Tottenham Hotspur

Thomas Frank admitted that Bodo/Glimt were better than us for a period, but was pleased with the character shown by the team to rescue a point in Tuesday’s Champions League outing in Norway.

After missing a penalty in the first half, the home side frustrated us with two well-taken goals from Jens Petter Hauge – Rodrigo Bentancur also having one disallowed in between – as we struggled to get to grips with the tie.

But after Micky van de Ven – captain for the first time – quickly pulled one back with a header, we began to play forward more and levelled two minutes from time when Archie Gray’s low drive was saved by goalkeeper Nokita Haikin but deflected back in off defender Jostein Gundersen with Richarlison putting the pressure on.

Head Coach Thomas said he was pleased to come away with a share of the spoils, given the way the game panned out.

“I think we need to be happy with the point,” he told SPURSPLAY. “When you are down 2-0 with 22 minutes to go in the Champions League away from home against a very, very good home side, I think we need to be happy with the point and I think the way we again showed character, that will bring us a long way, I’m very happy with that in the players.

“I think the players showed a great attitude, a great mentality, great determination which I think is a very important thing to have in a team. The players were really fighting hard and that kept us in the game, and got us back into the game and to get a 2-2 after being 2-0 down away from home against Bodo, that is very good up here.

“Until the goal for 2-0, I think Bodo was better than us today. I think we struggled a bit with the way to defend without them creating those same massive chances, also the goal for 1-0, then we started a little bit not enough times to get aggressively into high presses, then on the ball I think we should have got out more times, we had a good spell in the first half, we should have done that more often but I think there were signs of something better. In the second half we went down, but then we showed that strong mentality to come back into the game.”

Following our matchday one victory at home to Villarreal, we now have four points from our opening two games in the Champions League. Only once before – in 2017/18 – have we enjoyed a better start in the competition.

“That’s definitely pleasing,” added Thomas. “The Champions League is the Champions League and it’s very difficult. Everyone should know how good Bodo is up here and I think also fair play to them, they had an extra level to their game compared to May. Of course, I was not here but if you look at them, I think they did well today.

“For me, there are things we learned today, definitely always we learn a lot, but I think the positive again which is super, super important, is when we go down, we stay in the game, we keep fighting, we keep doing the right thing. Today I think we kept the structure better than against Wolves and we kept doing the right thing which was important.”

Watch | Thomas reacts to Bodo/Glimt draw on SPURSPLAY

A battling performance saw us fightback to take a point on a difficult night against Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday evening.

Making a return to the scene of our wonderful Europa League semi-final victory over the Norwegian champions just 144 days ago, this time it was Champions League points up for grabs at the Aspmyra Stadium, inside the Arctic Circle.

Back on the artificial surface, we really found life tough and saw the hosts miss a string of great chances in the first half, including a penalty, before they surged into a 2-0 lead through a Jens Petter Hauge double in the space of 13 minutes.

We’d had a goal disallowed at 1-0 but refused to be beaten and, for the third game in a row, fought back to draw the match. Micky van de Ven - captaining us on the night for the first time - headed us back into contention before a scrappy own goal from Jostein Gundersen with a minute remaining salvaged a point.

We made five changes from the weekend's draw with Wolves in the Premier League as Kevin Danso, Brennan Johnson, Pedro Porro, Wilson Odobert and Pape Matar Sarr came in, while Richarlison was making his 100th appearance in our colours. Only six of our starting line-up this evening began our semi-final clash here in May.

The home side had the first sight of goal with just four minutes gone, Patrick Berg firing in from 20 yards out which Guglielmo Vicario parried over the bar, while there was a chance at the other end shortly after, Lucas Bergvall with a teasing low cross to the back post but Richarlison was unable to sort out his feet and the goalkeeper gathered the ball.

As the half wore on, Bodo started to control the game and we were struggling to get anything going from an attacking perspective. Just before the half hour, Odin Bjortuft sent a towering header towards goal which Vicario was able to gather while we had a big let off in the 35th minute as the hosts missed a penalty. Rodrigo Bentancur gave away the spotkick, sliding in to block Fredrik Bjorkan’s cross but continuing the challenge after the ball had been delivered, taking out the player and prompting referee Ivan Kruzliak to point to the spot. VAR backed the decision and up stepped Kasper Hogh, only to scoop the ball so far over the bar it cleared the stand behind the goal as well.

