Bodo/Glimt boss reveals what he noticed when Tottenham conceded goal in Europa League semi-final
Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen has slammed his team after Tottenham’s early goal in the first leg, labelling their performance as “completely unforgivable.”
While Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League performances have left much to be desired, the same cannot be said about their Europa League displays.
The Lilywhites continue to impress in Europe, and just on Thursday, they put one foot in the finals at San Mames, after Tottenham secured a 3-1 win against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-final first leg.
The task for Tottenham in the return leg is pretty straightforward, as they just need to avoid a defeat by a three-goal margin, and they are European finalists.
Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen slams early goal as Tottenham defeat sparks frustration
For Bodo/Glimt, on the other hand, they have a huge task on their hands, as they now look to overturn a two-goal deficit next Thursday.
Of course, suffering defeats is part of football, but the manner in which Glimt lost, particularly the fact that they conceded so early in the game, is what now has their manager fuming.
Speaking after the game, Kjetil Knutsen said, as relayed by TV2 Cover: “We are once again in an extremely difficult situation when we concede a goal after 40 seconds. It is completely unforgivable.
“You saw when Tottenham conceded, they were very disappointed and lost energy. If you ask me, we should have gone for the second goal, but I think we can take a lot of energy with us from this match, to the next one.
“And it will be completely different for us at Aspmyra. We still have a chance. We are not favourites, but we just have to go for it. Hopefully, we can handle situations in the build-up game better than in this match.”
While the manager will be hoping his side can turn the tide, the latest predictions from Opta’s AI state that Tottenham would get past Glimt in the semi-finals.
Spurs warned over Bodo/Glimt’s Aspmyra advantage ahead of second leg
Indeed, Bodo/Glimt still have an ace up their sleeve, and that is their artificial turf at the Aspmyra Stadion.
There was no such artificial surface at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Glimt manager believes that it ultimately cost his side.
He continued: “For me, there is a difference between playing a match on grass and a match on artificial turf. In grass matches, we have to be closer in the duel game, so that we come out victorious.
“We lose too much in those types of situations, which irritates me a bit. The other thing is that we have too many ball losses. There are a lot of technical things.”
The Norwegian outfit are no pushover and they have already proven in the knockout phase that they are formidable at home, boasting a 100% win rate.
Spurs need to be wary that they are not on the wrong side of the story, because a comeback from Glimt would all but end Tottenham’s 2024/25 season.
The post Bodo/Glimt boss reveals what he noticed when Tottenham conceded goal in Europa League semi-final appeared first on Spurs Web.