Sometimes that is just how football goes. A frustrating derby defeat was followed but an extremely fortunate win, leading to Tottenham Hotspur’s most complete performance of the season. Saturday’s win over Brentford concluded a roller coaster seven-day stretch, and the club does feel to be heading in the right direction now.
In reality, the season is truly just getting started, and Thursday marks the beginning of the team’s Europa League campaign. Spurs have not been in this competition since the 2020/21 iteration, and while they are one of the favorites as always — at least on paper — it does feel a little different this year between Ange Postecoglou’s comments (which now is even tougher with the League Cup draw against City) and the new format. Regardless, the journey begins at home against Qarabag.
Tottenham Hotspur (t-13th, 0pts) vs. Qarabag (t-13th, 0pts)
Date: Thursday, September 26
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK)
Qarabag is no stranger to the Europa League, having played in the Group Stage (now “League Phase”) nine of the past 11 seasons, typically via the Champions League Qualifying Rounds dropdown. The last two years featured Knockout Round appearances in the Conference League, but otherwise the Azerbaijani club has not enjoyed a ton of recent European success.
Of course, these two teams have met not too long ago. Tottenham won both 2015/16 Group Stage contests: 3-1 behind a Heung-Min Son brace and a late Erik Lamela goal, and a 0-1 road winner from Harry Kane. Spurs would win that Europa League group but end up being knocked out by Dortmund in the Round of 16.
Embrace the format
As a reminder, the new League Phase differs significantly from the previous format. Each club will play eight matches against eight different opponents, two from each pot. Qarabag was one of the two Pot 3 matchups for Spurs and certainly is not too intimidating, especially at home. Still, these are three points that Tottenham needs to grab, with the top eight teams getting a bye in the Knockout Round.
Truthfully, I do not have much to say about Qarabag — Azerbaijani competition seems irrelevant and a 0-5 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in Champions League qualification is unsurprising. Opta rates this team around the Leeds United/Leicester City/Ipswich Town range, for what is is worth. Really, this will come down to how well Tottenham turns possession into production; even though Saturday featured less of the ball, look for the home side to be in control for much of this one.
Complete culture
Supporters know that many times these matches against lower sides can be trickier than expected, but this roster is much deeper than that of four years ago when Jose Mourinho led his outfit into the Europa League. The visitors are no strangers to this competition, but have not really logged great results against top opponents, and Tottenham has no reason to do anything but dominate.
Expect Ange Postecoglou to rotate plenty like he did against Coventry in the League Cup last week. That lineup looked completely lost, but Spurs escaped with the win after players like Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski were subbed on. For Tottenham to make some noise in Europe (and honestly domestically as well), it cannot just be 11 players who can carry out the mission this year. I think after Saturday’s comprehensive performance against Brentford, this team will not repeat the midweek dud from last week.