Football London

Ange Postecoglou is set to heavily rotate his Tottenham Hotspur side to face West Ham United on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.

While a derby awaits at the London Stadium between two sides that have struggled in the league this season, Spurs' clear priority is the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in Norway and the Australian has already said that he will need to make plenty of changes with that in mind.

Postecoglou could decide on a complete change of the back four with players like Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Kevin Danso and Ben Davies all looking for minutes. In the midfield Pape Matar Sarr needs game time while Dejan Kulusevski did not start in the first leg against Bodo so could do so this weekend.

The Spurs boss will likely need to make a decision between playing Yves Bissouma or Rodrigo Bentancur with both potential starters in midweek after impressing in the first leg.

Richarlison and Tel played a half each on Thursday night so could start up front, while Wilson Odobert needs minutes and the Tottenham fans will also be hoping to see Mikey Moore finally getting minutes.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Postecoglou will select for the derby against the Hammers.

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has weighed in on the importance of Europa League success for his former club or Tottenham after lacklustre seasons. Ferdinand reckons securing the European trophy could be pivotal for United - who are now widely-expected to reach the final after their dominant 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night.

Casemiro netted the opening goal for them, while Bruno Fernandes scored twice to put his team in a strong position for the return leg at Old Trafford.

With Tottenham also in contention - after their 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt - there's a possibility of an all-English showpiece in Bilbao come May 21.

Both clubs have been starved of success and they've had seasons to forget in the Premier League, where United find themselves in 15th place with 39 points, while Spurs trail just behind in 16th.

Ferdinand sees the potential trophy as a significant boost for either side, telling TNT Sports: "When you get your hands on a trophy, I think that catapults you, I think further up in terms of who's been successful and who hasn't.

"I think for United especially, finishing where they're going to finish and winning a trophy, that doesn't paper over the cracks enough.

"They know there's a lot of work to be done, but I think Spurs will be the same.

"Spurs, especially, winning a trophy, they've been so long without one, it will be a huge thing.

"Both clubs will be looking to do that and, when you win a trophy, it doesn't matter what it is.

"I played at a club that was always looking to win every trophy we've played in, even in years where we didn't win the league, or win the Champions League, you'd cling on to an FA Cup or a Carling Cup at the time - you'd cling on to that.

"I think trophies are great for confidence and they also [have] interest when you go into recruitment."

All Harry Kane could do was watch on. Suspended and therefore unable to make an impact, he was helpless as Bayern Munich threw away a Bundesliga title success during stoppage time on Saturday.

After achieving the incredible feat of becoming Tottenham's record goalscorer with 280 strikes over nine years as a regular, Kane made the complicated decision to leave with one desire in mind.

Serial Bundesliga winners Bayern would theoretically hand him the greater opportunity to win silverware that had evaded him throughout his time in England, with Spurs receiving a £100 million fee for the loss of their talisman and captain.

Approaching the end of a second year in Germany, on Saturday Kane's career-long for a trophy wait had the chance to be brought to an end.

It was just so unlucky that for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season playing Mainz last week, the 31-year-old was suspended for the Bundesliga title-decider at the Red Bull Arena.

Regardless, he travelled to Saxony to cheer on manager Vincent Kompany and his teammates from the stands. Kane's face was expressionless as the hosts cruised to a first-half two-goal advantage.

Fighting back after the break, goals from fellow former Spurs man Eric Dier, ex-Crystal Palace star Michael Olise and ex-Man City attacker Leroy Sane put Bayern on the brink of the title with seven minutes to play.

But then arrived Yussuf Poulsen, fresh from the bench for Leipzig, and after the ball broke kindly he chipped Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig to level up at 3-3 with five minutes of stoppage time played.

Kane, who had come down to the touchline expecting to charge the field in celebration, instead stood still and silent in disbelief.

As the curtain came down on the thriller, the former Spurs man joined his disheartened teammates as they made their way to the travelling Bayern fans to show appreciation.

Even if Kane is to wait for his first-ever trophy, he can at least fall back on the fact it is still entirely in Bayern's hands.

They sit nine points ahead of Leverkusen with an advantage of 30 on goal difference.

Xabi Alonso's side must follow by playing their third-from-last game of the season tomorrow against SC Freiburg. They cannot afford to drop points, otherwise the race is over.

