Tottenham Hotspur

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at Fulham (13:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Postecoglou said his squad is looking "pretty good" before the trip to Craven Cottage and everyone who played in Thursday's Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar "got through it well".

• Rodrigo Bentancur is available for selection after being suspended on Thursday, while Fraser Forster, Antonin Kinsky, Sergio Reguilon and Timo Werner are also all back after being ineligible in Europe.

• Kevin Danso, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison remain sidelined by injury.

• Postecoglou said he thinks his side are returning to playing in the style he wants: "That's coincided with a couple of significant things. One is getting some players back and also the ability to rotate the team and keep the team fresh. We're getting our good ball players on the ball and looking sharp in the final third. Those things help us play the football we want to play and hopefully we can do it more consistently now."

• On Lucas Bergvall's improved discipline: "He's had to work on that. It's fair to say, when he first got here, the coaches spent a lot of time with him, working on his tactical awareness and being disciplined. At the start it took him a little bit of time. He tended to run too much. He's simplified his game and the coaches have given him feedback and he's taken that on board."

• Postecoglou praised James Maddison and Djed Spence after they were not included in the England squad: "Madders, in a really challenging season for us, has grinded his way through and his quality has really come through in the last few weeks - especially when we have been able to give him a spell of rest every now and then."

• On Spence: "Djed has been super this year. I always feel with these things, particularly with national team selection, it's never a kind of thing where you just draw a line through it. I have no doubt if Djed keeps performing how he is and Madders keeps working hard, Thomas [Tuchel] will be looking."

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary of Fulham v Tottenham at 13:30 on Sunday

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Tottenham have the best conversion rate of "big chances" in the Premier League this season (44.9%), while only Nottingham Forest have overperformed their xG more than Spurs (55 goals from 47.2 xG).

Tottenham and Manchester United both reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League with vital home victories in the last 16 on Thursday.

Spurs host Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals, with the winner of that playing either Lazio or Bodo/Glimt of Norway in the final four.

On the other side of the draw, United will face French side Lyon with the second leg taking place at Old Trafford. If they progress, they will play the winners of Athletic Bilbao or Rangers, the latter who they beat in the group stages.

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We asked for your thoughts after Tottenham progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League with victory over AZ Alkmaar.

Here are some of your comments:

Catherine: We played a lot better than we have been playing recently. It shows what happens when our main defenders are in the side and it was nice to see Wilson Odobert get a few goals.

Dave: Brilliant in patches. Shocking at times. Summed up the season. Unfortunately, the result is a reprieve for Ange Postecoglou. Find a quality partner for Micky van der Ven, build the team around Lucas Bergvall (terrific) and James Maddison - and hire a manager who is not delusional and we might be in business next season.

Paul: A much improved showing with some excellent play leading to the goals. Still a little lax in defence but good to see they put bodies on the line when needed. Really pleased that Odobert is in such good form.

Silvia: Really pleased with the result and even more pleased with the performance. Lots of Angeball, lots of passion and lots of energy! Where has this Spurs been hiding?

Gary: We looked like a team that had their two main centre-backs returning for the first time in months but were still lacking match fitness. Like a team in their first year of playing together and at the start of a rebuild that's been held together by their youth team. Ultimately, like a team that believes in the project they're part of… Bergvall as man of the match! Good to see big Ange smile again!

Andy: At last, a performance to be proud of with some great link-up play thanks mainly to our midfield lynchpin Maddison who yet again combined well with Son. Odobert, Solanke and Spence were top class. As was VDV. But Ange then decides that it's all going too smoothly, so makes sure we to try and throw it all away by taking our best defender, creator and goalscorer off with a full half an hour to go! Then followed a goal by AZ and another two clearcut chances by them that should have been goals. Another Spurs rollercoaster!

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Former Spurs midfielder Michael Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast:

"Players returning makes a massive difference. You see James Maddison being interviewed and talking about leaders, senior players in the dressing room who when he looks around he knows have his back. That's important for every player to feel you have that strength in depth.

"Ange Postecoglou will be really pleased. He's got a long way to go but overall, to get through and get the goals is a really big result. It's something to go at.

"Over the next few weeks, we can start to judge them a bit more.

"Really really positive. It looks a lot better but we still have to be cautious. There is a long way to go. They did the job but they are still a little bit fragile."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, speaking to TNT Sports: "We've progressed which is the main thing, played pretty well as well. I thought we were really in control of the game, we're our own worst enemy at times. When we were in control, we let them back in the game and it was nervy at end but we thoroughly deserved to win.

"We scored a great goal from the press and started the second half really well, really should've put the tie away in the first 15/20 minutes but super pleased for the boys."

