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AZ Alkmaar 1-0 Spurs: Tea-Time Torture for Tottering Tottenham

That was real bad.

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Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar was a real opportunity to make a statement now that Spurs have a rested and (mostly) healthy squad. That didn’t happen today. Tottenham played one of their worst matches of the season, conceding a first half own goal from Lucas Bergvall, and could only muster one shot on target despite 61% possession and fell to AZ by the final score of 1-0.

It was real bad.

Tottenham welcomed three injured players back to the matchday squad, if not to the starting lineup. Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Dominic Solanke all started the match on the bench, with Ange Postecoglou preferring Mathys Tel up top alongside Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-Min, while fielding a back line of Djed Spence, Kevin Danso, Archie Gray, and Destiny Udogie. Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, and James Maddison started in midfield, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.

It’s always tough to cover a 12:45 p.m. ET kickoff on a work day, but here are some basic notes from my viewing of the match.

Match Reactions

Final xG: 1.58 — 0.35. Spurs had 7 shots, one on target. Is that bad? (Answer: yes, yes it is.)

I feel for Bergvall, who had an awful start to the match. First he loses the ball and inadvertently injures an AZ player who needed to be subbed off, then he shanks a clearance and scores an own goal. Had a few wild moments in midfield, too — a comment from Carty Free chat was “Someone keeps unplugging Bergvall’s controller.”

At first I thought Vicario had dope-slapped Lucas after the goal, but on replay it was more just a light manhandling, i.e. “shake it off, bro.”

Not a great day for the young Tottenham stars-to-be. Archie Gray had a real ‘mare out there; Parrott and the rest of AZ’s forwards turned him around repeatedly and he was loose with his passing. Mathys Tel also looked ineffectual and young, and he was rightfully hooked for Odobert at halftime. Look, this is normal — if you play talented 19 year olds, you’re going to have games where they play like they’re 19. Just a shame they all decided to revert to teenage form at the same time.

But the adults in the squad were equally bad. Danso, Udogie, Maddison, Son, and Johnson all had sub-par performances. The kids are going to play like kids sometimes, but the adults need to pick up the slack and they 100% did not tonight.

At least Djed ruled.

That was one of the worst games I’ve seen Spurs play all year, and I think a lot of it came down to how Postecoglou set up the team. AZ are vulnerable to direct play and guys who can dribble, and Spurs played the opening 45 minutes without anyone who can fill that role. The midfield also looked completely out of shape and like they didn’t have a good plan on how to transition the ball forward.

Gotta say, it was nice to see Dom Solanke and his insane pressing energy back out there today. I’ve missed him, even when he’s not scoring.

What I think we learned here, apart from anything else, is that Dejan Kulusevski is our best player and when he’s not available we’re just going to struggle. Hurry back, Deki — we need you.

Look, getting outplayed and out-muscled by a Dutch team is pretty awful, but all things considered leaving a European away match with only a one goal hole and no away goals rule is an ok situation to be in. You have to like Spurs’ chances to pick up a 2-0 win at home, but they’ll have to play MUCH better next week than they did tonight.

European football has returned! After a well-deserved week off, Tottenham Hotspur head back to the Netherlands to face a familiar foe: AZ Alkmaar, home of Troy Parrott (and previously Mousa Dembele), a side Spurs took on in the Europa League group stage.

That match was a hard-fought victory for Spurs, with the margin a single goal, somewhat of a rarity this season. It was a heavily rotated side that took the points that day; this time out, expect Ange Postecoglou to name a much stronger lineup. With returns nearing for Dom Solanke, Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero (there’s an international break soon, guys), Ange will potentially have a few more resources at his disposal than in recent weeks.

With Spurs out of the running for all other trophies, this is really the sole opportunity for this side to make its mark as well. These aren’t throwaway matches for rotation any longer; it’s time for things to get serious.

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

AZ Alkmaar vs. Tottenham Hotspur

AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar, Netherlands

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Time: 12:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. UK

TV: Not televised in USA, TNT Sports 3 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Paramount+

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

Do y’all remember a time when Tottenham Hotspur used to get nominated for Premier League monthly awards? It’s only been a few months, but those fallow months also coincided with a severe Spurs injury crisis and a subsequent drop in form.