Our hosts kept coming though and really should have been ahead by the break, only for Hauge to fire just wide from the edge of the box before another glorious chance was spurned, Sondre Brunstad Fet somehow putting his effort over the bar from six yards out after excellent build-up play down their right flank.

Just eight minutes into the second half, the deserved opening goal arrived for Bodo as they worked it down the left, Hauge picked it up and cut inside before curling into the far corner. However, it looked like we’d responded immediately when Bentancur flicked home Johnson’s shot after Porro had hit the post with a free-kick wide on the left. But, on closer inspection by VAR, van de Ven was adjudged to have committed a foul as Porro’s cross came in and it was ruled out.

Lifted by a let-off of their own, Bodo almost went close to a second only for Sondre Auklend’s shot to hit the back of Hakon Evjen when it looked like it was going to trouble Vicario. They didn’t have to wait long for their second though, Hauge with a lovely bit of skill to beat Porro before smashing into the far corner to double their lead in the 66th minute.

Once again we responded swiftly - and this one did count. Just two minutes later, Porro swung a wonderful cross into the box and van de Ven powered in a header from six yards out. That gave us a real boost and we started to enjoy a lot more of the ball in the Bodo half as we searched for the equaliser, so nearly grabbing it when substitute Mohammed Kudus delivered a cross and Odobert sent a header against the upright.

Bodo continued to be a threat at the other end though, Andreas Helmersen clipping the top of the crossbar from eight yards out with two minutes remaining before we did find that leveller 60 seconds later. Archie Gray found space down the inside right, his shot was saved by Nikita Haikin with the ball bouncing up, hitting Gundersen from close range and bobbling over the line. We had a long wait for VAR to confirm the goal due to a possible offside involving Richarlison but eventually it was given and we saw out the stoppage time to take what could be a valuable point back to London.

We can confirm the starting line-ups and substitutes for tonight’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Bodo/Glimt in Norway (9pm local time, 8pm UK).

Thomas Frank has made five changes to the team that started against Wolves on Saturday night.

Kevin Danso, Brennan Johnson, Pedro Porro, Wilson Odobert and Pape Matar Sarr all come into the team with Cristian Romero, Mohamed Kudus, Destiny Udogie, Xavi Simons and Joao Palhinha making way.

Micky van de Ven captains the team for the first time tonight.

Here’s our full line-up…

Starting XI: Vicario, Danso, Richarlison, Bergvall, Johnson, Pedro Porro, Spence, Odobert, Sarr, Bentancur, van de Ven (c).

Substitutes: Kinsky, Austin, Palhinha, Xavi, Udogie, Gray, Kudus, Davies, Scarlett, Olusesi, Hardy.

Bodo/Glimt line up as follows…

Starting XI: Haikin, Sjovold, Bjortuft, Aleesami, Bjorkan, Evjen, Berg (c), Brunstad Fet, Auklend, Hogh, Hauge.

Substitutes: Faye Lund, Sjong, Nielsen, Gundersen, Blomberg, Helmersen, Klynge, Riisnaes, Maatta, Jorgensen, Hansen.

In each matchday programme, we speak to a former Spurs player to look back at their career and get their thoughts on the current side ahead of our seventh season in the WSL.

Next up, it’s forward Riana Soobadoo who is now playing an important role in the next generation of players at the Club…

What were your first memories when you joined the Club?

“One of my first memories was just how close-knit and unified the team was. We didn’t have many resources or top-level facilities at the time, and opportunities in the Women’s game were still quite limited, but what we did have was a real sense of togetherness. Everyone wanted to do well, not just for themselves, but for each other and for the badge. We were all balancing full-time jobs or studies alongside football, which was a real challenge, but that shared commitment brought us even closer. Once that foundation was in place, the success slowly started to come - and it made those achievements even more meaningful."

Talk us through your journey with the Club?

