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Bodø/Glimt 0-2 (1-5) Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs fly to Europa League final

SPURS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO THE SAN MAMES!

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Six years to the day after one of Tottenham Hotspur’s most dramatic European competition wins — the Miracle in Amsterdam that sent them to the Champions League final, Spurs qualified for their second European final of the Premier League era. Facing a Bodø/Glimt team that had lost only once in the Europa League, scoring 19 goals in the process, Spurs stodged up the match defensively, capitalized on two second half chances, and shut the Norwegian hosts out. Spurs got a goal from Dominic Solanke off a corner kick, and followed it up a few minutes later with a ridiculous blast off the post by Pedro Porro, and rolled to a 2-0 lead at the Aspmyra Stadion in northern Norway.

The result gave Spurs a decisive 5-1 win over two legs, and punched their ticket to Bilbao, Spain where they will face a Manchester United team that they have already beaten three times this season. The final will take place on Wednesday, May 21 at Athletic Club’s San Mames Stadium.

While Bodø is in the Arctic Circle, the weather was misty, wet, and relatively mild with calm winds, which played into Spurs’ hands. Facing an opponent that likes to break into space and catch opponents by surprise, Spurs instead sat deeper, let Bodø/Glimt have the ball, and mucked things up as best they could. Tottenham would’ve been quite content with a boring 0-0 draw; instead, they scored twice and took both their goals well.

Here are my match reactions to another Glory, Glory Night in European competition.

Match Reactions

Y’ALL WE’RE IN THE FINALS OF THE EUROPA LEAGUE LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

There was absolutely nothing surprising about the starting lineup — it was the same as they put out against B/G in London.

An ugly, boring match suited Tottenham just fine up two goals on the road WOOOOand that’s pretty much what we got. Spurs tried to slow the game down, subtly waste as much time as they could, and stodge things up — basically Big Sam Ball. Sitting deeper helped prevent B/G from countering and attacking into space, which is where they’re really good.

Contrary to what we all expected pre-match, the artificial field didn’t seem to play very fast — in fact, the ball died quickly on the wet turf. Passes seemed to zip a little more but they didn’t carry much once they hit the ground.

Spurs did look like they were selectively pressing high initially to try and kill the match off early, though they did noticeably sit off of Berg early. Kulusevski man-marked Berg for most of the match and it seemed pretty effective in keeping him from overtly influencing the game.

Micky van de Ven won a defensive header inside 10 minutes, which felt at the time like a good omen.

B/G had the majority of the possession in this match, and that felt like by design. Spurs seemed confident they could let them pass the ball around and still keep defensive solidity, much like they did in the first match.

B/G were successfully getting forward more in the second half, which gave the match an edge it didn’t quite have in the opening 45.

Destiny Udogie had a fantastic match, especially defensively — rarely lost his man, was tracking B/G players to the back post, made a couple of fantastic stops.

Another super solid match from Richarlison. In both legs he’s played better than Solanke as a striker and it makes me think what might have been if he’d stayed healthy this season. His sub was likely for fitness reasons.

Spurs’ goal was just a well worked corner routine — Tel puts the ball to the back post, Cuti headed it back across the face of goal, and Solanke was right there to poke it in. Fantastic, and allowed everyone watching to breathe. Honestly wondered if Cuti’s header was going in regardless of Dom’s presence.

Here are my exact notes at THAT moment: HOLY CRAP PEDRO PORRO WHAT

There’s no funnier way than for B/G to get a dodgy penalty in the final 10 seconds of the match, only to have VAR call it back for diving. lol....lmao

United also won their series 7-1 on aggregate over Athletic Bilbao, denying them the chance to win a title in their home stadium. Yes, it means another banterrific European Cup final (what could possibly go wrong) but as bad as Spurs have been this season at times, they’ve still had United’s number. And I’d still rather play them than Athletic.

Enjoy it, y’all. We’re one game away from breaking our silverware drought in the most awesome way, and delivering Ange Postecoglou his Year Two Trophy™.