Well wake up, babe — the Premier League monthly award nominations are back! The League announced that Djed Spence was nominated for Player of the Month for February, Ange Postecoglou was nominated for Manager of the Month, and Dejan Kulusevski’s spectacular goal against Ipswich was nominated for Goal of the Month.

It’s been so long! They practically bring a tear to my eye.

Spence’s nomination is maybe the most surprising, and the most gratifying, as it recognizes how well he’s been playing for Spurs since breaking into the first team squad earlier this season. He’s up against Everton striker Beto, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, and the Liverpool duo of Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai. I have no real idea how realistic it is that Djed wins the award — probably unlikely considering Salah’s on it and Mateta’s been on a goal-scoring tear recently. But hey, this is pretty dang huge for Djed and for Tottenham, and is a real reflection on his recent performances and attitude in recent weeks. I’m biased, but I’d say he’s got the poll Djed to rights.

Elsewhere, Postecoglou has been nominated for Manager of the Month, along with Palace’s Oliver Glasner, Everton’s David Moyes (I still feel I’m back in 2010 whenever I type that), Fulham’s Marco Silva, and Liverpool’s Arne Slot.

Kulusevski also got a nod for Goal of the Month for his ridiculous strike against Ipswich a few weeks ago. He’s up against Salah, Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri, Everton’s James Tarkowski, Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, Palace’s Daniel Munoz, and Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert.

Ange Postecoglou showed his cards a bit with a rotated lineup against Manchester City, despite no match over the weekend for Tottenham Hotspur. The manager knows that this season — and potentially his future — rests on the Europa League, where Spurs remain the betting favorites to lift the trophy. However, all cups leave little room for error, and it only takes one bad night for everything to fall apart.

Tottenham absolutely cannot let that happen against AZ Alkmaar in the Round of 16. Spurs are widely expected to advance, but they will head into Thursday’s first leg taking nothing for granted. This is a rematch of a 1-0 League Phase encounter back in October, but the stakes are much higher this time around. The visitors do not need to wrap up the tie in one leg, though heading back to North London with a solid advantage would certainly be welcome.

Round of 16 (1st Leg): AZ Alkmaar vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Date: Thursday, March 6

Time: 12:45 pm ET, 5:45 pm UK

Location: AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar, Netherlands

TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 3 (UK)

AZ Alkmaar finished the League Phase in 19th place, posting a 3-2-3 record, including a win over Roma in January. That advancement led to an upset of Galatasaray in the Knockout Playoff, which spared Tottenham from seeing more of Victor Osimhen; the first leg in the Netherlands saw Galatasaray go down to 10 men, and AZ capitalized with a 4-1 win. This was enough to boost them into the Round of 16 and set the stage for another opportunity to play spoiler.

It would be surprising if more than three starters remained the same from when these two teams met in North London. Players like Fraser Forster, Ben Davies, Timo Werner, Mikey Moore, and Richarlison all rotated in as Postecoglou had limited options at the time. Though the performance was not the prettiest, it got the job done, and an xG spread of 1.9 to 0.4 highlighted the gap between Spurs and their opponents, even with the fringe players stepping in.

Thursday could see the return of the two starting center backs and two key strikers, though some of them might only feature in the second leg. Regardless, Spurs have received reinforcements across nearly every other position, and the names on this week’s team sheet should be more than enough to get the desired result. In a perfect world, these returnees would not even be needed for the home leg, but they are expected to be available then if they are not ready this week.

Avoid the pitfalls

The script here is no different than any other Europa League knockout tie. AZ has recently shown an uptick in scoring, but they looked relatively harmless in North London and are only seventh in goals scored in the Eredivisie. Still, this team is obviously capable of putting the ball in the net — six different players scored against Galatasaray, including Troy Parrott (!!) — so Spurs will need to put in a solid defensive performance. Fortunately, there are enough quality pieces at the back to inspire some confidence.