The initiative would then go back to Bayern who play again next Saturday and will have the chance to win in front of their own supporters at the Allianz Arena when hosting Borussia Monchengladbach, and Kane will be allowed to play.

Graham Potter has admitted he hopes Tottenham reach the Europa League final.

West Ham welcome Spurs to the London Stadium on Sunday, with the clash sandwiched between the Lilywhites' Europa League semi-final against FK Bodo/Glimt. Tottenham already have one foot in the final after winning the first leg 3-1, although Ange Postecoglou will be keen to get the job done properly next Thursday.

Before the second leg, though, Tottenham face West Ham in the Premier League. The Hammers are currently 17th in the table while Spurs are 16th and Potter believes it is important his side pick up all three points against their London rivals.

“Spurs have had a tough season in the Premier League, because of injuries and other reasons. That just shows that in this league, nothing’s forgiven,” said Potter.

“But, they’ve done well in Europe, and hopefully they can get the job done and get to the final. This is the most important game for us, because it’s the next game. And then you add on the fact it’s a London derby, and the added importance for our supporters.

“I feel for our supporters because they’ve had a tough year. That’s the reality. They’re frustrated, understandably so, and we want to try and give them something back.”

Postecoglou will likely field a much changed side against the Hammers, although will be without Lucas Bergvall who is set to miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury. Bergvall sustained the issue in training on Wednesday and Ange Postecoglou does not expect the 19-year-old to play again in the 2024-25 campaign.

Postecoglou also expressed concern over James Maddison’s condition after a knee injury forced him off in Spurs’ 3-1 victory over Bodo/Glimt. “Lucas looks like the injury is significant enough to keep him out for the rest of the season,” Postecoglou explained.

“He was on his own, went to turn and his ankle gave way. Dom (Solanke) is not too bad, still sore from last night but nothing too serious. A doubt for the weekend. Madders a bit more of a concern because it’s the knee. We’ve sent him for a scan.”

Tottenham’s season has been disappointing from the start.

Languishing in 16th place, the club are on track for their worst ever Premier League campaign.

As fan disgruntlement grows, it seems only Europa League success will be enough to save Ange Postecoglou ’s job and ensure that the Australian gets an opportunity to turn things around in North London.

With just four league games left before the summer, now seems like a perfect opportunity to take stock and look ahead to what chairman Daniel Levy and the Spurs hierarchy will need to consider if things are to change next season.

Sell first, buy later?

Firstly, it’s important to point out that the club are not in danger of breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR) this summer. Levy’s controlled management of the purse strings has ensured that they are well within the parameters even with the heavy debt the new stadium has accrued.

But the 2023/24 accounts published last month have revealed that there is a £279million difference between transfer payables (£337million), which is the amount the club still must pay other clubs for players, and transfer receivables (£58million), which is the money received through player sales.

This is not insignificant with Spurs currently wielding the second largest transfer debt in the Premier League.

There will be reluctance to let this debt creep up even higher, especially with on-pitch performances and consistent European qualification far from a consistent certainty.

The money received from participation in the Champions League, something that can be gained if Postecoglou can guide the side to Europa League glory, is a huge financial help to clubs and is something Spurs have had to do without for two seasons.

For Levy, it is all about operating sustainably and if the club are unsuccessful in the Europa League, the much-needed squad improvement may only be facilitated by the departure of high-earning players with good market value.

Squad improvement

Financial considerations must also be balanced with the need to improve a squad that has performed so poorly in all departments.

Spurs have lost 19 league matches this season, just two fewer than already relegated Ipswich Town and there is a very real possibility that the North London club could end up only a place above the bottom three.

While a severe injury crisis has certainly made things harder for Postecoglou, the players, some of which bought for considerable sums, have not delivered.

The side has been too open, too easy to play against and there has been a failure to adapt to the prolonged absences of key players such as Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario and Son Heung-min.

The eight league goals mustered by £65million summer arrival Dominic Solanke has been disappointing, although his all-round play is regularly lauded - and greater attacking reinforcement is surely high on the agenda this summer.

Romero has openly spoken about a move away to play in La Liga and that would leave a big hole in the defence too, while there are question marks over the futures of midfielder Yves Bissouma and striker Richarlison.

Another rebuild may be on the cards.

What about loan players?

The summer flurry of players leaving and returning from loan spells does not look as if will offer Spurs any extra hope going into next season.