— Cartilage Free Captain (@cartilagefree.bsky.social) 2025-05-08T20:36:52.799Z

Sometimes the universe provides the most amazing coincidences. Six years ago today, Tottenham Hotspur went to Amsterdam down a goal to play one of the best Ajax teams in decades for an opportunity to play in a Champions League final in Madrid.

We all remember that match — Lucas Moura scored a hat trick including the decisive winner with the last kick of the game to give Spurs a 3-2 win that sent them to Madrid on away goals. If you were a Tottenham Hotspur fan on that day, it was probably the greatest day of your fandom, a match that will be viewed as one of the biggest and most dramatic wins in club history.

A lot has happened in the six years following the Miracle in Amsterdam, most of it not very good. But now, on the sixth anniversary of that day, Tottenham find themselves back in the second leg of a major European Cup semifinal with a chance to progress to the final, likely against another Premier League opponent, with a solid performance.

Once again, it’s an away match, this time in northern Norway against Bodø/Glimt, a small team from a lower league that has played well to get here and might even be considered favorites at home. And once again, prophetically, Spurs are playing in green.

Look, I don’t believe in omens. This time, Tottenham have a two goal lead heading into tonight’s critical fixture rather than a one goal deficit. And unlike in Amsterdam, Tottenham’s Lucas (Bergvall) is injured and can’t provide another hat trick. There’s a lot that could go wrong for Spurs in this match — Bodø/Glimt are a good team that deserve to be in the Europa League semifinals, they’re playing at home on a artificial turf field that they know intimately, and they have used that advantage to amass an impressive series of wins over some big names in European football in this competition.

But on the other hand — my god. Just look at the synchronicity at play here! It’s eerie. And while I think most Spurs fans would rather ditch all of the high drama for an easy win at the Aspmyra Stadion, tonight’s match and all of its parallels provide an opportunity, if nothing else, for Spurs fans to reminisce about one of the high points in the last 30 years.

And considering how the Champions League final worked out, maybe, just maybe, there are just enough changes to suggest a different outcome this time around.

A 3-0 scoreline would have felt a lot different than a 3-1 advantage, but nevertheless Tottenham Hotspur is in decent position heading into Thursday’s second leg against Bodo/Glimt. A dominant first half in North London was followed up by a less impressive 45 minutes, allowing the underdogs to stay afloat in the tie and giving both sides (varying levels of) work to do in Norway.

Spurs obviously have the easier task, simply needing to hang onto the lead, but executing it will be anything but easy. Glimt have a distinct homefield advantage and will throw everything at Ange Postecoglou’s side, desperate to seize the momentum and potentially spring the upset. The stakes are massive on Thursday, but Tottenham absolutely can and should be the ones to advance.

Semifinals (2nd Leg): Bodo/Glimt (1) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (3)

Date: Thursday, May 8

Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK

Location: Aspmyra Stadion, Bodo, Norway

TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 2 (UK)

Aside from the pitch and location — which clearly point to a benefit for the home side — the other key area that benefits Glimt is in personnel. Back are three starters from suspension, including two midfielders, while Tottenham is going to be without Lucas Bergvall and Heung-min Son, and now James Maddison as well. The Premier League side still has the stronger depth, but it will be missing more pieces from its preferred XI.

Without Bergvall and Maddison, Spurs are unlikely to dominate in midfield, even with Dejan Kulusevski (hopefully) returning to the starting lineup and Yves Bissouma coming off an outstanding outing last week. It was Glimt who actually won the possession battle in the first leg and will be the ones who hold the ball for much of this contest as well, especially given the teams’ available and unavailable midfielders.

It still might set up fine for Postecoglou, with his team likely only needing one goal to feel confident. There will be plenty of opportunities on the counter, and one successful finish is all it takes to really up the odds of a prosperous evening. Therefore, while both the team selection and tactics should lean heavily defensive (compensating for the lack of Bergvall, specifically), there is value in having some outlets who can capitalize on the break.

