Evening Standard

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero could play together for the first time since December 8 in Tottenham's Europa League last-16 decider against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.

With Kevin Danso missing with a hamstring injury and Radu Dragusin out for the season, Ange Postecoglou has little choice but to start the pair after Romero came through an hour against Bournemouth on Saturday before being replaced by Van de Ven.

Porro's progressive passing is likely to see him keep his place at right-back, while Udogie has struggled for form since returning to fitness, potentially giving Spence an advantage on the other side.

Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended after being booked in the first leg, which Spurs lost 1-0 in Alkmaar, leaving Lucas Bergvall and Yves Bissouma competing to start at No6.

Bissouma was hooked at half-time in the 2-2 draw with the Cherries, so may drop to the bench, while James Maddison is likely to come into the side.

Postecoglou also faces a tough choice in the front three. Dominic Solanke and Heung-min Son are certain starters but Brennan Johnson, Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore -- who was outstanding against AZ in the initial phase back in October -- could all start on the right.

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Tottenham have it all to do against AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 clash later this week.

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou is under increasing pressure after a torrid season, with his side currently 13th in the Premier League table.

European glory is all that remains but an abject Spurs lost 1-0 to AZ last week, leaving them with a mountain to climb if they are to reach the quarter-finals of this competition.

While Tottenham certainly have the quality to turn the game around, little about what they’ve managed to do on a consistent basis this season will raise any hope that can genuinely happen.

It’s a huge game for Postecoglou, arguably the biggest in his tenure at the club. With that in mind, here’s a look at all you need to know.

Tottenham vs AZ Alkmaar is scheduled for an 8pm GMT kick-off time on Thursday 13 March, 2025.

TV channel: The game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 3.

Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch via the Discovery+ website and app.

Dejan Kulusevski is expected to miss the game for Spurs, while Kevin Danso missed Tottenham training on Wednesday due to injury and is expected to be ruled out until after the international break.

Ben Davies, however, returned after a recent knock but Richarlison will not feature until at least the start of April despite returning to training.

Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended following a booking in last week’s first leg.

Hardened Spurs supporters may be wary about confidently backing the team this season but they should surely have enough at home.

That’s not to do Alkmaar any disservice and they certainly deserve their lead but Spurs can hardly play worse than they did out in the Netherlands.

With key players finally back in action and having had some minutes under their belt, it would be a surprise not to see Spurs progress.

On Sunday, Spurs claimed a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth after fighting back from two goals down to raise at least some confidence ahead of their date with Europa League destiny later this week.

An abject Spurs lost 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their last-16 clash last week to leave their hopes of progression hanging by a thread. While Ange Postecoglou’s side certainly have the quality to turn things around, little about them will fully convince supporters they are ready to do so.

Postecoglou has long suggested his team will improve once key players are back from injury. Many of them have returned, albeit problems do remain.

Last week, Postecoglou said: “He's got a knock on the foot, he's not really sure when to be honest but it's got a bit sore in the last couple of weeks but he's been able to train and play and just get through it OK.

“But it wasn’t getting better so we did some further investigations and no real clarity again, but we're waiting on a couple of things to find out the extend of it but unlikely to be back before international break.”

Davies has missed the last five games with an unspecified injury, though perhaps is not too far off a return in order to boost Tottenham’s defensive ranks.

A frustrating time of things on the injury front continued for Richarlison last month after a calf problem forced him off during the Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool.

It was a shaky return to the side for the vice-captain

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Heung-min Son’s late penalty rescued a point for Tottenham, who came from behind to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth in north London.

Goals from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson either side of half-time put the visitors in command but Pape Matar Sarr pulled one back with a fortuitous strike.

Substitute Son was caught by goalkeeper Kepa and rolled his penalty down the middle with six minutes to play.

In an entertaining game, Spurs twice hit the post in the second half through Son and fellow sub Lucas Bergvall, but Cherries forward Justin Kluivert had a goal disallowed and saw a shot come back off the upright.

