Tottenham Hotspur

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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, speaking to TNT Sports: "It's not easy to get away wins in Europe. I was watching the Champions League last night and there was only one away victory so it's tough.

"Credit to the boys, I thought they were outstanding first half and played really well. We looked a bit tired in the second half but hung on. Sonny [Son Heung-Min] scored a great goal to give us that extra buffer. We had the school boys out there in the end.

"We wanted to be a bit more aggressive and that is when Madders [James Maddison] is at his best. In the context of the game, we kind of knew if we could score early and put some pressure on them then it would give us a good foothold in the game. He was good all night but got a bit tired in the second half but he caused them a lot of problems."

"I thought the senior boys today all really stood up. You need your leaders to stand up and they did tonight.

"I told them to enjoy it. Winning away in Europe, it's a significant victory for us and gives us a good foothold to get into those top eight spots which will give us a week off. They enjoyed tonight, we'll recover and get ready for Sunday.

"It's a great position to be in, we want to finish top eight because it gives us an extra week of rest and we'll probably need it around that time."

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Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-Min has scored 10 or more goals across all competitions in each of the past nine seasons, becoming the only Premier League player to have done so in each campaign since 2016-17.

By scoring his 25th and 26th goals in major European competition for Tottenham Hotspur tonight, Son also became only the second Spurs player to score 25 or more goals for the club in Europe. Only Harry Kane has scored more goals in major European competition than him for the club (36).

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

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Son Heung-min hasn't been at his best this season but when Tottenham needed him against Hoffenheim on Thursday he stepped up.

His two goals helped ensure the defensive fragility that has caught them out in games in the past did not come to haunt them this time.

There was a large element of fortune about Son's first as it deflected off a defender and looped over the goalkeeper, but his second was a quality finish when Tottenham were under increasing pressure.

A 2-0 goal advantage never guarantees a win for Tottenham and while this 3-2 victory was closer than it should have been, allowances certainly have to be made for the huge injury list Spurs are contending with.

They have 14 players out currently, so to get this win that puts them on the cusps of the Europa League knockouts should provide a much-needed platform for them to build on.

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Two English teams are taking part in the Europa League on Thursday.

• Hoffenheim v Tottenham - kick-off 17:45 GMT

• Manchester United v Rangers - kick-off 20:00 GMT - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Premier League managers often cite their injury concerns in news conferences and still field a starting XI that remains rather strong.

However, for Ange Postecoglou, he could form a pretty decent team with the players has missing.

Before Thursday's Europa League game against Hoffenheim, BBC Sport put together a Spurs XI of unavailable players.

Ten are injured, while Djed Spence (who makes the XI) as well as goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky and Sergio Reguilon are not registered for the Europa League.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League game at Hoffenheim (kick-off 17:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Pape Matar Sarr is not available for the match after picking up "a slight knock from the weekend". However, Rodrigo Bentancur should be fit to return.

• He also confirmed defender Cristian Romero has been back in training but has not travelled with the squad because he could be another "week to 10 days" away.

• On the possibility of Tottenham not signing anybody this window: "Potentially. The club is working hard to get some help for the players. As far as I'm aware, there's nothing imminent, but in the last week of the window things happen quickly."

• The Spurs boss said the "reality is, we don't have a lot of choice" about rotating players as they only have "about 13 first-team players who have travelled" to Germany and does not want to just throw "untried youngsters in there".

• On whether cup games have resulted in players taking their eyes off the Premier League: "No. The players are giving everything every game. This has been a good, solid two months of us relying on a small group of players for every competition. It's great to be in all competitions, but it has a toll. The players are giving everything every game - they are not prioritising anything."

• Postecoglou said it is "not manageable" to keep a squad strong and healthy when competing in so many competitions: "All these things take their toll. People may look at us and think it's unique. It is very extreme case, for sure, but I don't think it will be as uncommon as people think as we move forwards. There are warning signs there for others."

• On whether this is a lesson for the club in recruitment: "Squad numbers will stay the same. If the number of games are increasing then squad sizes should be increasing - that is my belief. It doesn't matter how many, or what strategies you have in place."

• He added: "The calendar has really ramped up in the past couple of seasons and there is going to be some issues we need to deal with if the game keeps changing this quickly."