Meep meep

With that concept in mind, the real question is whether or not to start Richarlison again. Postecoglou’s gamble of starting him next to Dominic Solanke paid off, with the Brazilian assisting Brennan Johnson’s early goal last Thursday before being subbed off at halftime. Having these two forwards able to press the back line and hold up play with the ball should work again and makes a strong argument for not tinkering with something that worked well.

Additionally, starting Richarlison with the intention of replacing him with fresh legs makes a lot of sense given the bench. Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert would both be huge threats in the second half, exactly the type to run free against an aggressive side trying to find an equalizer. Having a couple players able to play the No. 9 is going to be much less important if Spurs are simply looking to see out the final 30 minutes of a match.

Should the worst case happen and Tottenham actually needs a goal itself, having these speedsters ready off the bench could be the difference maker, especially if the contest goes into extra time. Johnson, Tel, and Odobert can all get up the pitch quickly, and if Postecoglou needs some critical reinforcements, the non-starting wingers have the ability to make a late impact. I like Richarlison to start, but give the speedy wings plenty of minutes as well.

I always carry a book around with me, just in case I encounter a situation in which I need to read one.

So I grabbed my copy of Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins when I headed for the Apple Store on Sunday. The Apple Store in Washington DC is located inside the beautiful Carnegie Library.

Or, rather, it took the library. It was my first time inside this Apple Store, and I was so disappointed to see a place once filled with thousands of books and adventures be transformed into a soulless phone store. One in which Apple employees give demonstrations on a smartwatch to a crowd of zero.

I dropped my iPhone 12 off to get its battery replaced thinking it would be a quick fix. I was told I’d have to wait more than an hour.

More than an hour!

Not to fear, I though, for I am armed with my copy of Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins and my knowledge of the nearest Tatte Bakery.

And what an adventure I found myself in, learning about the relation between humans and the gorgeous octopus. Of course, I am still quite new into this wonderful book. But a philosophy book disguising itself as a nature book? Or is it the other way around? Either way, it’s a real treat for the reader.

What could bring a man closer to an octopus but the written word? But thousands of words and pages dedicated to the mysterious ocean creatures that enrapture our imaginations? The most beautiful animal inhabited the deep blue seas.

After the time elapsed I closed my book and vowed to resume my adventure another day.

I departed the Tatte and made my way back into the library.

I stared in awe at the beautiful marble inside, questioned the integrity of the indoor plants and mourned the millions of pages that will never be on display here again.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Octopus’s Garden, by The Beatles

And now for your links:

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou hits back at Arsene Wenger over Europa League claim: ‘Spurs does crazy things to people’”

The Athletic ($$): “Bodo/Glimt fans trade dried fish and reindeer meat for Tottenham semi-final tickets”

With every day that goes by, James Maddison’s injury situation continues to get worse. Today, the BBC is reporting that Maddison’s knee injury is such that not only is he out for the remainder of the season, including the Europa League final, but he could also miss the start of Tottenham Hotspur’s 2025-26 preseason.

Maddeningly, it appears no journalist in England knows how to report on sports injuries, because apart from the vague “knee injury” we have no real idea exactly which ligament has been hurt. ACL? MCL? PCL? We don’t know, and that sucks, because those kinds of details could really impact how long Madders is out and what his recovery will look like.

That said, we know it’s serious because otherwise the club wouldn’t be leaking this information to Sami Mokbel. Potentially missing the start of preseason means at least a 3-4 month recovery time, and possibly longer to get back up to speed. This injury could also have ripple effects throughout the summer transfer window — Spurs might have been looking for a capable Maddison rotation option anyway, but it becomes even more important now, as Spurs cannot replicate the kind of creativity Maddison brings to the side when he’s unavailable. (Note to Daniel Levy: Rayan Cherki is right there.)

With Lucas Bergvall also out for the rest of the season, Spurs will need to lean heavily on Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, and Dejan Kulusevski for the central midfield positions, and pray to all that is good and holy that they don’t pick up any more injuries.

