continue to do that until the day he isn't here."

Spurs will be without captain Son Heung-min, who is unavailable with a foot injury, against Bodo/Glimt but Maddison says the club are going to "relish the challenge" of reaching a first European final since they were beaten by Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League showpiece.

"It's huge," the England midfielder added.

"When you get to the end of your career and you look back, there's not many times a player has been in European semi-finals. Maybe once or twice if you are lucky.

"We need to use that. We are in the final four in a massive competition in Europe and use that to have a great tie on Thursday and in Bodo as well.

"We've got a real special opportunity. There's obviously been a lot of talk about form and being a poor season, but we have the opportunity to do something very special.

"We've earned it and we deserve to be here. It is a challenge we are going to relish."

Bodo/Glimt reached the semi-finals with victory over Lazio on penalties in the last round and Postecoglou has dismissed his side's tag as favourites.

"Bodo are there on merit," said the Australian manager.

"They are there because they are a good football team. It doesn't matter where you come from. I come from the other side of the world where football is the fourth sport, so I don't underestimate anyone.

"You say they are a small club and we are big club, it doesn't matter. We are two clubs in the semi-final of a European competition and they have earned the right to be there.

"They have done very well to get there and we are going to treat them with the respect they deserve. At the same time, make sure we go in there and give it our best performance."

The 59-year-old also says Tottenham's success in Europe is being "diminished" by some people amid the backdrop of their league form.

He added: "I am really strong at the moment on the parallel worlds we are trying to traverse and I have sensed, which is not surprising because this is the way this club is perceived, people are almost trying to diminish it in some respects.

"I have seen some people saying it is the equivalent of Manchester United winning the FA Cup, no. Not on any planet is it equivalent. That is suggesting that maybe we are not worthy of Champions League.

"Things are there that are designed to diminish what is ahead of us, which is an unbelievable opportunity. Irrespective of how this season has gone, we have generations of fans who want this more than anything else - to share this with the people that they love, a special moment supporting their football club.

"We could be flying in the league, but it wouldn't make this opportunity any different. The opportunity is the same and I have made that clear to the players."

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison says "we're behind the manager, 100%" as his team-mates and boss Ange Postecoglou build up to Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

WATCH MORE: Spurs struggled after 'decent start' - Postecoglou

Europa League semi 'good challenge' for Spurs

Tottenham v Bodo Glint (Thur, 20:00 BST)

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou described the Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt as a "good challenge" for the club.

He has also given some team news and discussed Lucas Bergvall's new contract.

More to follow.

'You're going to have to put up with me for a little bit longer'

Tottenham Hotspur v Bodo Glimt (Thursday 20:00 BST)

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou's future with the club has been under immense scrutiny and speculation this season. However, after qualifying for the semi-finals of the Europa League, Postecoglou bit back at the naysayers.

"I'm the same coach that I was yesterday. The players have never lost belief. People like to mock and diminish my achievements but I'll leave that there.

"I don't care, it doesn't bother me, it doesn't affect what I do. For me, it's always about the dressing room. Do the players believe? Do the staff believe?

"That's much more important than what others may make of me.

"So, unfortunately for a lot of you, you're going to have to put up with me for a little bit longer."

Tottenham's road to the semi-finals

Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt (Thu, 20:00 BST)

As mentioned, we will be hearing from Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou as they get ready to host Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals of the Europa League.

You will be able to watch the news conference live from 13:30 BST, just click on the play icon at the top of this page.

In the meantime, let's have a look at Spurs' pathway through the knockout stages to the semi-finals:

vs AZ Alkmaar - 3-2 victory on aggregate in the last-16

vs Eintracht Frankfurt - 2-1 aggregate win in the quarter-finals

get involved

Get Involved - Spurs' Europa League chances

#bbcfootball, WhatsApp 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply)

We would love to hear from Tottenham fans on how you are approaching the Europa League semi-final.

Are you confident you can make it past Bodo/Glimt?

Or have recent league defeats against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool taken the shine off any positive feelings that came with victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League last-eight?

Get in touch via X, WhatsApp or text using the contact details above.

Postecoglou incoming...

Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt (Thu, 20:00 BST)

Tottenham Hotspur

We will be hearing from Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, along with a Spurs player, from around 13:30 BST.

It's a huge game for Tottenham, who look destined to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League this season and missed out on silverware in the domestic cup competitions.