There are currently seven first-team players out on loan at domestic clubs as well as abroad.

None look as promising as South Korean international Yang Min-Hyeok who has spent the second half of this season on loan at QPR.

The 19-year-old has featured 14 times for the West London club, scoring twice and assisting once. However, it remains unclear if he is able to make the step up to the Premier League after just a few months in English football.

Elsewhere, winger Manor Solomon is set to return following a successful loan at already promoted Leeds United in the Championship.

A decision needs to be made on Mathys Tel, who is slowly starting to have an impact on the team, with Timo Werner set to return to RB Leipzig and not return this time.

A change in the dugout

Irrespective of Tottenham’s Europa League fate, it is feasible that Postecoglou may not be in charge come August.

Fan anger is quickly shifting from being directed not solely at Levy and the decision makers, but to the Australian too.

There has been frustration at his lack of willingness to change tactics and his persistence with an open and expansive style that is being consistently found out by opponents.

The former Celtic man’s relationship with the media has also become strained over the course of the season with him becoming increasingly annoyed by how he and his team are spoken about.

Even a Europa League win may not be enough to repair some of the damage that has already been done to all parties involved.

Ange Postecoglou has made it clear that he will heavily rotate his Tottenham Hotspur side to face West Ham United on Sunday in the Premier League.

Spurs' priority is the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt next Thursday in Norway and the Australian will make plenty of changes after the 3-1 victory in the first game for a derby at the London Stadium with both capital clubs struggling in the Premier League.

We asked our Spurs reporters Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest to select the Tottenham team they believe should take on West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday and here's what they came up with.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

Postecoglou had no qualms about making it clear in his press conference that Sunday will see him protect as many players as possible for the Europa League second leg, while giving others minutes in case they are needed.

That brings the potential for a complete change of the back four with players fresh and ready to come in in the shape of Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Kevin Danso and Ben Davies. In the midfield Pape Matar Sarr should come straight in and Dejan Kulusevski needs a start to get him sharper. Yves Bissouma could be handed another start in order to continue to get him fitter for a potential second leg start in Norway.

Up top Richarlison and Tel played a half each on Thursday night so can start, while Wilson Odobert is in need of a good shift to up his sharpness. The Tottenham fans will also be hoping to see Mikey Moore finally getting some minutes at some point.

Gold's team: Vicario; Gray, Danso, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski; Odobert, Richarlison, Tel.

Rob Guest - Football writer

Rotation will be in order when it comes to Postecoglou's Tottenham XI to face West Ham this weekend. As important as this Sunday’s game in east London is, the Spurs boss will want to rest a number of his key players ahead of next week’s Bodo/Glimt match.

So, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven drop out and are replaced by Kevin Danso and Ben Davies. Djed Spence then takes Destiny Udogie’s place at left-back.

Archie Gray is handed another opportunity in midfield despite his struggles there against Liverpool last weekend. He is joined in the middle of the park by Pape Matar Sarr and Dejan Kulusevski.

Richarlison then leads the line after starting on the left-wing in midweek. The Brazilian will have Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert either side of him in attack.

Guest’s team: Vicario; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Gray, Sarr, Kulusevski; Odobert, Richarlison, Tel.

Lamine Yamal is probably the best teenage footballer in the world right now.

The Spanish wonderkid lit up the Champions League encounter between Barcelona and Inter Milan at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night, scoring an incredible solo goal in the thrilling 3-3 draw.

At 17 years old, Yamal already has a bigger trophy cabinet than most players whose careers are over, having already won La Liga, the Spanish Cup and the Spanish Super Cup as well as helping Spain to their European Championship triumph last year. He's also won the Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy on an individual level.

He has a bright future ahead of him and is just two games away from lifting the Champions League trophy aloft with Barcelona now too.

So it is no surprise that when it comes to the highest number of minutes played at senior level for players born in or after 2007, Yamal comes out on top.

According to the report by the CIES Football Observatory, Yamal averages 59.7 games per year, having already amassed 117 appearances since making his debut at the age of 15.

That is 24 more than the next best player born in 2007 or after, with Barca teammate Pau Cubarsi the next on the list with 93 appearances.

Interestingly though, following in Yamal's footsteps is a player who should become very well known to Tottenham fans in the not too distant future.