Good morning everyone - We here at Hoddle Headquarters love not just the Premier League and Championship, but the English football pyramid as a whole.

There might not be enough space to go all the way down the pyramid, but we can at least get through the fifth level. We’re really in the thick of it now, too, with the playoffs beginning this week! So let’s take a quick look at where things stand:

League One

Promoted: Birmingham, Wrexham

Playoffs: Stockport, Charlton, Wycombe, Leyton Orient

Relegated: Crawley Town, Bristol Rovers, Cambridge United, Shrewsbury

We already knew Birmingham and Wrexham were heading into the Championship next season, but now we’ve got the playoffs. Keep an eye on Orient, who are riding a six-game win streak. Meanwhile, Wycombe have been struggling since ceding the second automatic spot.

League Two

Promoted: Doncaster, Port Vale, Bradford

Playoffs: Walsall, Wimbledon, Notts County, Chesterfield

Relegated: Carlisle, Morecambe

Chuffed for Bradford, who are promoted after scoring the winning goal at the death the other night. I have a soft spot for this club, whose town was the first in which I touched the ground on English soil many years ago.

National League

Promoted: Barnet

Playoffs: York City, Forest Green, Rochdale, Oldham, FC Halifax, Southend

Relegated: Dag & Red, Maidenhead, AFC Fylde, Ebbsfleet

Fitzie’s track of the day: Dallas Beltway, by Chat Pile

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Spurs must battle on without their two most in-form midfielders – it is not good timing”

Football London: “Solanke injury return, Maddison replacement - Possible Tottenham changes vs Bodo/Glimt”

There generally isn’t a ton of banter between clubs in European competition. Especially when one team is a small club playing in northern Norway and the other one plays in the Premier League in London and is one of the ten richest clubs in world football. But I guess that’s not stopping Bodø/Glimt! In an article published in Norwegian outlet vg.no, some of Bodø/Glimt’s players are chatting shit. It’ll be up to Spurs as to whether they get banged.

First, here’s Fredrik Sjøvold:

“Damn it! We just have to play simple and not give the ball away too easily. I think their pressure is going to fall apart pretty quickly. Then we can cause trouble.

“So I’m not going to say they suck. It’s a very good team and they’re good with the ball, but their pressing isn’t better than that of an okay Eliteserien team. It’s possible to play through it.”

Jostein Gundersen was a little more diplomatic.

“I’m a bit older than Sjøvold, so I won’t use those words. International football is a bit different. Norwegian teams are extremely loyal and extremely well-drilled. Matches might be more open against a team like Tottenham.”

And Bodø/Glimt’s goal scorer Ulrik Saltnes said something similar:

“I’d say it’s something that can be exploited. It’s something we’ve figured out quite well, and something I hope we can take even more advantage of in the home game.

“We have nothing to lose. We’re going to be on the front foot. I’m expecting a pretty electric Aspmyra.”

Now I guess if I’m a small Norwegian club down two goals in a critical European Cup semifinal maybe I don’t give my opponents locker room posting material ahead of the second leg, but hey, this is why I’m just a blogger and not an elite athlete. Honestly, I find this to be more funny than anything else.

And here’s the thing — they’re right! Tottenham absolutely did not press high and ferociously in the first leg. Instead, the back line sat deeper than we often see them, Ange Postecoglu used selective pressing triggers, and Spurs were perfectly content to let Bodø/Glimt pass around their box. Spurs controlled the center of the pitch, worked the ball wide in attack, and focused on putting in crosses from the flanks. And it was effective! Bodø/Glimt barely generated any real offense in the first leg; they scored a lucky, deflected goal with their only shot on target and are extremely fortunate to not be down three goals right now.

That said, getting all Billy Big-Balls about it while down two goals ahead of the second match sure is a choice.

