Do you believe in miracles?! Tottenham Hotspur did the impossible: surviving AZ Alkmaar and moving on to the Europa League Quarterfinals! What a glorious achievement. In all seriousness (of which little remains), it was great to see Spurs fight off a one-goal deficit Thursday and see through the result, even if it was not the smoothest 90 minutes.
Tottenham now has a month to prepare for Eintracht Frankfurt with three Premier League fixtures — and an international break — between now and then. Up first is a Fulham side that is eight points better, but certainly beatable. With nearly everyone available to play, the focus becomes building some continuity and momentum with Ange Postecoglou still fighting to implement his ideal tactics.
Fulham (10th, 42pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (t-13th, 34pts)
Date: Sunday, March 16
Time: 9:30 am ET, 1:30 pm UK
Location: Craven Cottage, London
TV: USA Network (US)
After finishes of 10th, 13th, and 10th the past three seasons, Fulham currently sits…10th. Near the middle in goals scored, goals allowed, goal difference, and xGD, everything about this club points to the definition of midtable. Accordingly, the results have been quite mixed in the league, and the Cottagers are 4-0-4 in their past eight fixtures. They did survive Manchester United on penalties two weeks ago, though, earning a spot in the FA Cup Quarterfinals.
The reverse fixture between these sides saw a 1-1 draw in North London. Brennan Johnson broke the deadlock in the second half, but Tom Cairney equalized soon after. Cairney then was sent off in the final 10 minutes after cleating the back of Dejan Kulusevski’s calf, but the home side was unable to find a winner. Spurs posted just 0.8 xG that day and were overall disappointing, especially after winning at the Etihad the weekend prior.
Hope charges in
The standout performer on Thursday was Wilson Odobert, who looked exactly like the player Spurs were hoping for when he was signed. His directness and excellent finishing feels like something lacking for a long time. Now is not the time to drop Odobert, but there is an interesting question as to how the front three should be configured going forward. Heung-Min Son has looked rusty for much of the season, but is coming off two quality performances. Dominic Solanke’s return to health has been extremely impactful as well as clearly the team’s best No. 9.
Can those three work together? And if so, does that put Kulusevski back in midfield and one of Lucas Bergvall or James Maddison on the bench? These are the things Postecoglou must tinker with ahead of Frankfurt. Fitness will end up dictating some of the choices, but identifying the right combination of attackers is the top priority for the next few weeks. Fulham has a decent defense — not having allowed 2.0 xGA in 2025 — so this is a good match to see who shines.
Simple little things
Micky van de Ven reminded everyone of his importance against AZ. The speedy centerback broke up an attack by racing back, and his later substitution more or less led to the visitors’ lone goal. 90 minutes of van de Ven and Cristian Romero give me a lot of confidence, but banking on their availability still seems foolish. That means the defense has to keep improving and stop giving away avoidable goals.
Thursday’s blunder by Odobert/Bergvall was nothing new; careless mistakes have destroyed this season. The reason they continue to have such an impact is poor positioning and cohesion throughout the rest of the defense, which absolutely must anticipate that individual errors are going to happen. The Cottagers may not be lighting up the scoreboard, but threats like Raul Jimenez do not need much invitation. Regardless of if the first-choice back line is on the pitch, Spurs need to recognize their current state and adjust defensively.