If the defense does its job, Tottenham’s attack only needs a few clinical moments to take control. Even without the potential involvement of Dominic Solanke or Richarlison, there are several viable attacking options. It was great to see Wilson Odobert back in action, and Mathys Tel has been highly motivated to make an impact. These two, along with Moore, could use the next two weeks to prove their worth and secure valuable minutes down the stretch.

With a potential matchup against Ajax or Eintracht Frankfurt on the horizon, and teams like Lazio, Roma, and Manchester United (lol) alive as well, it can be tempting to look ahead with three rounds remaining. However, Galatasaray saw firsthand what happens when an underdog blitzes at home, and Spurs absolutely must avoid this trap. Postecoglou has recognized the weight of this competition and is playing his chips strategically. Starting with Thursday, excellence is a requirement for everyone involved from here on out.

It’s here - it’s the Europa League knockouts!

In honour of the latest stage of the competition, now is as good a time as any to take a quick look (and I mean quick) at some of the leagues across Europe. Be prepared for little-to-no analysis:

Eredivisie: Gotta start here with AZ Alkmarr on tap later today. The AZ squad is currently sixth in the table. If Arsenal can score seven against second-placed PSV, what can Spurs do against AZ?

Belgian Jupiler League: The only league that matters with some of our Belgian boys in it. Unfortunately, Genk is running away with it. The club is currently nine points ahead of second-placed Club Brugge. Jan Vertonghen’s Anderlecht are currently fourth.

Bundesliga: Is Harry Kane on his way to his first league title? It seems so. Kane leads the league with 21 goals so far, and Bayern are eight points ahead of Leverkusen.

La Liga: An interesting title race here with Barcelona, Atletico and Real Madrid separated by three points. If it weren’t for League One and St John’s basketball, this might be the most interesting race in sports so far.

Superliga: A tight race at the top between Copenhagen and Midjylland. Copenhagen defeated their title rivals just a couple weeks ago, giving them the inside track to the title. Certainly they should at least hold the lead after playing Sønderjyske this coming weekend.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Baby Outlaw, by Elle King

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Mousa Dembele, the Alkmaar years: The one-in-three forward who became a unique midfielder”

Dan KP: “Kevin Danso relishing challenge after Spurs welcome back key duo”

Good news, everyone! Tottenham Hotspur have brought their first team central defense pairing and their first choice striker to the Netherlands for tomorrow’s Europa League match vs. AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. According to Ange Postecoglu in his pre-match press conference (still going on at the time of this article publishing), the trio of Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Dominic Solanke have all made the plane and will assumedly be available for selection for the match.

The news isn’t so good for Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, and Richarlison, all of whom have remained in London to train and continue their rehabilitation.

“In terms of haven’t traveled, Deki Kulusevski is the only one. He got a knock on the foot and he’s not sure when really. He’s been able to train and play over the last few weeks. We’ve done some further investigations and no real clarity. Unlikely to be back before the international break, but nothing serious and no surgery or anything. Ben Davies is also back [home] at the training ground with Richarlison.”

As far as injuries go, that wouldn’t be too bad, but keep in mind that this is just a guess from Postecoglou (and he’s been known to lie about injuries in press conferences too).

For Thursday I’d be surprised if any of Romero, Van de Ven, or Solanke start in this match. We really don’t know where they are in their rehabilitation and so all of this is guesswork, but if they are slowly worked into the lineup, it wouldn’t surprise me if one of them plays tomorrow in some capacity and the other against Bournemouth, if only so Spurs don’t have to make two CB substitutions in one match. Having a rotation of Romero, Van de Ven, Danso, and Archie Gray for three games seems pretty doable, even if it likely means Cuti and Mickey don’t initially start together. It’s about freshness and match minutes in the legs at this point, and there are plenty of games to play.

At any rate, Spurs should be able to put together a pretty strong lineup tomorrow in the Netherlands, and have the horses on the bench to make impact subs as well. Should be fun.

