Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League campaign took a major hit with a lacklustre 1-0 defeat at AZ Alkmaar yesterday.
An early own goal from Lucas Bergvall proved to be the difference, but the performance was as concerning as the result.
“We didn’t really get to grips with any part of the game,” manager Ange Postecoglou admitted.
“We struggled to gain any momentum with the ball, and we weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be without it.”
Tottenham have not reached the quarter-finals of this competition in five attempts since 2013, and this display did little to suggest they will break that pattern.
AZ dominated the first half and could have added to their lead had it not been for Guglielmo Vicario’s heroics.
Former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott was particularly lively, nearly doubling the lead before the break.
Even with key players returning from injury, Spurs looked disjointed. Dominic Solanke was given a second-half run-out but lasted only 15 minutes before limping off again.
Postecoglou had hoped his squad’s growing fitness would make a difference, yet Tottenham never looked like troubling the Dutch side.
Despite having plenty of possession, Tottenham failed to register a meaningful effort on target until Brennan Johnson fired over from distance just before half-time.
Postecoglou made changes, bringing on Wilson Odobert, Pedro Porro and Pape Sarr, but nothing seemed to click.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s yellow card, ruling him out of the second leg, only compounded the frustration. James Maddison was withdrawn after another ineffective outing.
For a side with ambitions to win the Europa League as a route back into Europe next season, this defeat raises serious concerns.
Their form has been inconsistent, and questions about their ability to handle big European nights remain unanswered.
The only silver lining is that the tie remains alive. However, if Tottenham play with the same lack of intensity next week, their Europa League journey will be over.