“I joined Spurs in the 2014/15 season when we were competing in the FA Premier League South Division. We finished mid-table that year and in the following season, 2015/16, we had a similar league campaign, but the highlight was winning the Premier League Cup as we beat Cardiff City in the final, who were one of the strongest sides in our division.

“That win gave us a real boost going into the next season. From there, everything started to come together for us. We went on to achieve incredible things, winning the league, and the play-off final against Blackburn to secure promotion to the WSL 2. It was a journey defined by growth, built on hard work, commitment, and pure determination of the team to unify and achieve something special.”

How was it playing under the lights at White Hart Lane to win the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division title?

“That night is still so clear in my memory. It was a midweek game under the lights, with our family and friends there to support us, and we knew that three points would secure the league title. What made it even more special was knowing it would be the final Women's match ever played at White Hart Lane, so we wanted to make history in more ways than one. It was an unforgettable night. We beat West Ham 3-0 to win the league and it remains my favourite moment of my football career.”

Another favourite memory while wearing the Lilywhite shirt?

“It has to be our win over Blackburn Rovers in the play-off final. We’d lost to them in a cup match the season before, so we knew just how tough the challenge would be and how much was at stake. That game meant everything to us after the season we’d had. We ended up winning the game and secured promotion to the Women’s Championship which was such a proud moment for the team, the club, and everyone who had been part of the journey.”

What have you been doing since your time at the Club?

“Since leaving the Club, I’ve had two beautiful children who have definitely kept me on my toes! I returned to football and spent three enjoyable seasons playing for Royston Town FC before recently deciding to hang up my boots for good. This year, I’ve come full circle and returned to Spurs, now working with the Women’s Academy as part of the Administration & Operations team - a new challenge that I’m really enjoying so far.”

How does it feel to help inspire the next generation of players at the Club?

“It feels incredibly rewarding. Coming back to work on the girls’ side of the Club has been an eye-opening experience. Seeing the next generation of players develop and progress, knowing I played a part in helping lay the foundations and pathway for them and for the Club is something I’m really proud of.”

Having played lower league football, how much of a growth have you seen in the Women's game?

“The growth in the Women’s game has been incredible. When I started playing, the visibility, resources, and opportunities were limited compared to what there is now. Playing in the lower leagues there is still the challenge of balancing full-time work or studies with training in the evenings and travelling on weekends - just to play the game we love. Now, there’s been real investment, improved facilities, media coverage, and professional pathways that didn’t exist before. Young girls involved in football now can actually see a future in the game. It’s been amazing to witness that transformation and to know the game is only going to keep growing.”

As we prepare to face Eliteserien side Bodo/Glimt in MD2 of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League in Bodo this evening (8pm UK), we delve into a little piece of Norway/Spurs history...

Our Norway internationals

We've had five full Norway internationals - three goalkeepers - with a legendary FA Cup winner up first...

Erik Thorstvedt

First Norway cap as a Spur vs Poland - 2 May, 1989

Legacy Number 578

The first Norwegian to lift the FA Cup, Erik the Viking recovered from a tricky start on his televised debut at Forest in January, 1989 to become a key member of Terry Venables' cup-winning squad, alongside the likes of Gazza, Gary Lineker and his skipper, Gary Mabbutt. He won 97 caps for Norway as they grew into an international force in the 1990s and was number one for the Røde, Hvite at the 1994 World Cup. Unfortunately, injury meant an early retirement for Erik, who is now a TV personality back home in Norway.

Frode Grodas

First Norway cap as a Spur vs France - 25 February, 1998

No appearances for Spurs

Signed as goalkeeping cover from Chelsea in January, 1998, Frode Grodas made his name at Lillestrøm before joining the Blues in 1996. He played 21 times in 1996/97 but that was his last regular action in spells at Spurs, Schalke and Racing Santander until returning to Norway and Honefoss in 2002 and 2003. However, he played eight times for Norway during his time here and went on to make it to a half-century of caps, his last two aged 38 in 2002.

Espen Baardsen

First Norway cap as a Spur vs Latvia - 6 September, 1998

Legacy Number 632

Born in America, Espen Baardsen opted to play for his parents' homeland of Norway and won all four senior caps as a Spurs player between 1998-2000. He looked all set to become number one here after taking over from Ian Walker at the start of 1998/99, but that didn't materialise and he moved on to Everton and then Watford before retiring in 2003.

