Tottenham Hotspur

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou's team selection in the 1-1 draw against West Ham on Sunday did not hide the fact that Premier League is not his biggest priority during the final weeks of the season.

Only Guglielmo Vicario, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison kept their places from the 3-1 win against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-final first-leg tie.

With a tricky return leg in Norway coming up next and the European competition their only remaining chance of salvaging a dismal season, the Spurs boss cannot be faulted for his choices.

However, the much-changed visitors struggled against the Hammers, especially in the second half, and were lucky to come away with a point as Vicario kept out Jarrod Bowen's header late on.

Their effort was still enough to end a three-game losing streak in the league - a positive they will hope to build on further by reaching the Europa League final later in the week.

Spurs were outscored 11-4 in defeats to Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolves in three previous Premier League outings, so Postecoglou would have been pleased to see a whole new backline of Archie Gray, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Djed Spence standing up to a resurgent Hammers in the second half.

They will now hope to finish the job against the Norwegian side on Thursday and move another step closer to a first silverware since 2008 and also a place in next season's Champions League.

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Ange Postecoglou spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Tottenham's draw against West Ham: "Fair play to the boys, it's not easy making seven or eight changes. That's going to affect the fluency and cohesion. But for the most part they stuck to their task really well.

"Away form home in a derby and I thought the lads stuck to their task. We didn't win but at least we got a result that rewards their efforts.

"I'm sure the players would tell you they had to put in a massive shift, certainly our boys. Both teams aren't in great form so it's going to be a bit cagey. I can only praise the effort of my boys."

On making eight changes: "It's something we've been doing for a while because we've had to. We've had a wretched run with injuries – which still hasn't eased up, to be fair. But with the opportunity we've got before us [in the Europa League], it made sense."

On Solanke and Maddison: "Dom is improving. We expect him to be OK for Thursday. Just left him out today to recover more. Madders is a bit more of a concern. We'll get more information in the next day or so but we're optimistic about him."

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What did you make of Tottenham's display?

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Intro referencing day, competition and number of matches.

• Brentford v Manchester United

• Brighton v Newcastle - BBC Radio 5 Live

• West Ham v Tottenham

• Chelsea v Liverpool (16:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

This is 17th versus 16th in the Premier League which tells you how bad both teams have been this season.

Everyone knows Tottenham's focus will be on their Europa League semi-final second leg with Bodo/Glimt so I think West Ham boss Graham Potter needs a result here more than Ange Postecoglou.

Potter's results have been poor since he took over from Julen Lopetegui in January and Hammers fans have not had the upturn they wanted in the way their team play either.

Spurs can still be dangerous even when they are out of form but Ange is not going to pick his strongest team. That gives West Ham a better chance of getting the win they badly need, but I don't see them doing it in style.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at West Ham (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Dominic Solanke "is a doubt" for Sunday following Thursday's Europa League semi-final, but Postecoglou "hopes it will settle down pretty quickly" so that he is not out for next week.

• There is "a bit more concern" around James Maddison, who has been sent for a knee scan.

• Midfielder Lucas Bergvall's injury "is probably significant enough to keep him out for the remainder of the season". Son Heung-min is back training on the grass but this game is still too soon for a return.

• Postecoglou said he was "pleased" with his side's performance against Bodo/Glimt and it will help them to go into the second leg with "belief and confidence".

• More on the performance: "We have hit some really good levels [in Europe] and played some really good football. I was super proud. Really pleased with the players' mentality, which has been really strong through the competition."

• On whether they will train on an artificial pitch before next week's second leg: "We'll just travel there and train on their pitch, because every pitch is different. There are different kinds of surfaces or dimensions."

• He said he is "likely" to make changes to the starting line-up "because it's a quick turnaround" and they have ongoing injury issues, but he also wants to make sure they put in a "strong performance" against West Ham.