On players returning to fitness: "It's why they're here, they're quality players. [Cristian] Romero and Micky [Van de Ven] make such a big difference to us and you saw Wilson [Odobert], we've hardly had him this year, what a super talent he is."

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Tottenham midfielder James Maddison, speaking to TNT Sports: "The next stage is what we set out to do at the start of the two legs. There was a lot of talk after last week's performance, we were honest with ourselves it wasn't good enough.

"I know what we're capable of here and we got the job done. We haven't achieved anything yet, we're in the quarter-final and we kick on and we look forward to it.

"Over the last few months when we've spoken about injuries and missing key players, then tonight, we're stood in the tunnel and you look at the team and it's a group of men. When you have the spine of players who are experienced and have played at this level for a long time it makes a difference.

"Micky [Van de Ven] and Cuti [Romero], solid at the back and it was a solid performance and we're deservedly through.

"Wilson Odobert will grab the headlines tonight and rightly so, two goals and he was a threat, and I thought he was absolutely fantastic. I'm going to go give him a big pat on the back."

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

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Tottenham had plenty to celebrate - as well as a few trademark shaky moments - as they won a game of huge consequence.

It gives boss Ange Postecoglou some breathing space for another month, with their games against Frankfurt on 10 and 17 April.

Spurs showed a good attitude in the second leg and scored from their first chance. Son blocked a clearance and Solanke squared unselfishly for Odobert to net his first goal since his £25m move from Burnley in the summer.

Solanke immediately grabbed the ball off the goalkeeper and ran it back to the halfway line as he looked to get things going again immediately.

Captain Son looked bright with a few runs at the AZ defence and shots.

They led the tie when they won the ball in their own half, and Maddison netted after a give-and-go with Son.

But just as things were looking comfortable, they let AZ back into the tie out of nowhere. Odobert let the ball run for Bergvall, who kicked the ball off his team-mate to let Koopmeiners in to score.

However it was then back to the good side of Tottenham as they scored a good 'Ange-ball' goal. Maddison ran forward with the ball and Djed Spence's cross was flicked on by Solanke for Odobert to score into an empty net from four yards out.

But Spurs are unable to sit back and see a game out comfortably. They left AZ striker Parrott, a former Spurs youngster, free in the box twice for late opportunities.

The first saw the Irishman and De Wit denied - and then Mexx Meerdink headed over instead of leaving the ball run for Parrott, who may have been better placed.

Tottenham are through, though, and in another boost first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were able to start together for the first time since December.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Tottenham's performance

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

Eight matches make up Thursday's Europa League action, and we will bring you every moment.

Kick-off 17:45 GMT

• Athletic Club v Roma (Agg 1-2)

• Eintracht Frankfurt v Ajax (Agg 2-1)

• Lazio v Viktoria Plzen (Agg 2-1)

• Olympiakos Piraeus v Bodo/Glimt (Agg 0-3)

Kick-off 20:00 GMT

• Manchester United v Real Sociedad (Agg 1-1) - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

• Lyon v FCSB (Agg 3-1)

• Rangers v Fenerbahce (Agg 3-1)

• Tottenham v AZ (Agg 0-1)

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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We asked you to tell us one thing that no-one is talking about at Tottenham at the moment.

Here are some of your comments:

Matty: Son, who is usually the happiest man in football, doesn't smile anymore. The pressures of captaining a poorly-managed, rudderless side with no plan B has broken the usually effervescent South Korean. Ange has made some big mistakes during his tenure but surely the dismantling of the bubbliest character at the club is his worst crime.

Alex: Son hasn't been the same since Harry Kane departed and he shouldn't be captain - Vicario or Kulu should help rally the team!

Kyle: Vicario. He is making incredible saves and is a stable force in the net, especially in the first 20 seconds against Bournemouth when Romero made a blunder. We missed him so much for those months while he was out. I don't think Spurs fans totally appreciated him until he came back. I admit that I did not.

Colin: When will those responsible at Spurs realise that there is something seriously wrong with either their training, style of play or both to be continually picking up so many hamstring or muscular injuries, especially to our defenders? I see that Kevin Danso is the latest to join the long list of injuries Spurs have had pretty much ever since Ange Postecoglou arrived. It's about time it was established why this is happening and addressed. I don't believe it is just coincidence or bad luck as Spurs haven't had a history of this level of injuries under previous regimes.

Lindsay: We seriously need to sign a holding midfielder in the summer as a matter of urgency. Someone in the mould of Claude Makelele.