Steffen Iversen

First Norway cap as a Spur vs Albania - 14 October, 1998

Legacy Number 627

Regularly battling against injury during his time at Spurs, striker Steffen Iversen scored 47 goals in his 177 appearances, but arguably is best remembered for an assist as he set up Allan Nielsen's late, late League Cup Final winner against Leicester in 1999. He also played a huge role in us getting to Wembley with a superb lob to win the semi-final against Wimbledon. Steffen won 79 caps for Norway in over a decade of international football, 1998-2011, 39 during his time with us, most famously hitting the winner against Spain in Euro 2000. He went on to play for Wolves and Palace in England, and twice returned to first club Rosenborg before retiring in 2012.

Oyvind Leonhardsen

First Norway cap as a Spur vs Lithuania - 18 August, 1999

Legacy Number 651

Hard-working, consistent midfielder 'Leo' won 86 caps for Norway between 1990-2003 - 18 during his time at Spurs - and famously scored the opener as Norway beat England in a World Cup qualifier in 1993. Leo played at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and was signed by George Graham in 1999. Previously with Wimbledon and Liverpool, he made 79 appearances for us before a switch to Villa. He finished his career with spells at Lyn and Strømsgodset, retiring in 2007. He's now assistant coach at Mjøndalen IF.

Our Academy turned on the style to breeze past Bodo/Glimt in our second match of this season’s UEFA Youth League at Aspmyra Stadion on Tuesday morning.

Three goals either side of half-time gave us a commanding 6-0 victory on a bright, mild day in northern Norway, captain Callum Olusesi – who has experience of this ground after being on the bench for the first team in our memorable Europa League semi-final victory in May – leading the way with a classy double, joining on the scoresheet by Harry Byrne, James Rowswell, Tynan Thompson and Reiss Elliott-Parris.

Bodo/Glimt managed a couple of late attempts but we outshone them for the bulk of the game and could have scored more, particularly in the first half. Capitalising on the hosts’ mistakes at the back led to a handful of our goals as we produced a committed, front-foot display to make it two wins out of two in the league phase of the Under-19 competition, where the fixtures mirror those of the senior team in the Champions League.

Left-back Byrne saw a fierce shot well saved by Isak Sjong while Elliott-Parris couldn’t guide his early header on target after Rowswell nodded Byrne’s delivery back across goal as we threatened early on – and it didn’t take us too long to find the breakthrough, 20 minutes on the clock when Olusesi pounced on a loose pass, played a give-and-go with Elliott-Parris before firing across goal and into the net from the right angle.

Seven minutes later, it was 2-0 as we kept the ball alive after George Feeney’s header from Miracle Adewole’s cross was saved, Byrne launching a rocket of a shot into the net from distance. Olusesi was making it look easy as he strolled past a handful of players before setting up Elliott-Parris for a shot-on-the-turn, saved by Sjong, with the striker left frustrated again moments afterwards as he was denied by the goalkeeper one-on-one.

We extended our lead three minutes before the break with a fine goal, Byrne’s pinpoint pass into the box controlled superbly by Rowswell, who turned and drilled home for his second goal in as many games in this competition.

There were fewer chances in the opening stages of the second half, but we nearly grabbed a fourth on the hour mark when Feeney’s angled shot was blocked by Sjong, with Oli Irow – in the same matchday squad as his younger brother Blake for the first time – seeing a looping header on the follow-up cleared off the line by Sturla Sagatun-Kristjansson.

We went back on the offensive in the latter part of the game, though, Olusesi again looking a cut above as he breezed past a couple of players before thumping a low shot into the bottom corner – an excellent solo goal – with 70 minutes gone before substitute Thompson latched onto a loose pass out from the back, took on his man before lashing high inside the near post on his left foot 10 minutes later.