It's hard to say whether winning the Europa League would make up for an otherwise poor season, but victory and the Champions League qualification that comes with it would certainly help.

Arsenal's men and women to follow suit again?

Arsenal 0-1 Paris St-Germain

Arsenal do not have to look too far for inspiration as they consider how to overcome a one-goal deficit in their Champions League semi-final following defeat in the home leg against the French champions.

The club's women's side have already done it.

They were trailing 2-1 after the home leg in their Women's Champions League semi-final against eight-time winners Lyon, only to demolish them 4-1 away from home to win the tie 5-3 on aggregate.

The comparisons don't end there.

Both Arsenal's men and women beat Real Madrid in the quarter-finals after claiming 3-0 wins in the home leg.

All six goals were scored in the second half, all at the same end, with an England international scored the opening two - Alessia Russo and Declan Rice - and a Spanish player finishing the scoring - Mariona Caldentey and Mikel Merino.

And get this, the Arsenal women's team will play Barcelona in the final, while Barca are favourites to be waiting for the Gunners in the men's final, should they upset the odds to beat Paris St-Germain.

'Arsenal are still in the game'

Arsenal 0-1 PSG

Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, speaking to Amazon Prime, said: "Arsenal are still in the game. If it was 2-0 then it would potentially kill the tie. PSG will be disappointed it's only one.

"We all understand that Arsenal's main strength is free-kicks and set-pieces. You go into a stadium that's very hostile and players are going to have to be smart and slow the game down by winning these silly little fouls. That's going to be their best bet to win the game, set pieces."

Partey a great 'asset for the second leg'

Arsenal 0-1 Paris St-Germain

As mentioned, Arsenal will have suspended midfielder Thomas Partey back for the second leg.

Gunners defender Johan Djourou told BBC Radio 5 Live that he believes Partey's return could be key to their chances: "It will be massive. I think we know how important he’s been. I think people don’t always rely on much of an anchor. For sure we missed him, especially as we saw yesterday those movements that [PSG] come from deep.

"We got attracted to the ball and followed the players and we were missing a bit of organisation. A player like Thomas Partey will be so important to release players like Martin Odegaard, who yesterday was a bit low on form, and Declan Rice, to give him freedom to go forward.

"So definitely I think Thomas Partey will be a great comeback and asset for the second leg."

'I have got a feeling the second leg is going to be a better opportunity'

Arsenal 0-1 Paris St-Germain

Matthew Upson

Former Arsenal defender on Football Daily podcast

I have got a feeling the second leg is going to be a better opportunity for Arsenal.

I know the atmosphere is going to be amazing but that also does bring pressure for the home team, as does taking an advantage into that game.

To have sampled that [PSG's press] and to have figured it out [will help them].

Arsenal's route to the semi-finals

Arsenal 0-1 Paris St-Germain

Arsenal's Champions League campaign kicked off on 19 September in a 0-0 draw against Atalanta.

They then beat semi-final opponents Paris St-Germain 2-0 and Shakhtar Donestsk 1-0 before losing to another semi-finalist, 1-0 against Inter Milan.

They finished off the league phase with wins over Sporting 5-0, Monaco (3-0), Dinamo Zagreb (also 3-0) and Girona (2-1).

After qualifying directly for the last-16, Arsenal faced PSV across two legs but had the tie sewn up in the first leg with a 7-1 win away from home. They drew the return leg 2-2 to progress 9-3 on aggregate.

The quarter-finals saw the Guners brush off defending champions Real Madrid, expertly dispatching the holders with a 3-0 win at home and 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu.

But could a campaign that promised so much have come undone with Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at home to PSG in the first leg of their semi-final tie?

'Experience makes a difference'

Arsenal 0-1 PSG

John Murray

BBC Radio 5 Live chief football correspondent on Football Daily podcast

Experience in this competition does count, it really does. They were in the semi-finals last season PSG, lost both legs 1-0 to Dortmund. This is new for Arsenal, quarter-finals last season so they went far in the competition but to be at this level for the first time for this group of players, first time for 16 years, I think it does make a difference.

I think we saw that with Aston Villa in the fact that in the first leg when Nuno Mendes scored a third goal in added time, some teams would have done something. It's the game management.

Mohamed Salah's selfie celebration during Liverpool's Premier League title-clinching win over Tottenham Hotspur has become an iconic moment.