Coming in at eighth on the list, with 62 senior appearances to his name, is Luka Vuskovic. The big defender rose through the ranks at Hajduk Split to make his professional debut in February, 2023, becoming the youngest player to feature in the Croatian top flight.

Currently playing for Westerlo in Belgium, Vuskovic has already signed for Spurs, committing his future to the club in 2023, with the now 18-year-old officially joining up with Tottenham this summer.

Tottenham completed a £12million deal to sign him from Hajduk Split in September 2023 and he has been on loan with Radomiak Radom and now Westerlo since agreeing that move.

Ange Postecoglou believes "levels of decency and respect don’t exist anymore" after information about devastated teenager Lucas Bergvall's injury was leaked on the day of Tottenham's big Europa League semi-final first leg.

The 19-year-old damaged ligaments in his right ankle while turning during a training session on the eve of Spurs' huge European game against Bodo/Glimt. Bergvall was left gutted by the freak accident as he realised that his season was likely over and so were his hopes of playing not only in the semi-final matches but a potential final in Bilbao.

Then word of the teenager's injury leaked on to social media on the morning of the huge match and once again fed Postecoglou's frustration over why someone in or around the north London club would allow sensitive medical information to leak out against a youngster's wishes and on the day of a huge match.

"It’s not helpful. Some of it is just to protect the players themselves. You can imagine, Lucas was devastated. He didn’t want to deal with it and we didn’t want to make it public, not as much about the opposition but to give him the time to process it," said the Australian.

"He’s a young man. He had such a high in the week, he had signed a new deal, he was playing well, his whole family was out here looking forward to the game. We wanted to protect him more than anything else, but those kinds of levels of decency and respect don’t exist anymore."

He added: "I've said before it’s not helpful. It’s not helpful to our club. Not for any other reason, but it's information you give to the opposition, it's information they can use against you. But we live in a world where those kind of things have gone out the window. You guys live it every day. People just want to be the first whether it’s credible information or not. They get it out there and they feel like they’ve achieved something whether it’s totally off-base or totally wrong.

"I used to love your profession. I did, because I was an avid reader, a voracious reader, and I would love that people would double and triple check their sources before committing to something. Unfortunately that world doesn’t exist anymore. It’s not necessarily journalists, it’s just anybody now. They can literally just say whatever they like and pretty much, even if it’s wildly wrong, no one will pull them up for it and they can do it the next day."

In the days ahead of the Europa League clash, Postecoglou admitted he had gone in hard on his Spurs players after their defeat at Liverpool, showing that he is certainly not throwing away the Premier League matches, even if he needs to rotate for them as he will again for the trip to West Ham on Sunday.

"I’d hate to think people don’t think I’ve been preparing the same I always have for these games and want to win these games," he said. "We were hugely disappointed with Liverpool, notwithstanding the fact they were outstanding all year and it was always going to be a difficult day whichever way we went.

"I was really hard on the players the day after the game. I wasn’t really sure how they would react to it, but I just felt we need to feel that pain. At the same time, you put that to one side and concentrate on the task at hand. As I keep saying, irrespective of our season, we’ve got an opportunity to do something special and I don’t want to let that slip because of us losing focus on what is important."

When asked how the players took the tough love, he added: "The boys are good. They take the feedback. It’s not personal. It’s a pretty young group. I’d hate to think we get used to not performing at the level we need to.

"I didn’t feel we handled things very well. I want them to grow. I don’t think there’s growth unless you’re honest with people. There’s always then danger that you might put some noses out of joint but I’m confident that they buy into what we’re doing and that whatever feedback we give them, positive or negative, it’s for the right reasons. They’re pretty good at taking that on board."

The feedback appeared to do the trick with a strong display in Thursday night's 3-1 victory against Bodo/Glimt and Postecoglou had praise for one of his starting players, Richarlison, and the Brazilian's current physical condition after a difficult campaign ripped apart by injuries.

"Knock on word, he’s in great shape and last night I went a bit conservative with him because playing out left is different and I could see that he was working so hard for the team. He gives everything he has and I didn’t want to push him beyond the limit, knowing what we have got ahead," he said.

"He probably could have played another 10-15 minutes, but he’s in great physical condition, he’s played 90 minutes already. He’s backing up in games and he’s really desperate, hungry to contribute at this stage. He’s a great asset for us. He’s such a handful in the box.

