Despite victory, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham side suffered a setback when they conceded late on to Bodø/Glimt, setting up an enticing second leg when the sides meet next Thursday.
It was the dream start for Spurs when Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the 38th second, when he headed home from close range. After Richarlison set up the Welshman, when he guided a header back across goal, following a cross from Pedro Porro.
James Maddison added a second for the hosts in the 34th minute, with Porro once again involved. The Spaniard played a perfectly weighted long ball over the top of the Bodø/Glimt backline, which was met by Maddison, who calmly redirected the ball across goal to the bottom left corner, wrong-footing the Bodø/Glimt defenders, who were attempting to make a last-ditch block.
Tottenham pushed to expand their lead in the second half and were eventually rewarded for their efforts, when Dominic Solanke converted a penalty at the hour mark. This was following a VAR check, after it was deemed that Cristian Romero was brought down during a scramble in the box, following a corner.
Although Bodø/Glimt struggled to create any meaningful chances, the competitions underdogs persevered in their attempt to regain hope. And this is exactly what they got, when Ulrik Saltnes’s strike took a heavy deflection, leaving Guglielmo Vicario in no man’s land, as the visitors pulled one back.
This caused a noticeable change in attitude among the Spurs fans, who will be praying that their side can oppose the stereotypes and prevent a shock comeback from being fulfilled.
-
Lack of creativity from the wings
Tottenham were often wasteful in advanced areas, with Solanke receiving very little service, due to the poor crosses from wingers Johnson and Richarlison.
The Brazilian was even replaced at half time, with the fans getting more and more frustrated due to the surplus of poor deliveries.
As for Johnson, the 23-year-old was often outmuscled when attempting to breach the Bodø/Glimt penalty area, failing to capitalise on the dangerous positions he often found himself in.
This may force Postecoglou into making some changes for the second leg. A return for captain Son Heung-Min would certainly be a massive boost for the Spurs manager- the South Korean has had one of his less successful seasons in Tottenham colours, but has still registered ten assists in all competitions.
-
Disjointed in possession
Their is a clear identity within Postecoglou's style of play, which, when executed, can produce excellent results. However, the performance against Bodø/Glimt lacked conviction and fluidity, with many promising breaks often coming to an abrupt holt.
It seemed far to common for the Tottenham players to turn back when advancing towards goal, rather than taking risks and trying to take players on in one-on-one scenarios.
Of course, these decisions may have been made with the intention to be conservative, but it did seem as though Tottenham could have been more clinical, had they been more direct and aggressive in their attacking approach.
With this is mind, it will be very interesting to see how Tottenham set up in the return fixture. The prospect of scoring will be a hammer blow to Bodø/Glimt, who will no doubt be extremely hungry to cut the deficit, with the drive from their home supporters.
However, a more cautious approach may be considered if past lessons are to be learned. Postecoglou will be fully aware of his side's tendency to throw leads away- with reference to games against Brighton and Chelsea, where Tottenham suffered defeats despite gaining two goal leads.
-
Bodø/Glimt will be very optimistic
Kjetil Knutsen will be delighted by the fact that his side managed to limit potential damage and provide themselves with real belief of a comeback.
The Norwegian side endured 24 shots compared to the three that they produced, but still managed to keep the Premier League side at bay, when they could have killed the tie off and been out of sight.
Another factor that will encourage Bodø/Glimt is that they will host Tottenham in an environment which the North-London side will be very unfamiliar with.
Temperatures are likely to be significantly lower as their stadium is located deep within the Arctic circle, within the baron, mountainous landscape of northern Norway.
Further still, Tottenham will have to adapt to playing on artificial turf, combined with the inevitable hostile atmosphere that will be produced by the 8,000 home supporters- who will likely view this as the biggest fixture in the club's history.
-
Squad depth and unity will be essential if Tottenham are to progress
Tottenham have often been criticised this season for appearing to be divided, lacking the personnel and team spirit required to drag themselves out of bad runs of form.
However, these accusations were responded too emphatically by Spurs, after their impressive second leg victory away to Frankfurt in the quarter-final. The celebrations among staff and players highlighted a real sense of desire to succeed.
This was displayed once again against Bodø/Glimt, with absentees such as Son and Lucas Bergvall, evidently ecstatic when their side converted each of their three goals.
This sense of unity will be absolutely fundamental when Spurs visit the Aspmyra Stadion next Thursday. There will no doubt be twists and times where Spurs have to endure heavy onslaught from the Norwegian champions. But if they showcase the resilience needed to reach their second European final in 6 years, it will completely change the trajectory of what has so far been a very disappointing season.