If anything, I expect Tottenham to set up in a similar way on Thursday — as I stated in another article, the artificial turf field at the Aspmyra Stadion will likely result in a faster-paced, more open match, and it would benefit Spurs to play a more compact defensive structure with more long balls from deep. Tottenham have better athletes than Bodø/Glimt, and if they stay disciplined they can get a result without having to resort to a more risky all-out press.

I have no idea whether these comments have filtered back to the Spurs players, but if nothing else it might provide a little more motivation for the second leg in Bodø.

Well, that didn’t take long. One day after it was revealed that the Premier League had gotten involved in potentially moving the date of Aston Villa’s final home match of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, it’s now become official — despite Villa’s protestations, the match has been moved from Sunday, May 18 to Friday, May 16.

The match was moved at Spurs’ request so that they could have more time to prepare for the Europa League final on Wednesday, May 21 in Bilbao, Spain. Tottenham had asked Villa (nicely) to reschedule the match so that, should they qualify for the final, they would have the same amount of time to prepare as their assumed opponent, Manchester United. Tottenham had initially requested that the match be moved to Thursday evening, May 15.

Villa had declined, arguing that there was “no precedent” to move league matches for clubs participating in European competition, and that doing so would create a burden for them as they were also trying to qualify for a European place through league position. Villa also noted numerous fan activities targeting families that would be less possible if the match were moved to Friday evening.

However, the Premier League has stepped in and ordered the match to be moved, regardless of whether Spurs make the final or not.

Naturally, Villa fans on social media are FURIOUS with the decision. I suppose if the roles were reversed and we were in Villa’s situation, asked to reschedule a home match to accommodate the team currently 16th in the table we’d be pretty peeved too. But failure to do so would give United a significant advantage in preparation — the Europa League final being on a Wednesday night would mean Spurs would have a minimal amount of time to get to Spain, train, and prepare for the match in comparison to United. Now the playing field is level, though Villa might think otherwise.

If last Thursday’s 3-1 win over Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League semifinal first leg was Tottenham Hotspur’s most significant match since the 2019 Champions League final, then the return fixture in Norway is even more important. Spurs carry a two goal advantage into the away fixture, and if they can win the tie over two legs will have another chance to play for a major European trophy.

However, they are playing a team in Bodø/Glimt that lost only once at their home stadium, Aspmyra Stadion, in the competition, scoring 19 goals with a +11 goal differential in the process. Clearly Bodø/Glimt are a formidable team at home, and home advantage is a real and statistical thing in soccer. But why? What is it about them that makes them so dangerous at home, and are Spurs susceptible to any of those factors?

In looking at this season’s Europa League, there are three factors that come up again and again when discussing Bodø/Glimt’s home form in Europa League play: the weather, the pitch, and whether their opponents took them seriously. I dug into all three of them to see if Spurs supporters should be worried about any of them ahead of Thursday’s match in Norway.

Factor #1: the Arctic weather

Bodø/Glimt famously play their home football at the Aspmyra Stadium in Bodø, Norway, 150 miles inside the Arctic circle. The Arctic, you say? That’s cold! Surely there are, like, icebergs around the stadium and penguins walking around the pitch, right?

Well first of all, penguins are Antarctic birds, not Arctic. But secondly, just because a team plays in the Arctic Circle doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re playing at a frozen Lambeau field in January. Curious, I compiled the weather conditions from the Bodø airport at kick-off for each of Bodø/Glimt’s Europa League home matches, and the results were rather surprising.

Not only has it not been that cold, the weather has been quite balmy. Just for fun, I also included the temperature in central London on the same evening and Bodø/Glimt’s xG for each match.

Yes, there are a couple of cold nights in there, and that shouldn’t be fully discounted, but it’s really not that different than any number of matches played in England in December and January. And for the most part, the weather in Bodø was pretty close to the weather in London. And in case you’re wondering, the forecast this Thursday in Bodø is a chance of showers, high of 48º, low of 43º.

Interestingly, Bodø/Glimt’s xG more or less tracks with their overall score. I know this is a flawed statistic, but it does lend credence to the idea that they weren’t just lucky. The two exceptions were the loss to Qarabag, where they underperformed their xG, and the 5-2 win over Twente, which was juiced by two periods of extra time.

