Tottenham Hotspur will be rejoicing after a thoroughly deserved 3-2 home win against Southampton, their first win in five Premier League matches. The 3-1 triumph on Sunday provided a glimmer of hope for the struggling Spurs, who currently sit 14th in the league table. This victory is even more remarkable when considering their season, during which they’ve dealt with the baptism in fire of one too many league losses (16 in fact).
Spurs’ injury problems had been drastically lessening before the break. That’s overlooking the fact they missed the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, who scored three goals in European competition this season. Kevin Danso is still M.I.A from the roster. Tottenham are clearly intent on capitalising on their exciting recent development. They will need to raise their game, as they host Eintracht Frankfurt for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.
On a historical basis, Tottenham has had little success in the world’s most prestigious club competitions. They have lost each of their last 12 quarter-final encounters in European competition. Still, they have a wonderful record on their own patch against Eintracht Frankfurt having won all of their two prior meetings. This time around, that represents a tall order with Frankfurt, the reigning Europa League champions of 2022. According to Opta, Tottenham’s chances of winning the tournament are just 17 percent.
Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham’s head coach, addressed the criticisms surrounding the team’s performances and believes they have reached a point where even their positive moments attract scrutiny.
“Even the good stuff we may do is turned into ‘glass half-empty’ rhetoric,” – Ange Postecoglou
Postecoglou wanted to avoid any criticism being the driving force that molded the team’s ambitions. He stated that the players are focused on restoring success to the club while adhering to their principles of play.
“That can’t be a driver. The lads are keen to bring success to the club, keeping driving the principles of this journey in terms of playing our football,” – Ange Postecoglou
Despite the needling, Postecoglou is very happy with where they are sitting in the Europa League at this moment. He expressed hope that Tottenham could leverage their recent win to make a meaningful impact on what has been a disappointing season.
“Hopefully we worked our way into a position where we can make an impact on a disappointing season. I don’t think I can win the argument of convincing people. The general sentiment of people is ‘even if I win [the Europa League] I’m gone anyway,’” – Ange Postecoglou
This week, Ange Postecoglou spoke to the mentality required to succeed in the pressure cooker. He underscored in real terms just how important it is to score when it really matters. Then, in their most recent fixture against Southampton, Mathys Tel scored a last-minute penalty to give them the victory.
“We’ve got ourselves into a position where we have an opportunity to progress to the final stages. We have to focus on having a strong home performance,” – Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham are preparing for a very important Europa Room League fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt. After two straight losses, the Hoosiers will look to build off their big win over the Buckeyes. The stakes are high as they strive to advance further in the competition and improve their standing after a tumultuous domestic season.
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