Despite a sluggish start, Tottenham Hotspur cruised over the weekend, coming out of the international break with a solid win to help move past the collapse at Brighton. That makes it six wins out of seven since mid-September across all competitions, including the Europa League, which continues on Thursday at home against AZ Alkmaar.
Getting out the the League Phase was never the goal (or worry) for this club, as Spurs remain betting favorites to win the whole competition. However, getting the job done early definitely beats future stress, and what happens mid-week can carry into the weekends as well, so the results so far have been welcome. Tottenham looks to be back on track and another win would keep the mission rolling forward.
Tottenham Hotspur (t-3rd, 6pts) vs. AZ Alkmaar (t-15th, 3pts)
Date: Thursday, October 24
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK)
AZ has split its two Europa League contests so far, beating future Tottenham opponent Elfsborg and losing to Bilbao, which was to be expected. The Dutch side was last in this competition in 2020/21 but has had frequented the Conference League since then, including a loss to West Ham in the 2022/23 semifinals.
Spurs have not faced AZ in European competition, but obviously have battled plenty of other squads from the Netherlands. The most recent encounter was a split with Vitesse in the infamous 2021/22 Conference League group, while that magical 2018/19 Champions League run saw Tottenham face PSV and, of course, Ajax.
Parroting back
When draws occur the first thing everyone looks for are narratives, and Tottenham certainly got one against AZ. Former academy star Troy Parrott returns to North London after a £6.7-million move this summer. He leads the team with five goals this year, with four of those coming in one match; he also scored the winner from the spot against Elfsborg.
Parrott never quite lived up to the hype at Spurs, but it would be so fitting to see him return and make an impact like Marcus Edwards did a couple seasons ago. However, AZ mustered just 0.4 xG against Bilbao and do not figure to cause too many problems for the Tottenham defense. There are persistent mistakes that still needed to be cleaned up, though, and that ask becomes tougher for a rotated back line that is likely to feature names like Ben Davies, Archie Gray, and Radu Dragusin, who returns from suspension.
Glass half full
The early days of the Europa League can often feel more like an obligation than a joy, and the temptation is to just fast forward to the knockout rounds. That should really not be the case this season, though, as Spurs (finally!) have the depth where swapping in reserves feels more like an opportunity than an avoidance, and there are are especially some players up front who could use some minutes.
My eyes are on Richarlison after the Brazilian returned from injury with a brief cameo on Saturday. He is clearly the backup to Dominic Solanke, but there are plenty of minutes to go around and the Europa League is somewhere he could really feast. The supporting cast might be a step back from what he enjoyed last season, but he has a great chance to find the scoresheet against an overmatched side on Thursday.