It took Bodo until the 84th minute to have a meaningful attempt on target, Hindrin Najah Chooly’s right angled shot sharply taken by Sam Archer at his near post, but within 60 seconds we notched another, Elliott-Parris this time pouncing on a mistake in Bodo’s defence to run through and slot past the goalkeeper, finally getting himself on the scoresheet after his earlier endeavours were thwarted.

The hosts, cheered on by a large crowd of local schoolchildren amidst a mountainous backdrop on a clear day with airplanes frequently taking off from the nearby airport – seemingly a mere goal-kick away – almost bagged a consolation deep into stoppage time, but substitute Johannes Linakar Jenssen’s drive from inside the box was heroically blocked by Elijah Upson as we kept our clean sheet intact.

One of the voices of European football on talkSPORT and Sky Sports, well known for The Football Ramble podcast, an author and writer for The Guardian - and a regular contributor here at Spurs for almost 10 years - Andy Brassell will give his view on our UEFA Champions League opponents as part of our '60 seconds on...' pre-match feature this season.

Next up, it's MD2, and a fascinating return to Norway to take on Bodo/Glimt - our opponents over two legs of the UEFA Europa League semi-final back in May - at the Aspmyra Stadion on Tuesday evening (8pm UK).

@andybrassell

Stability key for Bodo/Glimt...

Andy: "Bodo/Glimt are quite similar to last season and part of that, of course, is that last season's Europa League for Spurs is still Bodo/Glimt's current season, because the Norwegian season is played in the calendar year as it's a summer league, so that makes a difference. If you look at the stability there, that is key. Bodo/Glimt are going for their fifth Eliteserien title in six years (they are currently second after 22 matches). Now, bear in mind, they'd never even finished second until 2019, which was the year before they first won the title in 2020. As we discussed ahead of the semi-final in May, Kjetil Knutsen has had offers from elsewhere, he's stayed and that shows, perhaps, that he wouldn't get the same level of influence to shape a team anywhere else."

Top players return...

Andy: "The stability is such that if you look at their last couple of transfer windows, they haven't got a ton of players in, but they've not really lost players, either. They went through a spell when they first started becoming known, where they did lose and some good players like Patrick Berg, Jens Petter Hauge, but both returned, which is a sign of their financial strength, as well as their sporting strength. Faris Moumbagna also moved on to Marseille, but has since moved on from there."

Høgh on a high...

Andy: "Another big thing for Bodo/Glimt is that striker Kasper Høgh is really starting to motor. He had a good first season and he's having a brilliant second season, 18 goals in 26 all competitions, pretty good."

Familiarity a plus for Spurs...

Andy: "So, how are Bodo/Glimt going to approach this? I think it's really interesting because you think of the shock value of a trip to Bodo, it's a place like no other - as Spurs know. Teams have been caught on the hop by it like Roma getting absolutely battered there (6-1) famously under Jose Mourinho. You think of Porto losing there and some of the teams Bodo/Glimt beat on the way to the semi-finals last season, like Olympiacos, Lazio. It's remarkable, really, that Tottenham get an opportunity to go back there again so quickly having kind of figured out how to do it and done it a lot better than most teams have. You can imagine Juventus and Manchester City going there later this season in the Champions League and thinking, 'what is this?' as they've got no frame of reference having not been there before, whereas Spurs obviously have a very recent frame of reference."

Overall thoughts...

Andy: "I think Bodo/Glimt and Kjetil Knutsen probably have half a thought of how they were overwhelmed by Spurs in the semi-final, and I'm sure Knutsen will have been thinking about that ever since, especially as the goal at the end of the first leg, even though Spurs hammered them in that first game (it ended 3-1), should have given them an opportunity back in Bodo, but Spurs snuffed them out brilliantly, a great away performance. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out again, a few months later."

Last time in Bodo/Glimt...

Live Coverage: Bodo/Glimt vs Spurs (UEFA Youth League)  Tottenham Hotspur

Thomas Frank has been able to call on the knowledge of two members of his coaching team as we prepare to lock horns with Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League.

Assistant Coach Andreas Georgson was manager of Norwegian side Lillestrøm in 2024 and took charge of them against Tuesday night’s opponents in both the league and cup over the course of his tenure.

