Tottenham Hotspur Vs Bodo/Glimt, Ange Postecoglou's Strange Tactics

LONDON, FRIDAY - Ange Postecoglou, who is usually stubborn about his principles, has suddenly changed direction. The choice of players by the Tottenham Hotspur manager has surprised the fans. He has also contradicted a long-held principle of building attacks from the back. However, thanks to this unusual tactic, Spurs enjoyed an important 3-1 victory over Bodo/Glimt on Friday (2/5/2025) early morning WIB, bringing them closer to the Europa League final.

The first leg of the Europa League semifinal against Bodo/Glimt at White Hart Lane Stadium in London can be considered a significant match for Spurs this season. It is only in this tournament that Spurs still have hopes of winning a trophy. In such a crucial match, Postecoglou has transformed Spurs into a team that is different from usual.

Postecoglou has long been known as a stubborn coach. Countless criticisms have been directed at Postecoglou's attacking approach. This deluge of criticism has never caused the Australian passport-holding manager to revise his philosophy. He remains steadfast in his ball possession approach and in building attacks from the back.

The approach that he has long believed in was somewhat less evident when facing Bodo/Glimt. The Spurs players did not make much effort to build attacks from the back; instead, they opted to release long passes directly into the Bodo/Glimt defensive area.

Match statistics indicate that Spurs completed a total of 21 accurate long passes. The approach of breaking down the opponent's defense with long balls is not characteristic of Spurs under Postecoglou's management. In the English Premier League, Spurs are the team with the fewest long passes this season.

Postecoglou's "unconventional" tactics ultimately enabled Spurs to pose a greater threat to the goal of Bodo/Glimt. The quick goal scored by Brennan Johnson just 39 seconds into the match is a testament to this.

"We started the match very well and it was a great moment for us (to score a goal in the first minute). This is a good result for next week," said Spurs defender, Pedro Porro.

Spurs were dominant in every aspect. “The White Lily” fired 24 shots with seven of them on target. Spurs’ expected goal (xG) value was also quite high, 3.06.

The statistics are vastly different from Bodo/Glimt, who struggled to fend off the aggressiveness of the Spurs players. Throughout the match, the Bodo/Glimt players were forced to defend, managing to create only three shots, with just one on target that was converted into a goal.

Another peculiar change made by Postecoglou was to play Yves Bissouma in place of Lucas Bergvall due to an ankle injury. Bissouma has long been a supplementary player on the bench, leading to doubts about his ability to enhance Spurs' attacking power. As for the left wing, Postecoglou entrusted it to Richarlison instead of Mathys Tel. This marks the first time Richarlison has been included in the starting lineup since October 2023.

In one-on-one situations, we have to be better. We gave the ball away too easily.

However, this surprising change ultimately ended well for Spurs. The contributions of Richarlison and Bissouma resulted in a quick goal for Spurs. Conceding an early goal in front of tens of thousands of opposing supporters significantly affected the mentality of the Bodo/Glimt players. They seemed to have already lost early on, leading to a loss of spirit in chasing the deficit.

"In a one-on-one situation, we must be better. We are too easily losing the ball. We like to control and dominate the game, but we too often lose the ball and have to run a lot in transition," said Bodo/Glimt Coach, Kjetil Knutsen.

Johnson's quick goal ignited the fighting spirit of the Spurs players. They were able to double their lead thanks to a shot from James Maddison inside the penalty area in the 34th minute. Dominic Solanke then further increased the Spurs' tally with a penalty execution in the 61st minute.

The only goal for Bodo/Glimt was scored by midfielder Ulrik Saltnes seven minutes before the end of regular time. That was the only on-target shot by Bodo/Glimt in this match that was successfully converted into a goal. Thanks to this goal, Bodo/Glimt still has hope to turn the situation around at their home ground in the second leg.

"During 80 percent of the match, I was very pleased with our performance. However, it was very difficult for us mentally because we were a team that was heavily underestimated before this match. So, maintaining self-belief and confidence is not easy, but I think we can take a good look at this performance," said Saltnes.

Playing at the Bodo/Glimt home ground is not an easy task for Spurs. Previously, Bodo/Glimt had defeated FC Porto, Besiktas, Olympiakos, and Lazio at their home. Bodo/Glimt's winning ratio at home in the Europa League since the 2022-2023 season stands at 70 percent. This is a strong foundation for Bodo/Glimt to continue their fairy tale this season. (REUTERS)