European football has provided Tottenham with a sanctuary during this most confusing of seasons. Their Premier League campaign has been a disaster but they have turned into a different team against continental opposition. They have veered away from the wilder excesses of Angeball during their run to the Europa League semi-finals – their quarter-final win over Eintracht Frankfurt was achieved with a crafty, gritty performance in the second leg – and silverware will be within reach for the first time since 2008 if they can hold their nerve at the Aspmyra Stadium.
Freeze in the Arctic Circle, though, and the ice that Ange Postecoglou has been skating on since January will finally crack. This is the moment to move away from the modern Tottenham’s history to sort of dare, not quite do and fall short when the pressure rises. Postecoglou has railed against the club’s reputation as loveable losers but defeat against Bodø/Glimt could see him out of a job by Friday morning. He must ensure his players are equipped for the unorthodox test posed by Kjetil Knutsen’s team. Injuries have been the theme of Spurs’ season but they have to overcome the blow of two more befalling their two most in-form midfielders, Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison, just when they were needed most.
It will not be easy without Bergvall and Maddison, who has been ruled out for three months after limping off with a knee injury at the end of last week’s first leg. This tie remains alive thanks to Ulrik Saltnes pulling back a late goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Bodø back themselves to fight back from 3-1 down. They have key players back from suspension and are potent at their tiny stadium, with its artificial pitch and biting conditions. Lazio and Olympiakos have lost here this season and Postecoglou witnessed the Norwegian side’s ability to punch above their weight when they beat his Celtic side three years ago.
Bodø/Glimt know Spurs struggled on a plastic pitch when they beat Tamworth in the FA Cup this season. The north Londoners got a feel for the Aspmyra’s surface when they trained on it on Wednesday night. Knutsen, meanwhile, has criticised Fredrik Sjøvold, the Bodø right-back, for saying that it is easy to play through the Spurs press. “That’s OK,” Postecoglou said. “There’s a game tomorrow and all those things will be answered.”
Time for action, then. Spurs coped after losing Bergvall to an ankle injury before the first leg. The recalled Yves Bissouma formed an effective shield with Rodrigo Bentancur in defensive midfield. Maddison directed play and a physical front three of Richarlison, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson combined well.
But Spurs got worse after being forced to take off Maddison and Solanke, who has since recovered from a minor thigh complaint. Underwhelming at the start of the season, Maddison has knuckled down in recent weeks and excelled in Europe. His line-breaking runs from deep have disrupted defences and his creative spark has returned. Bergvall, meanwhile, has caught the eye with his dynamism and ability to carry the ball.
The question is whether Spurs will be able to keep possession well enough without such a key duo. If not, the pressure from Bodø/Glimt could become too much. Postecoglou, who is also without his captain Son Heung-min in attack, needs Dejan Kulusevski to step up. The Swede was Spurs’ best player before Christmas, so much so that he often took Maddison’s central role, but he has struggled for sharpness since returning from a foot injury and looked off the pace in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at West Ham.
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This is no time for excuses. Spurs have heard all the jibes about their mental fragility. Postecoglou’s response is to build a siege mentality. He laughed about the former Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, suggesting that the winner of the Europa League should not qualify for the Champions League.
“Spurs does crazy things to people,” Postecoglou said, leaning into his argument that his side are held to harsher standards than their rivals. “You put that club into any sentence and invariably they all try and diminish us as much as they can.” There is no better place to silence the critics than in unforgiving surroundings in northern Norway.