Here’s how we rated the Spurs players…

Guglielmo Vicario 8

Made three saves inside the first four minutes, including sharp stops to deny Evanilson and Justin Kluivert. Also reacted quickly to keep out a Milos Kerkez cross-shot.

Pedro Porro 5

Passed straight to Milos Kerkez ahead of Bournemouth's opening goal, which was created by the left-back.

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Cristian Romero 5

Nearly gifted Bournemouth a goal inside 20 seconds of his return with a miscued pass straight at Evanilson. Looked rusty on first appearance in three months.

Kevin Danso 7

Could not get a touch on Kerkez’s cross for the opening goal nor stop Evanilson for the visitors' second. But he was more assured than many of his teammates and made some important challenges.

Djed Spence 7

Tavernier got in front of him to open the scoring but he made several crucial interventions in a game when the back line were repeatedly left exposed.

Rodrigo Bentancur 6

Involved in a few nice pieces of play but too-often careless with the ball. In common with all Spurs’ midfielders, Postecoglou’s system is not doing him any favours.

Yves Bissouma 4

Repeatedly lost possession in dangerous areas in a rusty and careless performance. No surprise when he was hooked at the interval.

Pape Matar Sarr 7

Missed a huge chance to level the game moments before Evanilson’s goal but went some way to making amends with his lucky or brilliant strike to make it 2-1. Grew into the game and his energy was important.

Brennan Johnson 5

Stretched Kerkez on occasion but final ball was missing. Hooked at half-time.

Wilson Odobert 7

Lively on both flanks, offering a willingness to take on his man which is missing from Postecoglou’s other forwards.

Dominic Solanke 7

His hold-up play was encouraging – and streets ahead of that of Mathys Tel – but he was restricted to only brief glimpses of goal by his former club.

Subs

Lucas Bergvall (Bissouma 46’) 8

Made a positive difference and he nearly scored at 2-0 down with a long-range strike which struck the base of a post.

Heung-min Son (Johnson 46’) 8

Clever to win penalty from Kepa and went closest to leveller at 1-0 with a trademark effort which skimmed the post, via a touch from a defender.

James Maddison (Bentancur 61’) 8

Immediately made an impact by teeing up Sarr for a brilliant chance and his pass set Son away to win the penalty.

Micky van de Ven (Romero 61’) 7

His return gave the whole stadium a lift but Evanilson was able to escape behind him and Danso for the winner.

Destiny Udogie (Porro 87’) 6

Steady in the final few minutes of the game.

Not used: Kinsky, Tel, Gray, Scarlett.

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Another huge game for Spurs and Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham hope to hand minutes to both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero today against Bournemouth but must wait to learn the extent of Dominic Solanke’s fresh knock.

The two centre-backs have both been long-term injury absentees but were unused substitutes in Thursday’s Europa League last-16 first-leg defeat away against AZ Alkmaar, with Ange Postecoglou of the view that the questionable quality of the pitch at AFAS Stadion would have made fielding either player an unnecessary risk.

Van de Ven and Romero are, however, likely “in line” to face the Cherries in the Premier League on Sunday, according to their manager.

Solanke made his comeback following seven weeks out with a knee injury as a second-half substitute against AZ Alkmaar, but had to be replaced himself in stoppage time by Dane Scarlett.

Asked for an update on Solanke, Postecoglou said on Friday morning: “It’s too early to tell. With Dom, it was [a] big [impact from] the knee into the back-side. He's probably a bit sore, but it’s a knock. So hopefully it settles down quickly.”

Speaking about Van de Ven and Romero, he said: “Yeah, they’re a chance [against Bournemouth]. Look, when I saw the pitch the night before, I pretty much made up my mind [that] I wasn’t going to risk them last night.

“It wasn’t a great pitch. It wasn’t steady underfoot. It wasn’t the sort of game where I felt I needed to expose them. A couple of extra days' training and recovery, and hopefully both are in line to feature.”

On Ben Davies, he said: “He’s actually training at the moment, so we’ll see how he feels.

“He’s definitely progressed and he feels good. We’ll see how he goes [in the] next 24–48 hours. There’s a chance.”