• On fan support: "Our fans were brilliant last night. The quick goal was generated by voice. The players could feel the energy in the stadium when they came in from their warm-up. It is no coincidence we got off to a good start. They played a massive role and now they have a massive role for the rest of the season."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Tottenham have awarded 86 Premier League appearances to players under the age of 21 this season:

• Lucas Bergvall - 27

• Archie Gray - 24

• Wilson Odobert - 12

• Mathys Tel - 9

• Mikey Moore - 7

• Dane Scarlett - 3

• Will Lankshear - 3

• Alfie Dorrington - 1

It is their most in a 38-game season, and they have only given out more twice in 42-game seasons - 99 in 1993-94 and 98 in 1992-93.

Tottenham's win over Bodo/Glimt means they are now unbeaten in their last 20 home matches in European competitions.

It is the longest ongoing home run of any English side who has featured in Europe this season.

Reflecting on another European win in the first-leg of the Europa League semi-final, Ange Postecoglou said: "I think it puts us in a good position. I thought the players were outstanding .

"Our performance was everything it needed to be, really well organized and disciplined defensively and really calm going forward and created good opportunities for ourselves and maintaining pressure.

"Obviously they scored the goal late, which doesn't I think reflect our dominance in the game, but if we repeat that performance next week, it'll be enough for us to get through.

"I get that Bodo away is a difficult fixture, but I think in Europe this year we've been really good at managing whatever situation we're in.

"I think all those experiences give me the belief we can go there and get the job done."

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We asked for your thoughts on Tottenham's Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

Here are some of your comments:

Johnny: There was a real intent about Spurs. You never know which Spurs team will show up at kick off. Tonight, it was a team that wanted to fight for a place in a final.

Mark: Great performance tonight. The early goal settled the nerves and it was looking all over but that late goal keeps it interesting for the second leg. I would have preferred uninteresting to be honest.

Anton: So many on here have been losing the faith and still want Ange out even if he wins a trophy. In hindsight, he should've said it's a five year plan. Change the playing style, lower the squad age and win a trophy. He'd then be way ahead of schedule in two of those and we are still in a cup - a good one.

Robert: A good performance, but that late goal puts a different complexion on the tie. We lost momentum when Maddison and Solanke went off. It will be tough on their plastic pitch. Just hope the two goal lead will be enough.

William: A disappointing finish, but solid enough performance overall and a result that we would have taken beforehand. Although Bodo/Glimt have a great home record, if we can put in a defensive performance like we did at Frankfurt, then we should get chances going forward and be able to make the final.

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Since the Europa League was rebranded in 2009-2010, no team to play in the final or win the competition has finished lower than 12th in their domestic league.

Manchester United are currently 14th and Tottenham are 16th in the Premier League.

In addition, since 2014-15 winning the Europa League has meant a place in the following season's Champions League competition.

Sevilla two seasons ago were the lowest domestic team (12th) to do that.

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"It was party time and then the whole stadium just changed within a blink of an eye," said former Tottenham goalkeeper Rob Green, who was with BBC Radio 5 Live for the Europa League semi-final.

It was one of Spurs' best performances of a wretched season domestically, but a late goal from Bodo/Glimt leaves a little window of doubt going into the second-leg in Norway.

"Everything was going their way with big players performing and then it just started to slip away," said Green on the Football Daily podcast. "The goal came and everything changed.

"It was muted applause and celebrations at full-time apart from in the yellow corner who have belief.

"It is going to be tough now for Ange Postecoglou because they need to see this out and it is the drop off that we see in players [in final stages] that worries people."

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Former England goalkeeper Robert Green was impressed by Tottenham's performance but feels the late Bodo/Glimt goal put a hint of doubt into next week's Europa League semi-final second leg in Norway.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The key moment in this tie was the Bodo/Glimt goal. Spurs looked to be running away with it and cruising. And that one attack, the one shot on target changes everything.

"This is still in the balance.

"Everything changed by the end of the game. It was really muted applause here, muted celebrations apart from in the yellow corner and they know they've got a real chance.