What COULD be a factor is the wind. The Aspmyra Stadion is on the coast, and the wind can really whip around in that small ground. Swirling winds of 20-25 mph might be a possibility and could provide another challenge. However, the wind is indiscriminate as to which team it impacts, so this could balance out.

In short, weather really isn’t, and probably won’t be, a factor.

Factor #2: Aspmyra Stadim’s artificial turf

This one is a lot harder to quantify. Bodø/Glimt, famously, play on a field with an artificial turf surface with undersoil heating at the Aspmyra Stadium. This was installed in 2006 when it was determined that keeping a grass field in decent condition was near impossible inside the Arctic Circle.

There’s been a lot of talk about Bodø/Glimt’s home record and how much the turf surface impacts visiting teams. The biggest concern is that playing on an artificial field could be detrimental to players unused to it, particularly players who are prone to hamstring injuries like Micky van de Ven and Richarlison. That said, while modern turf pitches play differently on grass, they’re not statistically less safe than grass fields — just ask any NFL player.

For what it’s worth, Tottenham have only played two matches on an artificial surface in the time I’ve been a fan — the 3-0 extra time win over Tamworth in this fall’s FA Cup, and a 3-2 loss to Young Boys in the 2010 Champions League playoff first leg. Ange Postecoglou has experience playing against Bodø/Glimt in Norway, with his Celtic team losing 2-0 in the Europa Conference League in 2022. There’s reporting that Spurs players struggled with the turf at Tamworth, with Dan Kilpatrick saying on The Tottenham Way podcast (via TBR Football) that it took some players a few days to recover, though it was noted the Tamworth pitch might have been of lower quality.

“So, you know, they’ve got opportunities to prepare. And in that sense, they’ve obviously had the Tamworth game that you mentioned. I imagine the Bodo/Glimt pitch is significantly better than Tamworth’s was. A lot of the Spurs players were feeling that game for days and days afterwards. So you kind of hope that’s not the case next week.”

Bodø/Glimt are certainly more familiar playing on an artificial surface than visitors, and are said to take advantage of a faster playing field to facilitate quicker passing than what is capable on a grass field.

That’s certainly what Lazio head coach Marco Baroni thinks. Lazio went to Norway on April 10 in the quarterfinals and lost 2-0, with Baroni quick to attribute the plastic pitch to their defeat.

“They had speed in their exchanges because of the artificial pitch. I believe that the second leg will be a different game and qualification is still open. They are a fresh, brilliant team. We will rebalance at the Olimpico in the second leg, and we believe that we can still secure qualification.”

Lazio came achingly close to knocking Bodø/Glimt out in the return fixture in Italy but lost the tie in a penalty shootout despite winning the match 3-1.

On that same Tottenham Way podcast, Terje Flateby reiterated that a match on Bodø/Glimt’s turf absolutely plays faster than a match on grass.

“Yeah, let’s take the pitch first. It’s a first-class artificial pitch. So it’s not a bad pitch in that way. But the ball goes really, really fast, especially when it rains and it’s wet. They, of course, water the pitch before it starts. But the ball, if you speak to professional players in Norway who plays a lot on artificial pitches and also on grass, it’s almost a different game.

“So it’s very difficult to set the press because the ball goes so much faster at the artificial pitch. And the Bodo/Glimt, they are a great team, but they’re also a reason why they’re so good at home. It’s also because of the pitch. So that will be a big challenge for Spurs and how to attack this game. But if they go gung-ho pressing, Bodo/Glimt will, of course, just carve them open.”

In the first leg, Tottenham had great success by staying compact defensively, not pressing especially high, letting Bodø/Glimt have the ball, and taking advantage of their superior athletic ability. I expect they’ll play in a similar way in Norway to try to neutralize any inherent speed advantage and keep the ball in front of them. It’s a challenge, but the 2-0 first leg lead will help significantly.