Dear hodddlers, we’ve gone through a lot these past few weeks. I must thank you all for your patience and understanding as I go through but a small portion of Queen’s discography. We began with the mystic My Fairy King to the overlooked Brian May tune Long Away, Freddie Mercury’s farewell The Show Must Go On and their bombastic Seven Seas of Rhye.

Today we wrap it all up with your hoddler-in-chief’s favourite Queen songs.

There would be no Track of the Day without Queen. This hoddle format would not exist were it not for Queen. No other musical artist shaped me like Queen did. Queen was my awakening to what the world could sound like. John Deacon is my favourite bass player. Brian May is my favourite guitarist. Freddie Mercury is my favourite vocalist. Roger Taylor is my second-favourite drummer (behind Tommy Ramone).

And so as we conclude the end of our brief journey through Queen’s discography, I want to share with you my favourite Queen songs of all time.

Enjoy your hump day all, and Keep Yourself Alive !

Impossible to rank. Bohemian Rhapsody

Where can I put this song? Anything other than #1 feels ridiculous. Is it my favourite Queen song? I’m not sure. It’s their greatest. It’s a monolith, really. Truth is I’ve spoilt it for myself to the point where I can listen to it but only a couple times a year. Bohemian Rhapsody is its own category.

But where do the rest of my favourite Queen songs rank? Let’s take a look ...

#20-11: Radio Gaga, Liar, Who Wants to Live Forever, Don’t Stop Me Now, All Dead All Dead, Fat Bottomed Girls, I Want To Break Free, The Millionaire Waltz, Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, Love of My Life

The first of three songs with “Queen” in the title. This is the first, setting up for a bonkers Side Two on Queen’s second album. Oddly enough this one was written by Brian May.

My favourite song from Queen after News of the World. There’s the more disco-centric/anthemic Queen, and the more hard rock. This falls closer to the hard rock version. I love it.

A few hoddlers mentioned this Brian May song when I featured Long Away a couple weeks ago. I said it in the comments: 39 is much better. What I enjoy most is how John Deacon’s double bass carries it.

What more can I say after last week’s TOTD?

John Deacon’s finest song. And done in a gorgeous ballad that became one of Freddie Mercury’s best vocal performances.

One of two songs from A Day at the Races, but this is the hard-rocking song that instantly hooked me more than a decade ago. It’s also the song that I used to turn fitzie sr onto Queen.

A tour de force of a song, using the collective strength of three incrediblly strong singers to deliver something superb.

The penultimate song on News of the World, and the band’s strongest song from that record. This song is sort of split into three different parts blended very well by Brian May and Roger Taylor. It’s quintessential Queen and essential listening.

This song is absolutely bonkers and sets itself up as the perfect “little sister” to Bohemian Rhapsody. The lyrics are astonishinghly mesmerising:

Here comes the Black Queen poking in the pile

Fi fo the Black Queen marching single file

Take this take that bring them down to size

March to the Black Queen

There is so much to uncover with this song. Too much to break down in this post. But it’s incredible. Chaotic good. Chaotic evil. This is the song that showed us what Queen could be. Two records later, they delivered BoRap.

Lucious, grandiose and in-your-face. That’s who Queen are. What other song encapsulates that better than Killer Queen? References to a top-shelf liquer and deceased French monarch open the lyrics to this glamourous 70s tune.

It’s also something that my favourite song from Queen features some of the most understated work from all four members. This song is so tight. It never gets old.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Killer Queen, by Queen

And now for your links:

Football London: “Ange Postecoglou granted new Mathys Tel opportunity to enhance future Tottenham plans”

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou facing big Tottenham selection decisions as injured players return”

The Athletic ($$): “Is it time to bring the Premier League and English Football League back together?”

Tottenham Hotspur have fresh injury concerns today after Sami Mokbel reported in the Daily Mail that Dejan Kulusevski has picked up a foot injury in training and will be out for an indeterminate period of time.

Deki posted a photograph on Instagram of him wearing a protective boot, and Mokbel writes that while the full extent of the injury won’t be known until at least tomorrow, Kulusevski will be sidelined for at minimum Thursday’s Europa League first leg match against AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, and the weekend match against Bournemouth.