"It's the old adage of don't be 2-0 up at half-time because that's a horrible team talk. It's going to be a tough one. If Ange Postecoglou can get his team out, I think they'll be all right because they can see it through and they've got enough.

"The drop off is that big from Dominic Solanke, from James Maddison. It's just not the same side."

Ex-Spurs winger Andros Townsend was more bullish on Tottenham's chances, arguing the hard work has been done by Postecoglou's side: "Spurs now go there, to the artificial pitch, with a two-goal buffer and they know what they need to do.

"They can sit behind the ball - they showed they can do that against Frankfurt a few weeks ago. They can use the pace on the counter like they did tonight. The front three were unbelievable.

"I think it's easier going there in the second leg rather than the first leg."

Image source, Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou praised Dominic Solanke on TNT Sports after his goal and performance against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League: "He has got a really strong mindset. He is a quiet guy but has a real clear focus. The way he takes his penalty is indicative of the person he is. He works so hard for the team.

"I love that he gets the goal - a reward for the hard work he does. When you think of the goal that we conceded, that becomes even more important for us.

On Solanke's late departure with injury: "Hopefully, it's nothing too serious. That's just the way our season is going - nothing is straightforward. We wanted to take them [Solanke and James Maddison] off. Speaking to them both, hopefully it is nothing too serious."

On the late goal scored by Bodo/Glimt: "Disappointing in that they hadn't created much. I still walk away thinking about the performance. Against Frankfurt, I thought we were three or four goals better here but we didn't take that there. The lads will think the same tonight.

"If we play the way we did tonight over there, then we will get the result that we need."

Image source, Getty Images

Brennan Johnson spoke to TNT Sports after Tottenham's victory over Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final: "We're pleased. If before the game you would have said that we'd have a two goal cushion, then we'd have been happy with it.

"They are a tough team. There is a reason why they have beaten other teams in the past. Disappointed to concede at the end but we are happy with the performance.

On the goal inside the first minute: "I didn't realise it was that early. They are a team that build in confidence with time to play so we knew that we had to be onto them straight away. Getting the early goal really set the tempo and I thought we started really well.

On the second goal scored by team-mate James Maddison: "Maddison has scored a few goals like that this season and makes the run really well. [Pedro] Porro has the quality to find that pass and when it comes off it works really well. So when they get the timing right and Madders can finish it off, it is a really well-worked goal."

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

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Domestically Tottenham are facing their worst season since 1976–77, sitting in 16th place on little over a point per game. There is a good chance Australian Postecoglou will lose his job whatever happens in Europe now, such has been their debacle at home, but finishing on a trophy would be some way to go.

It is 17 years since Tottenham won the League Cup, their last bit of silverware. Mauricio Pochettino and serial winners Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were unable to bring trophies to Spurs.

On top of ending that trophy drought, it would give Spurs a Champions League spot - despite sitting 23 points off those places in the league.

There was no chance Postecoglou was going to underestimate Glimt, who knocked his Celtic out of the Conference League 5-1 on aggregate three years ago.

But he could not have dreamed of their start as they scored a first-minute goal in a European game for only the second time in their history with Pedro Porro's cross ending up with Brennan Johnson netting his 17th goal of the season.

James Maddison and Dominic Solanke added goals, but it will be of huge frustration that they conceded late on to Bodo/Glimt's only shot on target.

Despite that, barring a collapse in the Arctic next Thursday, Tottenham will reach a fourth final in this competition after 1972, 1974 and 1984's two-legged showpieces in the Uefa Cup - winning the first and the last of those.

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.

Three English teams feature in Thursday's Europa League and Conference League semi-finals, and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

Europa League

• Athletic Bilbao v Manchester United - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham Hotspur v Bodo/Glimt - BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Conference League

• Djurgarden v Chelsea

• Real Betis v Fiorentina

All kick-off times 20:00 BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here