Saturday’s demolition at the Etihad was just the latest entry in the Tottenham Hotspur roller coaster, reminding all of the heights this club is capable of reaching. That win, of course, followed defeats to Ipswich and Galatasaray, which also remind everyone of just how low this club can go as well. What comes next is anyone’s guess, but a win Thursday would be certainly welcomed.
That is because Roma comes to London for the latest round of Europa League fixtures, representing Tottenham’s biggest hurdle left in the League Phase. A win would put Spurs in excellent shape for a bye in the Knockout Playoff; anything less threatens to keep that qualification in the balance and prevent some rest over the final couple contests. Just as important is simply keeping up the vibes after the weekend’s triumph (Guglielmo Vicario news aside).
Tottenham Hotspur (t-7th, 9pts) vs. Roma (t-19th, 5pts)
Date: Thursday, November 28
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK)
Things are not great in Rome. A brutal start in Serie A sees the club down in 13th place, and a 1-2-1 start in the Europa League is not exactly how this competition was supposed to begin either. This led to Daniele De Rossi being sacked early on and Ivan Juric not lasting long after, resulting in Claudio Ranieri landing in charge.
Spurs have not faced Roma in a competitive match, which is strange given how many other Italian sides have made their way to North London. The last three instances of this happening were all in the Champions League, with Juventus and Milan knocking Tottenham out of the competition and Spurs splitting the Group Stage fixtures against Inter during that magical run.
Trotting forward
The inconsistency of Spurs’ season has many factors, though a running theme is struggling against low blocks vs. facing wide-open opponents. With Ranieri just recently appointed and trying to simply stop the bleeding, it stands to reason that Roma will look to be sound defensively, providing the home side with another challenge to unlock. I will no longer waste breath trying to predict lineups, but it does feel like Ange Postecoglou will have to include some creative pieces to build an attacking threat.
Meanwhile, Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala (sigh) are the threats coming the other way, though in general Roma has found goals hard to come by. After Victor Osimhen’s obliteration of the backup Tottenham defense and Fraser Forster, I am a little apprehensive of Europe still, though the Ben Davies-Radu Dragusin pairing quieted the doubters against City. This will probably be a tricky contest, but I think Spurs supporters will be giving thanks when this one is done.