Postecoglou must decide whether to persist with January loan signing Mathys Tel up front, or whether to use him out wide instead. Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison are still out, along with Radu Dragusin.

Season could still end with glorious finish - but Thursday night offered worrying signs

Ange Postecoglou is under pressure to deliver at Tottenham

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

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The problem for Ange Postecoglou was not so much Tottenham’s defeat in Alkmaar on Thursday night, which can still be overturned in next week's second leg, but the manner of his side's performance.

For months, Postecoglou has been insisting that Spurs would dramatically improve when their injured players returned and the schedule eased up.

Yet after another clear week of preparation and with surely the strongest bench he has ever had at Spurs, his side served up one of the flattest performances of the Postecoglou era, when the stakes for their season could scarcely have been any higher.

Spurs were still missing four of their most important players from the XI, with Dejan Kulusevski injured and Dominic Solanke, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero among the subs. Of the returning trio, only Solanke made it back on the pitch on 72 minutes but was forced off again in stoppage-time with a back injury.

Spurs, though, had more than enough quality to beat an AZ Alkmaar side who had failed to win in 12 previous meetings with English clubs and were missing key players of their own, including losing midfielder Mayckel Lahdo and his replacement Denso Kasius to injuries during the match.

Postecoglou's side mustered a solitary shot on target and had goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to thank for keeping them in the tie with saves from Troy Parrott and Ernest Poku.

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The defeat now leaves Spurs' season and, possibly Postecoglou's entire project, on the brink, the manager a little like a tennis player facing a match-point in the early round of a tournament.

The situation can still be salvaged and a successful, even glorious outcome is still possible.

But he can no longer afford further slip ups.

Tottenham were abject against AZ Alkmaar earlier this week

Action Images via Reuters

The stakes for Sunday's visit of Bournemouth in the Premier League are nowhere near as high but an improved performance is essential to back up Djed Spence's claim that the dressing room still has total belief in Postecoglou's approach.

It was alarming how easily Alkmaar were able to smother Spurs’ forwards, while there were holes throughout the visitors' midfield and defence.

It felt like a performance when all the good elements of Ange-ball -- the slick passing football, the brave transitions, the lightning attacks -- had been stripped away, leaving only incoherent patterns in the final third and wide open spaces across the midfield.

Postecoglou questioned his players "mindset" after the game and certainly far too many of his senior stars -- notably captain Heung-min Son and James Maddison -- failed to deliver a performance when it mattered again.

When almost every individual is playing within themselves, however, it has to come back to the manager and his system, leaving Postecoglou under pressure to find answers.

A meeting with the Cherries, who beat Spurs 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium in early December, promises to provide some uncomfortable contrasts for the Australian.

While Spurs are visibly less than the sum of their talented parts, high-flying Bournemouth are the opposite, testament to Andoni Iraola's excellent work on the south coast.

No wonder the Spaniard would inevitably feature high up the list of mooted successors for Postgecoglou should he leave Spurs.

Iraola's side have also tended to excel against the league's bigger clubs, including Spurs, who typically try to dominate matches with the ball.

Bournemouth have also beaten Manchester City, Arsenal and Man United and drawn with Chelsea this term (while losing to Leicester, Wolves and Brighton) and they will be happy to let Spurs have the lion's share of the ball on Sunday, particularly after watching their sterile possession in Alkmaar.

The returns of van de Ven and Romero to the back line would be an enormous boost for Postecoglou, who says AZ's pitch deterred him from playing them in Holland, and should improve Spurs at both ends.

Postecoglou's side have desperately missed Romero's line-breaking passes and van de Ven's ability to carry the ball out of defence during their long injury absences.

Then there is Solanke, who will be desperate to face his former club but has to be considered a major doubt after becoming the latest Spurs player to return to the pitch and immediately get injured again.

Given Mathys Tel's struggles to make an impact at centre-forward, Spurs' chances in the decider against AZ would be significantly dented if Solanke is facing another spell on the sidelines. But the time when Postecoglou could credibly point to injuries to explain poor results is over.

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