The Egyptian scored the Reds' fourth goal in Sunday's 5-1 victory at Anfield and, after celebrating his strike, borrowed a phone from a staff member before taking a photograph of himself and the cheering Liverpool fans behind him.

But some have asked could it have been a marketing idea, because the phone Salah used is made by one of Liverpool's sponsors.

"At the beginning of the season I always take selfies with players [who score], so for this one I said 'OK, I have to think of something special because it's a picture that's going to be there forever'," Salah told BBC Sport.

Salah, 32, has frequently posted selfies with Reds team-mates on social media, while his recent two-year contract extension announcement included a self-taken photograph.

Initially observers thought Salah had taken the phone off a fan in the crowd, but it was a Liverpool staff member located behind the advertising hoardings in front of the Kop.

The photograph, which Salah and Liverpool posted on their social media accounts, has millions of likes and views.

But it has courted some controversy with observers wondering if it was a natural celebration, or an advert for Google Pixel, an official partner of the club.

In response, others have pointed out they could not know Salah would have scored - and none of the first three goalscorers did this celebration - although it was his 33rd goal of the season so not much of a surprise.

Various Liverpool players have taken part in adverts for Google this season on social media and TV.

Aston Villa have objected to Tottenham Hotspur's request to move their Premier League game in May to aid the London club's chances of possible success in Europe.

Spurs are in the Europa League semi-finals and, should they reach the showpiece, they will be required to play in Bilbao on 21 May - just three days after their Villa Park meeting.

In a statement released on Sunday, the club said: "We should like to inform supporters that we are in discussions with the Premier League regarding a change in date to our away Premier League match against Aston Villa, currently scheduled for Sunday, 18 May."

BBC Sport understands Spurs wanted to bring the game forward to Thursday, 15 May, however, the request has been rebuffed by Villa.

Sources close to the matter have indicated there is no precedent set for the Premier League to move fixtures to help clubs in European competition.

It has been pointed out to BBC Sport that Villa have played every three to four days during April due to their participation in the Champions League and FA Cup.

Another reason for the refusal is the game against Tottenham, Villa's final home game of the season, will include a number of pre-organised family activation activities which would not be possible to complete if the match was held in the evening.

Tottenham face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in their semi-final, with the first leg on Thursday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Manchester United visit Athletic Club in the other last-four tie.

Liverpool denied Tottenham a first win in eight Women's Super League games as they battled back to claim a point at Totally Wicked Stadium.

Sophie Roman Haug powered a header past Lize Kop for her second goal of the game shortly after half-time to help Amber Whiteley's side strengthen their grip on fifth place.

Roman Haug had fired Liverpool into a 12th-minute lead after reacting sharply to a loose ball in the box to open the scoring with the side's first shot on target.

However, Tottenham scored two goals in six minutes midway through the first half to turn the scoreline around.

After Grace Fisk's attempted clearance had hit her own crossbar and squirmed through the hands of goalkeeper Racheal Laws for the equaliser, Clare Hunt ghosted into the penalty area to divert Maite Oroz's cross into the bottom corner.

As the game ticked into 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time the hosts flooded forward in search of a winner, but Lize Kop stood her ground to block Jenna Clark's flying header.

Martha Thomas almost nicked all three points at the very last for Spurs but headed wide of the target from just a few yards out.

The north Londoners remain on course to equal their worst-ever Women's Super League finish of ninth, while Liverpool stay fifth.

Tottenham show resilience with point on the road

Robert Vilahamn and his players must have felt a sense of deja vu when Liverpool opened the scoring with their first shot on target in St Helens.

Given Spurs were on a run of seven Women's Super League games without a win they may have been forgiven for thinking that luck was against them once again as Roman Haug poked the ball home.

But the Merseyside sun ultimately shone on Spurs as they held on to a point against a difficult opponent away from home.

Indeed, had Thomas made a better connection with her stoppage-time header, the visitors could have been heading back to London with all three points.

Nevertheless the manner in which they battled back from a goal behind to take the lead and then hung on to ensure a share of the points, will please boss Robert Vilahamn, who urged fans to be patient this week amid questions about his position at the club.

Despite their inconsistent campaign only Manchester City and Arsenal have won more points from losing positions in the Women's Super League this season than Tottenham.

Taking 16 points from games they trailed in is testament to the resilience Spurs have had to build during a tumultuous 2025.