Thomas revealed that the former Malmo, Brentford and Southampton coach has been sharing his experiences with the squad in the days leading up to our matchday two showdown in the arctic circle, with fellow Assistant Coach Matt Wells also providing some useful expertise after being part of our coaching staff during last season’s memorable Europa League semi-final triumph at Aspmyra Stadion.

“We’ve spoken to (Andreas) about it, of course, both the coaching group and the analysis department when we analysed Bodo,” Thomas explained to SPURSPLAY.

“I think he met Bodo three times himself as a manager so we’ve used his experience and that was very good.

“We’ve spoken to the players and also spoken to Matt Wells, who was here last year, so we’ve used all the experience we have to try to prepare in the best possible way.

“Of course, I watched the semi-final back too. I know it’s a little bit different but I watched it back, just to get the extra input around Bodo and other games as well, so the experience is good.”

Thomas was full of praise for our hosts as we prepare for our first Champions League away game since the 2022/23 campaign.

“Their story about the club and the team is quite unique – I’ve followed it closely myself with the Danish-Norwegian connection and everything they’ve built here over the years is remarkable,” he said. “They’re very clear in the way they play, very clear in their structure, their build-up, their breakthroughs and of course the artificial pitch is always a pitch where they can play very quickly, so we need to perform to our very best.”

Watch | Thomas' pre-Bodo/Glimt interview on SPURSPLAY

Head Coach Thomas Frank and midfielder Lucas Bergvall spoke to the media at Aspmyra Stadion in Norway on Monday evening ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash with Bodo/Glimt (9pm local time, 8pm UK).

Here’s what they had to say...

What’s the team news?

Thomas: “Dom (Solanke), you know, got that ankle issue that's been bothering him for a little while so now we decided to make a minor surgery. It's a small procedure so that will mean he's not ready for today, of course. And of course, Leeds he's out as well. We will have more news about time frame after the international break, but I don't expect it to be long. (Randal) Kolo Muani, I think now we're finally on top of his dead leg so there's also progress there. That's good and Cuti (Romero not travelling) was just a precaution.”

Have you looked back at last season’s game in Bodo?

Thomas: “Yes, I've looked at that game, of course, but I've also looked at a lot of other games of Bodo. I think they're a fantastic team. I think their club is fantastic. I think their story is unique in many ways. I'm pretty sure that the whole of Europe knows about Bodo, because I think it's a little bit of a fairytale. I like, of course, that Scandinavian link between Denmark and Norway, so of course I’ve followed them a little bit, maybe a tiny bit closer, and the background I'm coming from, to see how they have built their club through years with a core group of people, aligning strategy, structure, hard work over the years, and then just built a smaller club suddenly to be the absolute force in Norway and now competing in the Europe over many seasons. That's extremely impressive, I think. Kjetil Knutsen and his staff are remarkable, what they have done. Their style of play is quite unique in many ways. They’re an extremely well-coached team so big praise, I admire them a lot.”

What can you take from that performance?

Thomas: “That's one performance. How many months is that? Four months ago. With all due respect, I was not the coach. Some of the group of players, they have some group of players. This is a new game, this is a new situation, we go into it with huge respect for Bodo and it's going to be very difficult. Their home record here in European games, all that is unique with I think 31 wins out of 39, something like that. They apparently have scored in more or less every home game in 46 games in a row. We know what we are facing but, of course, we also have to trust in ourselves.”

Why did you choose not to train here today?

Thomas: “Because we have one training session. If we have training here and we want to do a little bit of tactical work, with all due respect I think it would be a little bit more obvious what we would do. That's a thing we like to keep for ourselves. Then, yes, you can say if we train here for how long we are allowed, 45 minutes, is that going to make a difference? I know the surface is different. If you really want to get used to it, I think you need to train here day in, day out as Bodo do. We are ready for that challenge but for me, mainly, it was a tactical reason.”

What was your relationship like with (Norway boss) Stale Solbakken?

Thomas: “Stale, when we are in Copenhagen, you can have a few infights in that area but Stale is a man and a football coach I admire a lot. What he built in Copenhagen was also incredible over many, many, many years. Now he is here representing his country. They have started very well, so I am very happy on his behalf in many ways. A good colleague and good friend in the football environment.”