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It is the manner in which Tottenham have been losing in that is concerning.

The backline has been really weak because of injuries and I do think that when they have their full line-up, they feel comfortable and confident in the game plan.

At the moment, there is Archie Gray trying his best, next to Djed Spence or Radu Dragusin and they are not able to play in the same way. These small changes can make you lose trust in what you are supposed to be doing.

Postecoglou's body language also looks off. If you cast your mind back to when he first joined, he was very engaging in interviews and smiley. Now, he seems to have lost that character.

Then there are the performances of his players. The least you can ask for when you are in a bad patch is for senior players to stand up and show leadership.

Captain Son Heung-min has not been great and neither has James Maddison. The big players of that squad, including Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma, are not giving Postecoglou what he needs.

Instead, he is relying on the younger players to give him the right attitude, so I am sure Postecoglou is disappointed.

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At the beginning of the season, they looked really together - like they were having fun. That can easily slide away when things are not going so well, but it is actually when you need togetherness more than anything.

Why it has changed, I don't know. It could be down to a lack of confidence, perhaps if they are struggling to find a solution, or if they don't trust in the solution.

Do we point the finger at Postecoglou? Or do we have to look at some of these players and demand more?

You cannot turn a blind eye to the results. The second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final is quite far away, so if they do not get a result against Leicester, I am not sure he can hang on any longer.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

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Running, sprinting and harrying the opposition are features of a team that are often praised by pundits and fans.

Tottenham have been the best pressing side in the Premier League this season, winning the most high turnovers and restricting their opponents to the fewest passes before they try to win the ball back.

But in Tottenham's case, is the physical cost too high?

It has been another injury-laden season for Ange Postecoglou's men, with players from all over the pitch affected, but no more so than their backline.

Spurs' high line has made them one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the Premier League and it probably comes as no surprise their players have covered the most distance in the league this season - with their rapid attacks and then racing back as teams counter against them.

To date, Postecoglou's men have covered 2,470.4km, which is approximately 1,535 miles. They have also made the most sprints in the Premier League this season with 3,915, which averages at just under 178 per game [based on the 22 played].

Bournemouth are second for both distance covered and sprints.

The physical demand of recreating these numbers cannot be overestimated. It starts in training and transfers to matchdays, meaning players are consistently playing front-footed football.

This season alone, seven players have suffered a hamstring injury, with some experiencing the injury more than once.

Of those seven, three are defenders and four are forwards. Wilson Odobert, who has had surgery, Timo Werner, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie remain sidelined.

In addition to hamstring injuries, Cristian Romero has suffered a quadriceps strain, Djed Spence and Werner have had adductor strains and Yves Bissouma pulled up with a tight groin.

According to the NHS website, tired muscles are more likely to strain and this aligns with Tottenham's tight fixture schedule, which has seen them play every three days for most of the season.

But fatigue also increases the risk of injury during explosive movements like sprinting and in Postecoglou's high-risk style, his players are sprinting more than any other in the top flight.

Nick Godwin
BBC Radio London reporter

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There is no point in describing the current situation at Tottenham as anything other than grim. Terrible form, a dreadful league position and an injury list that keeps getting worse - even though that appeared impossible.

However - and this will not improve the current situation, or relieve the pressure on Postecoglou, or cheer Spurs fans up this week….or next week - it might be worth taking stock of the astonishing development opportunities being handed to some of the young players at the club.

Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mikey Moore and Antonin Kinsky have all been thrown into this situation with virtually no Premier League experience.

Gray, 18, is being played out of position, with a partner in Radu Dragusin who has struggled to establish himself as a reliable presence at the back. Bergvall, also 18, now finds himself an increasingly important figure in midfield and seems to relish the challenge. His goal against Liverpool stands out as the biggest moment for Spurs for some time, possibly all season.

Until just a few weeks ago, 21-year-old Kinsky was keeping clean sheets for Slavia Prague and has now played in a semi-final, on a plastic pitch and in a north London derby.

Meanwhile Mikey Moore, 17, keeps finding himself thrown into virtually impossible situations and asked to save the day.

There is a danger that these players could be overwhelmed, inflicting sustained damage on their psychological make-up. However, the striking thing is, they are playing pretty well in the circumstances, putting their senior, far more experienced colleagues in the shade.