Everton are monitoring the progress of 25-year-old Tottenham midfielder Manor Solomon, who is on loan at Leeds United. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario says Spurs are ready to shoulder the pressure that comes with a key night in their season as they bid to overturn a one-goal deficit in their Europa League last-16 second leg on Thursday.

Spurs trail AZ Alkmaar 1-0 after the first leg but Vicario is confident the Spurs players know what they have to do.

"We know exactly what the game means tomorrow night and we just want to win this game," he said. "We know that when you have two legs, the game is split in two halves. Maybe we lost the first half and now we have a big opportunity to overturn the result in our favour tomorrow.

"The pressure is on us [but] we are used to dealing with pressure day-by-day.

"We know the importance for everyone at the football club, for the fans especially. We are looking forward to it."

The Europa League is Spurs' last remaining opportunity for silverware this season. Vicario hopes Postecoglou's side can find consistency in the final games of the season - and that can start with a positive performance on Thursday.

"If we don't win tomorrow, we will be out of the competition," he said. "It will be tough for us and we have to embrace it and the good Spurs tomorrow will be the winning Spurs. We have to show our best qualities.

"We are very, very committed to doing that and we prove that when we are 100 per cent in the brain and committed to that, we have proved what we can do."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Tottenham Hotspur say there will be "no increase" in ticket prices next season.

A price freeze for season and match tickets extends to both the women's and men's team and includes the creation of new senior concession ticketing.

In a statement on the club website, external, the club said it "appreciates the loyalty and commitment of supporters from all generations" and quotes the Fan Advisory Board as "pleased" with the price freeze.

However, it is worth saying this ticket announcement has been made during a period of intense scrutiny on the football and non-footballing parts of the club.

Of course, a key catalyst for this is anger about Spurs' results in a season where they are 13th in the Premier League and out of both domestic cups.

Yet, a perceived obsession with profit has also been part of a protest movement led by fringe fan group Change for Tottenham, which ultimately is calling for chairman Daniel Levy to leave the club.

This, therefore, is a decision made while under pressure from an angry fanbase, but it should at least show the club is listening after consultation with fan groups.

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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou says the discipline shown by Djed Spence and Pape Sarr through Ramadan is a "testament" to both players, as they fast during daylight hours and continue to perform at the highest level for his team.

"It's a testament to him [Sarr], all the other players who have their faith and have those strong beliefs, that they are able to do both [play and fast during daylight hours]," he said. "I think Djed [Spence] is observing it as well.

"With all these things, you have to respect people's beliefs and our role is to support and do what we can to provide for them.

"Pape is coming back to the levels we've seen earlier in the season. He's important to us."

Ramadan is the Muslim tradition of fasting during daylight hours, observed from Friday, 28 February to Sunday 30 March this year.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Kevin Danso has a hamstring injury but fellow defender Ben Davies is back in contention for Thursday's game: "Kevin got a hamstring injury in the last game so he's out. Ben is back in. So that's the only change from the weekend. Everyone else got through the game without issues."

• Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have came through the weekend unscathed and are available for the match against AZ Alkmaar: "They got through the game well, obviously, Romero no issues. It was great to get Micky out there. They're both available."

• Postecoglou doesn't regret his statement that he always wins something in his second season, stating: "My view has always been when you're asked something, you answer it. People have used it for their own purposes to make out I was making a bold claim. I was just stating a fact [about the past]. If we do win a trophy this season, then some people might say 'oh isn't it nice that he did that after making such a bold claim'. It wasn't. People will just use it the way they want to, whatever the circumstances."

• Postecoglou answered questions about his future: "There aren't many professions where you have to come in and answer questions like that, is there? I'll be polite and say, look, we are focused on winning the game tomorrow night. We need to put in a better performance than last Thursday. That wasn't near the standard we want to play. We did some good things on the weekend, some not so good things. If we can play with the intensity and tempo we played on the weekend, we will give ourselves a good chance to progress."

• The Spurs boss is backing his side to overturn the one-goal deficit they have after the 1-0 first-leg defeat by AZ Alkmaar last week: "We were obviously disappointed with our performance in the first leg. The important thing is we didn't make the tie impossible for us to get back into, it's still very tight. They've got the goal advantage but playing at home, if we can play with the intensity and tempo that we did in the weekend, then I think we will have an opportunity to progress."

• He is happy to have senior players available to him, after spending much of this season fielding a team of youngsters: "I think Vicario was enormous for us in the first leg and on the weekend as well so yes, you want your experienced players to perform in these kinds of games for sure. We relied a lot on our younger players who have progressed really well. The likes of Romero, Vicario, Maddison and Sonny [Son Heung-min] out there, they are our four leaders. Having all four out there will be beneficial."

