Five things we learned from Tottenham’s huge European win over AZ Alkmaar

Tottenham Hotspur overturned a 1-0 deficit to see off AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League Round of 16 second leg on Thursday evening, winning 3-1 on the night to march into the quarter-finals.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the match:

Eintracht Frankfurt wait in the Europa League quarter-finals

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, keeping their season alive and Ange Postecoglou in a job. Spurs will now face Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in the final eight, playing the first match at home on April 10 and the second match in Germany on April 17.

Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero back together

Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero finally started a game together for Tottenham again this season. The last time that happened was all the way back in December when both went off injured in the 4-3 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea. Since then, we have seen just about every iteration of Van de Ven, Romero, Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, and I think even Yves Bissouma at one point.

It is no secret why Spurs looked absolutely class in the first 60 minutes and descended into chaos on the 60-minute mark when Van de Ven went off. The Dutchman is so pivotal to the way Tottenham play with such a high line, and his speed compliments the aggression and brave passing of Romero on the right. Spurs lost the entire balance of their back four when Micky had to depart – but you would rather that than another hamstring injury.

Tottenham will not lift the Europa League with chaos

If there is one word that has been synonymous with Ange-ball since the Australian arrived in North London, it is chaos. We saw that again on Thursday evening as Tottenham took a 3-1 lead late in the game before trading punches with AZ for 20 minutes. Most teams would sit back a little, slow the game down, and manage the result. Spurs, under Ange Postecoglou, prefer to open the game up and land a sucker punch on the break.

That can work if you are at least in control of the match, but the Lilywhites could and should have conceded about three goals in the first 15 minutes. Thankfully, Alkmaar missed a hattrick of golden opportunities, but Eintracht Frankfurt and the other clubs remaining in the Europa League will not. Spurs have to find a way to manage leads more efficiently if they have any hope of lifting European silverware.

Coming of age for Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall

Wilson Odobert’s Tottenham season has been defined by one long-term injury. He started the campaign brightly before picking up a hamstring problem in the fourth game of the season against Arsenal, which kept him out until just last month. However, on the biggest stage of all, a European knockout match served as a real coming of age for the young Frenchman. Straight out of the Brennan Johnson playbook, he arrived at the back post twice throughout the match to slam home all-important Tottenham goals. More than this, he showed drive and creativity and excitement with his direct dribbling too. Spurs have a real player on their hands here if they can keep him fit and playing with freedom.

Lucas Bergvall, on the other hand, looks like he has already been a mainstay in the Tottenham engine room for years! The young Swede absolutely ran the show for Postecoglou’s side from a deep-lying midfield position for much of the game, picking up the ball and breaking the lines with his powerful running or clever passes around the corner. There can be no question anymore, Bergvall is above Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in the pecking order. If he can iron out the sloppy parts of his game – like the silly pass that handed Alkmaar a free goal – he could be world-class!

Joe Hart on Tottenham co-comms again, please

A simple point, but how class was Joe Hart on co-commentary this evening? A pundit who not only has insight into the modern game and Tottenham Hotspur, but also playing under Ange Postecoglou. Europa League commentary is usually a bore, verging on annoying, but Hart was passionate and interesting throughout – a real pleasure to listen to. More of that please, TNT!

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