Bodo have a lot of Norwegian players, what do you make of it?

Lucas: “As Thomas mentioned, it’s great, they’ve done great things in Europe like last season when we played against them in the semi-final. So yes, great work.”

Thomas: “A little bit on that, as you say more or less Norwegian players, and a few Danish players as well, of course. Just to add a spark, no, jokes aside, that makes it even more impressive, I think, that you do it with more or less Norwegian players built from this country. It is remarkable.”

What is the best team in Scandinavia? Copenhagen or Bodo?

Thomas: “You put me on the spot there! I think, let me put it this way, I would like to see a match between the two teams. There was a lot of talk about Malmö and Copenhagen when they played each other in the qualifier. I think that would be very interesting between the two styles. I think they are very close to each other, I must admit.”

What is Bodo's biggest weakness and how do you plan to exploit it?

Thomas: “I think I would rather like to say about how their biggest strength is their structure in the way they play. They are so well coached, so their patterns are so clear, which I think is a huge strength. So, I'm very aware that we are... Yes, we come from the Premier League and so on but we also see last year that we had to defend very well. No doubt about that. They are so good and clear in how they want to do things and also they play very, very quick on this pitch.”

Lucas, what’s the biggest difference between the Europa League and the Champions League?

Lucas: “It’s big, the difference. It’s the best thing, for me, as a player that you can achieve – to win the Champions League. It’s going to be a good game tomorrow, a tough game, Bodo is a good team so we need to go out there and perform again.”

What do you think of the team’s creativity in the last few weeks?

Thomas: “I think in terms of the creativity or maybe creating more chances, dominating a bit more, I think the Brighton game was a very good game. I think the first half against Wolves was good, we didn't score, but I think all the right signs were there, so I think it's a step forward. As I said before, I think it's natural. Last year, most of the game, it was Kulusevski, Maddison, Sonny and Dom who played more or less the front four. Now we have more or less a new front four and they are doing very well. One of them sitting next to me is doing very well, having a very good start to the season. I think they're gelling more and more together and we try to give them the best patterns and principles.”

Do you feel like it's been a bit of a wasted month with Dominic?

Thomas: “I think you can look from two ways. That's the easy answer, but it's not that easy. If we knew we could have done the surgery a month ago, we probably would have done it. So for me, I'm always like I imagine, ‘oh, it is what it is, we deal from now’. No doubt that the way we dealt with this was because we thought that was the right way because I think in general, no one wants a surgery, no matter how small it is.”

Lucas, what do you feel you’ve improved on this season?

Lucas: “It’s a great question. I feel like I’m getting better every day. I played as a bit of an eight in the beginning and now more of a 10 and it feels like I’m adding more and more to my game every day so yes, I try to help the team with contributing goals and assists as well so I’m just getting better every day and improving.”

Bodo goalkeeper, Nikita Haikin, said it was unusual to see a team like Spurs going for long throws and set-pieces everywhere on the pitch. What do you make of that?

Thomas: “I personally think that set-pieces are an extremely important part of football. Isn't there a stat that 33 per cent or something like that of all goals are scored from set-pieces? So I think it's clever to utilise a third of your opportunities to try to score a goal. I'm happy, that's a fine comment. If you think that's a strength of ours, I'm happy with that.”

How big a difference does the pitch make here in Bodo?

Thomas: “Not really a tactical approach. Of course we are aware, it's the same in Denmark, when I was coach for Brøndby, we were facing Nordsjaelland at that time and it was also a different surface. It's the same today. It's fine. They're good here, they're very good at home. For me, I think there's a lot of talk about the pitch. I rather want to praise the team, the Bodo team, and their coach for what they do, because they do it quite consistently, home and away, the way they play. So I'm pretty sure they get the answer or the question sometimes, can they play on grass when they go away from home? Of course they can. It’s an artificial pitch, players like Lucas have played on them their whole life. Lots of our players have played there so I know we need to speak about it, but I think, I'm pretty sure all the journalists, Kjetil, myself, all the players just want to talk about football.”

Just following up on Romero. What was the issue?

Thomas: “Just a precaution.”