Follow all of Wednesday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Kevin Danso is set to miss the Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar with a hamstring injury.

The Austria international has been a regular for Spurs since his arrival from Lens in the January transfer window – making seven starts for the club.

But Danso is now facing a spell on the sidelines with an injury that is expected to rule him out of Thursday's game, where Spurs face a 1-0 aggregate deficit.

Danso is also at risk of missing the Premier League game against Fulham on Sunday, while the Austria national team have made checks on his availability for their Uefa Nations League double against versus Serbia.

Tottenham are 13th in the Premier League and eight points away from the top half of the table. Barring a miraculous late-season run, their hopes of qualifying for European competition next season seem to rest on winning the Europa League.

And there is no doubt plenty more going on that you know far more about than we do.

So tell us, what's one thing - good or bad - that no-one is talking about at Tottenham but really should be?

Let us know here

Tottenham have opened talks with Angel Gomes over a free transfer move when the 24-year-old England midfielder's Lille contract expires this summer. (Football Transfers), external

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

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Ali Speechly
Fan writer

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One player who epitomises Spurs this season is Lucas Bergvall.

If we want to get the negatives out of the way, he can be impetuous and this is evidenced by some of his reckless tackles.

He can be a frustrating ball hog, trying to weave his way out of situations and conceding possession by running into opposition players when a simple pass to a team-mate five yards away would suffice.

He can also be a touch unlucky, as his own goal in the Europa League last week proved.

However, his reaction to that own goal and his performance for the rest of the AZ Alkmaar game - arguably the best from anyone in a Spurs shirt on a disappointing night overall - tells us everything we need to know about this promising young player.

The young Sweden international is determined, creative, combative and productive.

Perhaps more importantly for Spurs this season, he is relentless. His head never drops. His feet never stop. He keeps running, pressing, tackling and trying.

In fact, more often than not this season, Bergvall has galvanised this team in a way that our older and more experienced players have struggled to do so.

After the game against Bournemouth on Sunday, Ange Postecoglou spoke about a sense of nervousness among certain players. Maybe the weight of expectation is too heavy a burden for some of the more seasoned professionals in the team?

Perhaps the reason Bergvall and his peers, such as Archie Gray, Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson, are offering better performances is because no-one expected them to save the day in the first place.

As key players return from injury to boost our chances in Europe, they should be thanking players like Bergvall for ensuring there is still something left for them to play for.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane, external and on Instagram, external

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Super Sunday wasn't fabulously super this week. The Chelsea v Leicester match was less than astounding - other than Cole Palmer finally missing a penalty. The first half of Manchester United v Arsenal was predictable and uninspired, well until the 44th minute wonder strike by Bruno Fernandes. It livened up as a spectacle in the second half but the only relevant headline is that absolutely no one gives Arsenal a chance of catching Liverpool now.

Thank goodness for the mayhem of Spurs v Bournemouth. There are so many live games on TV every weekend, you sometimes have to decide which game to watch in full and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tempted me above the others, yes even the initially sexier sounding Manchester United v Arsenal game.

It was always going to have plenty of energy because these are two teams whose philosophy is to develop controlled chaos in order to open out the game. They are risk-takers who encourage expansive football, compared to the over-technical, over-passing, which is beginning to look a bit passe.‌

I hope that this style, which is designed to entertain even the neutrals, will in time be the dominant force in the Premier League once again but it needs success. Sadly, that still seems a long way away for Spurs, but it was fun to watch.

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Son Heung-Min thinks Tottenham Hotspur's "sloppy" starts have to be cut out if the club are to progress.

Spurs came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth on Sunday, but face a huge game in midweek in the Europa League against AZ Alkmaar.

Speaking to SpursPlay after Sunday's game, Son said: "Everybody has to look at ourselves. Nobody will help us except on the pitch.

"I think those guys who are playing need to take more responsibility as I always say and look, it's been many, many times we have been sloppy, we start sloppy, get behind and then chase the game. It's not ideal.

"We have to be very strong and make a step forward. You can't always stay on the same stairs, you have to try to make a step forward as we move on.

"It is already past the game, so we have to look forward, be positive and take some tough moments because Thursday is another big game at home."

Ange Postecoglou's side have to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second-leg against the Dutch side to progress in the club's only hope of cup success left this season, and Son believes the entire club have to be together on Thursday.

"We need everyone. From the supporters, players, staff, from the club, we need everybody with that game to turn it around," he said.

"Look, quality doesn't bring the wins. The games always need a mentality and the care and the performance. Hard work always matters.

"We need to be focused, take it seriously, respect our opponent and do everything we can to turn it around, especially at home."