Factor #3: Rotation

The other question I had when considering Bodø/Glimt’s strength at home was whether their opponents were playing full strength sides, or rotated ones. Bodø/Glimt played very strong teams in each of their home Europa League matches, but I wondered whether their opponents were taking this match as seriously.

Historical lineup information for some teams (e.g. Qarabag) was difficult to find, and as I’m not an expert in Glimt’s opposition I’m not going to pretend to be definitive in this section. But I did compare lineups from the Europa League matches with those from matches before and afterwards, and from what I can tell, most teams traveled to Norway and played fairly strong sides — mild to moderate rotation, but with some starters coming on as substitutes. And except for Qarabag, Bodø/Glimt beat them all, sometimes handily.

Now, can we look at this and definitively say that teams like Besiktas, Olympiacos, and Porto came in and underestimated Bodø/Glimt? Not really. But the data does suggest that while there was some rotation, none of them expected to waltz into Norway and beat the brakes off them.

Tottenham will be playing their strongest available lineup, because the Europa League is now the only competition that matters to them. While the Bodø/Glimt that takes the field will be different than the one that played in London — all five of their missing players, including club captain Patrick Berg, should be back and available — there’s little chance that Spurs will be looking past their Norwegian opponents

Conclusion

Of the three issues highlighted above — the weather, the pitch, the rotation — only one would appear to be potentially significant. The artificial turf field will likely be a challenge, but only in the sense that the match could be played at a much faster pace, and with the home side more familiar with the intricacies of their home field. Indications are that Bodø/Glimt’s pitch is a high quality one (unlike at Tamworth) which should alleviate some injury concerns. Otherwise, Spurs won’t be looking past their opponents at all, and the weather shouldn’t be a significant factor.

Instead, if Tottenham Hotspur struggle in Norway it will almost certainly be because Bodø/Glimt are simply a very good team playing in a small league. Their making it this far is not an anomaly. Bodø/Glimt deserves to be here every bit as much as Tottenham does, and Spurs will need to play at least as well as they did last Thursday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to ensure progression to the final.

Want some pure, weapons-grade managerial rumor slop on a Monday morning? Well, I gotchu fam. Did you know that Ange Postecoglou is on the hot seat and that there’s a decent chance he could leave the club at the end of the season even if Spurs win the Europa League trophy? I know! This is totally new information!

Well, should that happen, Spurs will need a manager. This is also a profound insight. And according to Italian blog InterLive.it (via SportWitness), one of the options to come in as Spurs’ next manager is Internazionale manager Simone Inzaghi.

Yes, that’s right — the man currently managing that Inter team that’s three points behind top in Serie A and one win away from the Champions League final. Inzaghi’s contract expires at the end of next season, and while the idea of a contract extension is considered “a formality” by Inter, the thought is that he could consider leaving the club at the end of the season because he apparently wants to manage in the Premier League, and all the big jobs ahead of Spurs are already taken — Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool. Spurs would also be able to pay Inzaghi a top wage to come and finish the Tottenham rebuild. InterLive.it goes as far as to call Inzaghi “the ideal choice” for Tottenham after Ange walks.

Now, look. Truthfully, I’d gnaw my right arm off at the elbow for a chance to sign Simone Inzaghi should Postecoglou depart. (Fabio Paratici, are you reading this? Do your thing.) But I’m gonna be real with you — the source is garbage, and the whole thing seems to rely on a) Inzaghi ready to give up control of an exceptionally good Inter squad potentially after winning a Champions League to come to the Premier League, b) Tottenham being the literal best Premier League job available despite the club finishing near the bottom of the table, and c) Inzaghi wanting to get his hands dirty rebuilding a Spurs that has significantly underperformed.

The ONLY way this would happen is if Spurs were to win the Europa League, thereby qualifying for Champions League football next season. And even that feels like a super big stretch, considering Inzaghi hasn’t managed in England before.

But I guess it’s good to have dreams? Look, rumors are fun, that’s why we do this sometimes. But come on.