"Whatever Richy has to give, he’ll give it every time, whether it’s five minutes, or 90 minutes, he’ll give every little bit of himself. Obviously Dom is an important player for us, we saw that last night. Richy on the bench would have been great to throw him on for that last bit. He plays such a crucial role for us.

"Both are really important and having them both for this run-in, we have to balance off how much we use them and history tells you you are wary of players that have missed a lot of football in a year given their ability to back up consistently. We’ve been careful with all our players who have been out for a while, but he’s certainly in great physical condition now and is going to be important for us."

Richarlison is yet to have an iconic, memorable moment for Tottenham during his three seasons at the club and Postecoglou is hoping it arrives this month.

"It’s not through a lack of trying with Richy. It’s preceded me, his stop-start career at Spurs. To be fair when he’s got a run in the team he’s always made an impact," he said. "Last year in the middle of the year he was making a massive impact and scoring goals until he got injured. It would be great for him because he’s been through a tough few years. But that’s the beauty of football and life. If you keep turning up and doing the right things, sometimes it goes your way."

Next Thursday's return leg in Norway will bring a European semi-final played on an artificial pitch in the town of Bodo, but Postecoglou rejected any similarities to the tricky FA Cup third round tie at non-league Tamworth earlier this year.

"No. It’s very different. The surroundings are different, circumstances are different, the opposition is different. They’re (artificial pitches) all very different. When I was up in Scotland there were two, maybe three, artificial pitches and they were all very different in how they played," he said.

"It’s all unique. The key to it is you obviously understand that it changes the game but not to let it become too much of a focus. Ultimately, if we do the things we need to do that we did last night in terms of our organisation and our discipline then irrespective of the surface we will still be a hard team to stop.

"But it does change the game, you have to take that into account, there are things that you need to do a little bit differently. Every away venue has its [challenges]. Frankfurt's surface was brilliant but there’s different challenges of Frankfurt, it’s not the surface, it’s something else. Every away game in Europe has its challenges."

Tottenham will head into their Europa League semi-final second leg showdown against Bodo/Glimt with a huge advantage. Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke were all on target at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Norwegian champions pulled one back late on through Ulrik Saltness which saw the first leg end 3-1 to the hosts.

Ange Postecoglou's side were relentless for 65 minutes, but after losing Maddison and Solanke to injury in quick succession saw their dominance waiver. Updates on the duo and Lucas Bergvall, who'd missed out entirely, have since been revealed by Postecoglou.

"Lucas, it looks like the injury is significant enough to probably keep him out for the rest of the season. Yeah, just tweaked ligaments in his ankle, so he is out," said the Australian post-match.

"Dom not too bad, he's still sore from last night but we don't think it's anything too serious. Obviously a doubt for the weekend, but we're hoping that it will settle down pretty quickly. Madders is a bit more of a concern because it's the knee. We've sent him for a scan and just waiting to hear the outcome."

Despite still winning by a margin of two goals, it could have been so much more for the Lilywhites and given what awaits in Norway and the return of at least three influential players. Captain Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen will both be available after serving bans due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Andreas Helmersen was also suspended for the first leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after being sent off in the dramatic quarter-final triumph over Lazio. Elsewhere, Ole Blomberg overcame a minor injury to start, while centre-back Odin Bjortuft was only fit enough for a place on the substitutes bench.

With a make-shift midfield and an unfamiliar centre-back pairing, Bodo/Glimt significantly struggled but their goal came through left-back Fredrik Bjorkan, one of their bright sparks on the night, with his driving run and pass inside offering Saltness a shot at goal.

Defensively, he did struggle against Johnson and he was shown a yellow card after the Welshman escaped down the right flank. That was his third booking in the Europa League this season and, while it would normally result in a suspension, he will be available for the second leg due to UEFA's rulings on yellow cards.

"Exceptionally, all yellow cards and pending yellow-card suspensions expire on completion of the play-offs," it is stated in Article 52.04 of their handbook. "They are not carried forward to the group stage. In addition, all yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals."

Cristian Romero was also cautioned on the night. While mostly due to injury, that was only his second in Spurs' European campaign and a third in the arctic circle would also not see him banned for a potential final.

Ange Postecoglou spoke about plenty of topics on Friday afternoon at his press conference ahead of Tottenham's Premier League match at West Ham on Sunday and we've got a full transcript with every single word he said.