They have often been on the wrong side of things this term but the mix-up in the Liverpool defence for the first goal and the big save from keeper Kop in stoppage time may prove to be the building blocks for an upturn in fortunes.

How to play

Rate players out of 10 for this game. The rater will close 30 minutes after the final whistle. You must be signed-in to a BBC account to play.

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

Head here to get involved

Related topics

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 15 home games against Tottenham in all competitions (W11 D4), winning the last three while scoring four goals each time.

Tottenham have won just two of their last 24 Premier League games against Liverpool (D6 L16), with both victories coming at home. They’ve also failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 18 against the Reds in the competition.

Tottenham have conceded 10 goals against Liverpool this season, losing 6-3 in the Premier League and 4-0 in the League Cup semi-final second leg. They last conceded more against an opponent in 2013-14 (11 vs Man City), while the most they’ve conceded is 14 (vs Chelsea in 2001-02).

Tottenham (37) are 42 points behind Liverpool (79) coming into this match. It’s the second highest number of points Spurs have been behind a side they’re facing – they were 43 behind Arsenal when they met at White Hart Lane in April 2004, with the Gunners securing the title against them that day.

With five games remaining, Liverpool have already won as many Premier League games this season as they did last term (24), while victory in this game would also see them equal their points tally from last season (82) with four games to go.

Tottenham have lost 18 Premier League games this season, only losing more in 1993-94 and 2003-04 (19 both times).

Liverpool have scored at least once in each of their last 29 Premier League games, since a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in September. It’s the second longest scoring streak in a single campaign, after Arsenal who scored in all 38 games in 2001-02.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored 15 goals against Tottenham Hotspur in all competitions, only netting more against Manchester United (16) in his European club career. 11 of those 15 goals have come in the Premier League, with only Alan Shearer (14) netting more against Spurs in the competition.

If he plays it will be Luis Díaz’s 100th Premier League appearance. He would be the 60th player to reach this milestone for Liverpool, the third most of any club after Arsenal (70) and Chelsea (63).

Richarlison has scored in four of his last five Premier League appearances (4 goals), though Tottenham have lost all four of these games. Indeed, only Matheus Cunha (5) has scored in more defeats than Richarlison this term.

The Change for Tottenham protest group are planning "to visibly signal dissatisfaction" with events in north London at the next home game against Crystal Palace by not taking their seats for the beginning of the second half.

The move is the latest escalation of an ongoing protest movement by a growing fringe supporters group that aims to put pressure on Daniel Levy and the wider Enic ownership group, featuring the Lewis family trust.

They say that the club needs to stop putting "profit before glory" and supporters will repeat their protests from recent matches against Liverpool, Manchester United and Southampton by gathering before kick-off and marching to the stadium. Fans are also encouraged to wear yellow.

There were already noticeably empty seats in some sections of the stadium on Monday as Spurs lost 2-1 at home to Nottingham Forest.

This comes amid the backdrop of a season which could be the club's worst in the Premier League era. After 33 games, Spurs are 16th on 37 points having lost 18 matches.

They need to pick up eight more points to surpass their worst total in a single Premier League campaign, which came in the 1997-98 season, under a combination of Gerry Francis and Christian Gross as permanent managers.

They also need to avoid a further two defeats to avoid breaking the record 19 defeats suffered that season.

At the moment, Spurs are five matches without a win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the league and have already suffered more defeats (eight) on home turf than they had in any other 38-game season.

Because of these struggles, manager Ange Postecoglou is understood to be under some pressure when he faces a post-season review, regardless of whether Tottenham win the Europa League.

Nottingham Forest are the counter-attack kings and they have the tools to get another win like the one they got over Spurs at the City Ground in December, where they had 30% of possession but won 1-0.

Forest have hit a bit of a blip of late, though, and they don't appear to be quite the same force they were a few weeks ago.

They are desperate for a win to get their top-five bid back on track and Nuno Espirito Santo's would love to get it on his return to Tottenham, where he did not last long as manager, but a draw feels more likely to me.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

'Chelsea's fixtures among the toughest'

Alan Shearer

Premier League winning striker for BBC Sport

It is hard enough to predict results in the Premier League anyway, but at this stage of the season it is even more difficult.

Chelsea's game against Liverpool on 4 May is a good example of that. Liverpool can clinch the Premier League title next weekend, when they play Tottenham, and we don't know what their attitude will be like after that.