This is, obviously, not great news, but it’s ameliorated a bit by the fact that Spurs are set to have Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, and Dominic Solanke back as soon as the AZ match or in the near future. And honestly, I’m a little surprised that Deki hasn’t broken down a bit sooner — he’s got a lot of miles on the tires already this season, and maybe it was too much to ask to have him skate through fortunately like Pedro Porro.

In truth though, if we were going to lose Deki for a period of big matches, this might be about the best time to do it. Brennan Johnson is likely Deki’s replacement in the side, and Johnson’s directness and back post runs might actually be a better fit against AZ than Deki’s close control in and around the box. Not that I’m happy he’s not available, but with Spurs edging closer to full fitness it’s not as dire an injury as it would’ve been, say, a month ago.

It’s also possible that Deki will be out longer than just two games; that protective boot isn’t a good look, but we won’t know anything until the physios have a chance to evaluate him.

On Monday we took a look at the Championship. Who will join Tottenham in the Premier League next year? That remains to be seen. But what about two years? LONGER????

Such questions demand us sending our attention towards the next three levels of the English football pyramid. And I would be negligent in my duties as hoddler-in-chief if I did not deliver the latest and greatest most mediocre update to the hoddle on what’s going on. With that, let’s go.

EFL League One:

What the heck is going on Leyton Orient? The last we checked you were flying high in the league with Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley tearing it up. They’ve lost three straight and now sit outside the playoffs. But this might be the most exciting league in the pyramid currently with three clubs within a shout at the second automatic place. Keep tabs on this race!

EFL League One:

Top six:

Bottom four:

EFL League Two:

Poor Morecambe. They have had such a rough time in the last year or so with their ownership structure and I am seriously concerned about the future of this club. I don’t know what relegation would bring to them. I hope I don’t have to find out.

Top seven:

Bottom two:

National League:

The race for the lone automatic spot is a little tighter today than it was a couple years ago but the picture hasn’t changed too much with Barnet still at the top of the table. Your hoddler-in-chief’s former ‘local club’ was indeed Barnet FC and of course he remains quite fond of it (even though he never attended a game).

Top two:

Fitzie’s track of the day: Compositional Theme Story, by Charles Mingus

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Spurs loanee Jamie Donley is thriving at Leyton Orient: ‘He sees things quickly, so he wants to play quickly’”

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou facing big Tottenham selection decisions as injured players return”

Alasdair Gold: “Cristian Romero and the Argentina decision that will feel familiar at Tottenham”

Vice (from 2017): “Meet One of the Last Shrimp Trawlers in Morecambe Bay”

Timo Werner. We all know the situation around him this season — he’s here on loan but hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire with his performances and has found him sliding down the pecking order at Spurs to the point where he’s basically a late impact sub or deep rotation option.

The writing’s been pretty much on the wall about Timo’s future since Ange Postecoglou criticized his work ethic in a press conference a couple of months ago. So we should not be at all surprised that we’re now getting reports suggesting that Tottenham will not be triggering his purchase option this summer, and that he’ll return to RB Leipzig at the conclusion of his loan.

That’s the story from the Mirror (lol, yes I know) anyway, which pretty much says exactly that. Now, we don’t usually use the Mirror as a primary source at Carty Free Towers for a pretty good reason — they’re generally unreliable. In this case, however, I think it’s safe to say the Mirror’s reading the tea leaves, which coincidentally are artfully arranged to spell out the words “TIMO IS NOT STAYING”. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, frankly.

I like Timo. I think he’s a swell dude and a good teammate, but Tottenham need players that Ange Postecoglou can regularly rely upon, and this season Timo has proven that he’s not that guy. Timo’s Leipzig contract expires next summer (2026) and there are reports that clubs in MLS could be interested in bringing him in, but that depends on whether he wants to stay in Europe or seek a new challenge.

Not signing Timo means more opportunities for Wilson Odobert, and also potentially opens a slot for someone like Yang Min-hyeok, Jamie Donley, Alfie Devine, or someone completely new and different. After this season, “new and different” sounds pretty okay to me.