Tottenham Hotspur face a crucial Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar tomorrow, knowing the competition could define their season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have endured a turbulent campaign, slipping to 13th in the Premier League and exiting both domestic cups.
A deep run in Europe is now their best chance to salvage something meaningful.
Postecoglou has made no secret of his ambition. At the start of the season, he said he always wins things in his second year with a club. The Europa League represents his only realistic path to silverware.
Tottenham’s European form has been encouraging. They finished the league phase strongly with wins over Hoffenheim and Elfsborg, and they have already beaten AZ this season.
Their record against Dutch teams is solid, though their struggles in European knockout away legs remain a concern.
AZ needed a play-off win over Galatasaray to reach this stage, and their recent league form has been inconsistent. They sit outside the Eredivisie’s top three and lost to Heerenveen last weekend.
However, their home record in Europe is strong, and they have had extra time to prepare, with no domestic fixture scheduled.
The return of key players could be decisive for Spurs. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke are back in training, adding much-needed depth.
Dejan Kulusevski misses out, but Postecoglou has more options than he has in months. The manager knows the importance of maintaining momentum.
“We’ve got to make sure we play our football and dictate the tempo,” he said. “At the end of the game, we need to have an opportunity to go back to Tottenham and win the tie.”
The pressure is mounting. A failure to qualify for Europe next season would be a major setback, making this campaign even more crucial.
Tottenham’s last European trophy came in 1984, and opportunities like this do not come often.
Winning the Europa League would do more than end that drought. It would mark the first real success of the Postecoglou era, proving that his project is heading in the right direction.
