UEFA Europa League Tactical Analysis: How Romero, Bentancur and Solanke shone for Spurs
Friday, May 9, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observer Jan Peder Jalland analyses Tottenham's 2-0 second-leg win at Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.
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Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 win away to Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg featured an opening goal after 63 minutes from Dominic Solanke and, six minutes later, a second from Pedro Porro. While Spurs' 5-1 aggregate performance was convincing from an attacking perspective, we highlight their defensive display with UEFA Technical Observer Jan Peder Jalland.
Spurs, who will play Manchester United in the final, ended Bodø/Glimt's incredible run of 22 European games this season. As we have seen in previous articles on Bodø/Glimt, they did much right tactically and reaching the semi-final was a significant achievement as they became the first-ever Norwegian side to do so. But it is Tottenham who are going to Bilbao, and here are some of the reasons why.
Romero securing from the back
"Cristian Romero led his team from the back, he won duels, he was comfortable when facing 1v1 situations and he made an assist," Peder Jalland points out.
"Micky van de Ven, Spurs' left-central defender, would follow the winger which meant Romero was exposed in a 1v1 with big spaces around him against a striker several times," continues Peder Jalland. "Romero handled these well, controlling both the striker and the space behind.
"Romero's positioning was almost always correct. The central defenders stayed central, allowing their midfielders to track Bodø/Glimt's '8' position and defending their own box well. Romero would shift out and defend the side of the box deeper, which he did well, as we see in the video. When Bodø/Glimt managed to get in between the Spurs lines, Romero read the movement of the pass by going into the pocket, stepping up and winning the subsequent 1v1. Romero was always calm and composed on the ball for a team who were more direct."
Romero's influence grew in the second half as Bodø/Glimt tried – but failed – to bypass Spurs to score.
Bentancur protecting wide areas
"Rodrigo Bentancur was another Tottenham player who put in an excellent performance, covering wide areas, restricting Bodø/Glimt's movement in an area where they normally create a lot at home," explains Peder Jalland. "Bentancur adjusted himself around Bodø/Glimt's '8' position, moving forward to act as a striker. As we see in the video, his runs in front of the Bodø/Glimt players were intelligent and helped shut the opposition down. He stood out in so many situations during the game and his work helped Richarlison to move up and press, since he pressed inside."
And he did all of this in the Arctic Circle, where Bodø/Glimt are notoriously strong.
"It's a difficult place to come to," said Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou. "They've got a pretty good home record – winning, scoring goals – and the lads handled it well. We kept them to a minimum of any kind of threat and worked hard to keep them away from goal. We had the quality to score at the other end, so, over two legs, I'm really proud."
Solanke leading from the front
Once again, Bodø/Glimt had the most possession (64%), but they faced Solanke leading the line and scoring the first goal, forcing in from close range after Romero had won a header from a Mathys Tel corner.
"Dominic Solanke gave a match-deciding performance," enthused Peder Jalland. "He worked exceptionally hard and had a clear plan to distribute the ball. Solanke outpowered Bodø/Glimt with his physicality and won 1v1 duels all over the pitch. Solanke initiated the press, intercepted, and handled 50/50 situations well, fighting for his team and of course scoring that crucial first goal in the game to kill the tie."
"We knew it was going to be very difficult and Bodø/Glimt started well," said Solanke. "We knew we had to be disciplined. Our fans are phenomenal – the game at home was the same. Hopefully, the fans can make it to Bilbao and we'll have another special day."
"It’s massive," added Postecoglou. "Especially when you frame it against what this club has been through over the last 15 or 20 years and what the supporters have been through."
Peder Jalland's coaching tips on practising 1v1s
"This is useful for both defenders and attackers. Start with one winger versus one full-back, moving to progressive practice with bigger units.
"The drill should have two goals: to improve defending and counter-pressing. You could play a back four and two defensive No6s against a midfield three and a front three. And maybe add another player into the practice, so it's six versus seven or vice versa.
"If you want to use more players in the drill, add in full-backs so it could be eight versus six. These could be final-third situations where you have to defend in and around the box.
"Start the drills with a cross which has to be defended. You can also vary how you start: A longer ball coming from different positions. Start with an individual action and play off it as a collective."
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