Even with that in mind, though, I still look at Chelsea's fixtures as being among the toughest, just because they have got to travel to two of their rivals, Newcastle and Forest, as part of their run-in.

It's a good sign that they still got the result they needed at Craven Cottage but they only got back into the game when Tyrique George came on with about 12 minutes to go - they would not have won the game without him.

Nicolas Jackson has not scored since mid-December but their main man is Cole Palmer and, for several weeks now, he has not been firing at all.

They got the job done on Sunday because a young kid came off the bench to rescue them, but you have to think that to make the top five they will have to get Palmer scoring again.

Why top-five race is 'impossible to call'

Alan Shearer

Premier League winning striker for BBC Sport

There are five teams going for the three Champions League places behind Liverpool and Arsenal, with only two points between them, and this weekend showed why it is impossible to call.

Going into the latest round of games, the way I saw it there were two in-form teams, Aston Villa and Newcastle, and two sides, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, who were having a bit of a wobble.

Over the course of Saturday and Sunday, a lot changed. Villa battered Newcastle, and deserved it too, while Chelsea were 1-0 down with less than 10 minutes to go at Fulham but somehow turned it around to win.

The picture is going to keep on changing too - Manchester City play Villa on Tuesday, when I guess the other three teams watching on will be hoping for a draw - and this is what it is going to be like now every week between now and the end of the season.

Someone will have a bad result and appear to be out of it, and someone else will win and look like they are favourites, but there are plenty of twists and turns to come.

Can Sheff Utd bounce back in promotion race?

Burnley v Sheffield United (17:30 BST)

Sheffield United looked to be in driver's seat and heading for automatic promotion heading into April.

But three successive defeats to Oxford United, Millwall and Plymouth Argyle saw them fall from first to third in the Championship.

Chris Wilder's side returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City on Friday, with the manager claiming his side was "alive and kicking".

The Blades will have a chance to cut the five-point gap to second-placed Burnley when they travel to Turf Moor later today, with two games left of the regular season.

Wilder's side will then face Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers in the hope that they can pounce if one of the top two slip up during the final games.

Is PSR going away anytime soon?

Premier League

In short, not yet.

The profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) are to be retained for next season after it was agreed so by the Premier League clubs earlier this year.

It was anticipated that the clubs would adopt a new financial model for the 2025-26 campaign, but there will now be a delay to its implementation.

The clubs did not formally vote on replacing PSR with the squad cost ratio (SCR) system of financial control - which is currently being trialled alongside top to bottom anchoring rules (TBA) - but were instead asked for their views.

Almost all clubs reportedly said they were happy with SCR, apart from one unnamed club who said they preferred PSR.

However, there was disagreement over when SCR should be introduced. The debate was said to be positive and cordial.

How good have Leeds and Burnley been this season?

It's fair to say Leeds United and Burnley have been a cut above the rest in the Championship.

Sheffield United were also giving the duo company at the top throughout the season but the Blades' campaign has withered in recent weeks and they will have to settle for a third place if they don't get a result against the Clarets today.

So how good have the Championship top two been as they look to secure promotion later today?

Put simply, Leeds have been the best attacking unit in the league and Burnley have the most solid defence.

Daniel Farke's Leeds have scored 83 goals in 43 games this season - 17 more than Norwich City, who are second in that list.

Burnley, meanwhile, have conceded the least number of goals. Scott Parker's side have let in just 14 with Leeds, who have conceded 29, the second best.

The Clarets could also make it 31 regular-season Championship games unbeaten today, closing in on the 33-match record set by Reading in 2005-06.

Which clubs have been punished under PSR?

Premier League

Everton were the first club to be charged by the Premier League for PSR breaches in 2023.

An independent commission found the Toffees posted losses amounting to £124.5m to 2021-22 and docked the club 10 points, which was later reduced to six on appeal.

Everton were sanctioned again in January 2024, alongside Nottingham Forest.

The Toffees received an additional two-point deduction for being £16.6m over the loss limit for the three-year period to 2022-23.

Forest, meanwhile, were deducted four points after the club's losses to 2022-23 were found to have breached the threshold of £61m by £34.5m.

Leicester City escaped a points deduction for a breach in the three years to 30 June 2023, successfully arguing the Premier League had no power to punish them as they were already in the EFL at the time of the charge.