Spurs have barely had a moment to enjoy their Europa League semi-final first leg win against Bodo/Glimt as a derby awaits on Sunday at the London Stadium in the Premier League as both teams look to avoid finishing 17th in the table this season. Postecoglou is set to make changes aplenty to his starting XI with the crunch second leg of their European semi-final in Norway on Thursday night.

The Spurs boss provided the latest information on the injuries to James Maddison and Dominic Solanke picked up in the 3-1 victory in midweek as well as a new update on Lucas Bergvall's ankle and captain Son Heung-min's foot.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Postecoglou. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

What’s the latest team news?

Yeah, Lucas obviously looks like the injury is significant enough to probably keep him out for the rest of the season. Yeah, just tweaked ligaments in his ankle, so he is out. Dom is not too bad, still sore from last night but we don’t think it’s anything too serious. Obviously a doubt for the weekend, but we’re hoping it will settle down pretty quickly. Madders is a bit more of a concern because it’s the knee. We’ve sent him for a scan and just waiting to hear the outcome.

And Son?

Sonny is working hard. He’s progressing and still doing individual (training), but he’s out on the grass, feels better every day and we’ll see how he’s going for Thursday and if he is available for Thursday.

What was the feeling in the dressing room at full-time?

I think the lads were pretty pleased with the way we played and obviously what you want after the first game is if you can possible get an advantage, it’s always a good thing but what you do want is to make sure you put in a strong performance. Like with the Frankfurt game, I don’t think we got the reward our performance deserved but when you put in a performance it gives you a belief and confidence about what is to come. It’s halfway in the tie but we’ve given ourselves a good chance of progressing if we can perform the same way.

A lot of players have had criticism this season obviously because of the league form, but were you proud of what you saw from them last night in some of those performances?

Yeah, I think all, all the way through Europe, I think we've hit some really good levels and played some really good football, faced some difficult challenges and overcome them in a in a real kind of composed manner. Yeah, I was super proud, obviously it was a difficult day for us at the weekend and you never want to sort of dismiss those experiences, you need to learn from them, they need to make you angry and disappointed, and we certainly were after the Liverpool game.

I didn't let the players off the hook with that, but at the same time we had to refocus pretty quickly in what was a really important game last night and I was really pleased with the players' mentality which has been really strong all the way through the European campaign.

You also mentioned how much much you enjoyed the atmosphere and the supporters, the Wolves manager goes to the pub every time Wolves win, is that something you'd consider if Spurs end up winning the Europa League, going down the high road, down the pub with the fans?

I'd have to be careful about what pub I walked into, I reckon, mate, at the moment, but our fans were brilliant last night, and again, throughout the whole European campaign, it does make a massive difference. It certainly does, you know, I don't think that early goal was by accident. The boys, I even felt it when they came out back in from the warm up, you know, they could feel the energy in the stadium, they walk out, sea of white, singing at the top of their lungs and it's no coincidence that we got off to a great start, so they played a massive role last night and they've got a big role to play for us for the rest of this season.

Last night and certainly the second leg against Frankfurt, you've adopted a style that we haven't seen much of in the Premier League, perhaps more willing to give up possession at times as well, is that a style we could perhaps see more going forward in Premier League football?

No, I don't think so. I think like I said, you know, for a game sometimes it's just what the game needs and Europe's very different to the Premier League and what you face in the Premier League. I think we were actually quite composed on the ball last night. We rarely gave up possession.

I think we were probably less aggressive than we usually are with the ball. We went over the top a couple of times, but that was with good effect, it wasn't sort of just blazing into spaces. It was things that we designed and I thought we showed great composure on the ball, we slowed it down at times last night, which I think we needed to, because Bodo really like a high tempo game and I thought the lads handled it really well.

I thought our pressing for the most part was really good too because again it didn't really allow them to get into much of a rhythm and you know that means they got into our box two times, I think in the whole game,. So, yeah, I think overall it was a really good sort of execution of our plan.

You said last night that you saw more of the best of Yves Bissouma, what does that look like for you?

Well, what you saw last night. Really committed to fulfilling his role. I thought him and Rodri had key roles last night, because again, Bodo decided to, with their two advanced midfielders, to get into little pockets of space and and cause problems and I thought Biss and Rodri just worked really hard to to deny them that space and then on the ball again I thin both of them showed the composure that we know they have.