It is clear these positives are not helping Spurs out at the moment. They remain in a difficult position.

But one day those youngsters might just look back on this period and be ruefully thankful for the opportunity and the experience.

It does not get much tougher than this.

Tottenham and RB Leipzig are the two main clubs trying to sign Southampton's 18-year-old English midfielder Tyler Dibling. (Sky Germany, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Northern Ireland youth international George Feeney has signed a first professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur.

The 17-year-old joined the Premier League club from Glentoran in July and has been a regular starter for their under-18s this season, scoring twice in 12 games.

Prior to the move to north London, Feeney made 10 appearances for Glentoran's senior side last season and became the east Belfast club's youngest-ever goalscorer when he found the net against Dollingstown in the BetMcLean Cup as a 15-year-old.

He has represented both Northern Ireland and Wales at underage level, with his father Warren, grandfather Warren Sr and great-grandfather Jim all having played international football.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

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Almost all of Tottenham's 26-man first team squad were injured at some point in the 2023 Premier League campaign and the 2024 season is not proving to be much better.

Ange Postecoglou had 22 of his players out at some point of the season, with 37 separate injuries recorded overall. In their worst-hit week, Postecoglou had nine players absent as many players suffered more than one injury.

"That was against the grain," said Postecoglou's former Head of Science Anton McElhone, who worked with him at Celtic. "That's normally season two, that peak."

The impact of switching to a more front-footed style of play takes a toll on the body as McElhone described it as "survival of the fittest" on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"They need to be robust enough, and I don't know at the moment if Tottenham have got these players. They've got a very young squad behind the senior squad as well.

"They've had so many [injuries], whether it's non-contact, or silly injuries, it can be very difficult."

As things stand, Spurs have suffered 22 separate injuries this season and most notably to their back line. The pressures of the Premier League and their European campaign mean a balance is needed to ensure some players are rested while remaining competitive.

But that becomes harder when you have a depleted squad and you are slipping down the league.

"Ange is very good at giving them time off and time to reflect," McElhone added. "The training volume is good.

"Ange is all about the numbers and would say 'give me the facts'. His job was to make the decisions and that's what he gets paid for. That's not up to us as sports scientists; never is, never will be. Our job is to support, give the information, and the facts and figure if it is dangerous."

Spurs travel to Hoffenheim on Thursday before hosting Leicester on Sunday in the Premier League.

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Our chief football writer Phil McNulty has been taking your questions.

@therealasliatta: What's the real issue? Ange Postecoglou trying to find a way with a depleted squad? Or Daniel Levy not opening up the purse strings and giving him some depth in the first place?

Phil answered: I was at Goodison Park yesterday and, at least judging by the noise coming from the Spurs fans, there is no doubt who they blame. They went through their full anti-Daniel Levy songsheet, and while they gave the team a very rough reception at half-time then just drifted away at the end. I did not detect any chants aimed at Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs adopted a strategy of signing younger players in the summer, such as Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, something which Postecoglou said he bought into. I believe they will be two outstanding signings for years to come.

Dominic Solanke arrived for £65m, so he was a big money, experienced buy, but there was a feeling more was needed and now a serious injury crisis has worsened that situation.

Tottenham are considering a move for Ipswich striker Liam Delap, 21, this month but could face competition from Chelsea. (Teamtalk), external

Spurs are facing a struggle to sign Slovakia centre-back Milan Skriniar, 29, from Paris St-Germain this month amid strong competition from Galatasaray. (TBR Football), external

Tottenham and Leicester City are targeting Danish centre-back Thomas Kristensen, with Juventus having held discussions with Udinese over a move for the 23-year-old. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.

Karl asked: How long for Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham? For me, until we are out of the cups.

Phil answered: There is no doubt the cups are pivotal, and we know only too well that Daniel Levy is not exactly known for his patience with managers.

The big question is: if you change, what or who are you changing for?

If you do it during the season, who can you realistically get that you would want or would it be another Ryan Mason holding operation?

Saying "sack Ange Postecoglou" is the easy bit - if that is what people want. The hard part is finding someone who would do better and is available. Not easy.

I agree, though, the cup competitions are assuming more importance all the time.