Biss is such a god technical player, particularly in tight areas. I've said before, at times the game just passes him by and I feel like he needs to make more of an impact in games, and last night he did that, and when he's at his best, that's what he does, he gets himself to the action, he gets himself to where we need him and you know, it's a credit to him because obviously he hasn't played a lot recently, but he was really important for us last night.

Can we expect plenty more changes then for the West Ham game?

Yeah, likely, I think it's important for us, because obviously it's a quick turnaround and we've had our issues this year, we continue to have issues because it's just the way our season's going, and at the same time, it just goes to show you how important it is that the players who are playing are ready to go, like with Biss last night.

We'll make changes to make sure that we put in a strong performance. We want to put in a strong performance, we were disappointed with last week, but also give some players a rest and also get some players up to speed because who knows who we're going to need for next Thursday night.

You've been so unfortunate with innocuous training ground injuries this season, what happened with Lucas, was it just an awkward turn or a tackle?

Yeah, just something you see all the time. It wasn't a tackle, he was on his own, he just went to turn and just his ankle gave away, so it's just one of those things. you know, similarly to Dom and a couple of others who we've had in training were just just things that happen.

Obviously he's a teenager, with a potential European final on the cards, what do you say to someone so young who clearly must have been absolutely crushed?

Yeah, hugely disappointed. Well, there's not much you can say except for, you know, I think every experience in life and football makes you stronger, makes you appreciate what you have. He's got an unbelievable career ahead of him for sure, but I say to the guys all the time, you know, we've got to take what's before us now because we can all assume that it might happen next year or the year after, but you just don't know.

Sometimes life works in mysterious ways and it's denied Lucas the opportunity to play in a big game last night He's been a massive contributor to us, but I've got no doubt he'll come back stronger from that. Sometimes we look at footballers and their careers and we think they've got it all good, but every player has to go through setbacks at different times for different reasons and it's all part of what makes them stronger and allows them to grow and I'm sure it will with Lucas.

With Pedro Porro's quality on the ball, with the diagonal balls and crosses, what's it like to have a playmaker but at right-back?

Really important and it's something we're continually working on to get him on the ball in more key areas and also work on his positioning a little bit as well. He does have such quality with his ability to hit the longer pass, but also the quality of his crosses, , every time he puts the ball in the box, whether that's a set piece or just a cross in general, it causes oppositions problems.

He's played more than anyone else this year, he's been unbelievable for us, not just in his durability which has been important because with so many players going down, we've needed at least a few to be durable like he has, but also the quality he's shown.

You've made a lot of changes in the Premier League around these European games and you've not got the results in the Premier League, but you have got the results in Europe, do you feel a sense that even though it's not working in the Premier League, this is working to get the club to the the goal if it wants?

Look, I just don't think we had any other choice. We can try and protect players, but it's just the way our season's gone and even in recent times I think we've managed the squad really well where all our players are in good physical conditions. The injuries we've had recently are all stuff that you just can't, they're out of your control.

We can't put players at risk in the league when we know what's the importance of what we have in front of us in terms of the Europa League, and like I said, balancing that off with guys having to get game time as well.

So, there's no doubt when you're making seven, eight or nine changes that I make, that has an effect on the team in the Premier League for sure, because you're usually playing against teams that are rested, that are settled, and it's a massive ask, but I think it's been necessary. It's painful, unfortunately, but hopefully we get to reap the rewards of that.

It was a tough day for Archie Gray at Anfield, how's he reacted this week and how much would he learn from that type of experience?

He'll learn enormously and again that's another example of no career is linear. Just because you start well doesn't mean it always goes well, there are always challenges for young players. Archie's been outstanding for us this year, and he was disappointed with the way the Liverpool game went, but he's cracked down at training now and he'll get another opportunity and he'll grow from that.

I think he'll learn from that. I think the more we expose our young players to those kind of environments, we've seen the growth in others and including him this year and I've got no doubt he'll come back stronger than ever and again it's all part of the process of becoming the footballer he wants to be.

Ahead of the Tamworth game on an artificial surface, you trained in the dome, will you do that again ahead of the game in Bodo?

No, no because they're all kind of different, so we'll just travel there the day before and train on their surface because they're all kind of a little bit different from each other and it's more just the familiarity even with the dimensions of the pitch and stuff, so we'll just train the day before there.