UEFA Europa League Performance Insights: How Spurs' game plan against Bodø/Glimt saw them through to the final

In the first article on this UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg, we highlighted the defensive aspects of Tottenham's performance; here, with UEFA Technical Observer Jan Peder Jalland, we focus on Spurs in possession as they travelled to Norway with a 3-1 lead to play a Bodø/Glimt team usually very strong at home.

Spurs' dilemma: Stick or twist?

"The dilemma for Spurs in the second leg was: 'Do you go at the opponent or do you try to control the game?'" explains Jan Peder Jalland. "Every manager would have their idea of what to do amid the different contexts. For Spurs, it has been a challenging season in the Premier League, but their form has been much better in the Europa League. The key was to get their team to be on board with the idea of being compact, competitive and well-organised in Bodø/Glimt. They had done this very well in the previous round away at Eintracht Frankfurt."

Jan Peder Jalland outlines the different options available in such situations: "If you stay deep and 'try to survive', the game can become challenging. Instead, Spurs did very well using three tactics: being more direct, using time well on set pieces and pressing Bodø/Glimt. Tactically it was a very good plan and the players executed it perfectly. Spurs found the balance in both being more cynical and taking the initiative through pressing, but when they pressed, they needed their two central defenders to handle their duels in big spaces. Without this, the game could have looked different."

Spurs' use of throw-ins

As the graphic shows, Spurs use of throw-ins was part of their tactics. In the second leg against the Norwegian side, 71% of their throw-ins were forward – higher than in the first leg and far higher than in any of their previous Europa League games.

"With their throw-ins, Spurs aim to get the ball into the Bodø/Glimt half, to attract duels, to gain territory and move the team up the pitch and gradually create set pieces in more dangerous areas," says Jalland. "There was a difference in the physicality between the two teams, and Spurs saw set pieces as an opportunity for them to score. Had Spurs thrown the ball backwards, they would have invited pressure from Bodø/Glimt. They also used time to slow down the tempo of the game. These were tactics which worked."

Spurs go long from the goalkeeper

"We can see an example of Spurs' direct play in the video below," says Jalland, highlighting how 74% of the second-leg kicks from Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario went over 30m, higher than in the first leg and far higher than in previous games.

"The main purpose of going long was to put the ball into Bodø/Glimt's half and then use their physical superiority to win duels and create situations in and around the box, both in play and from set pieces. The issue with long balls is that if you lose the duel and don't pick up the second ball, then the opposition would have the ball and could control the game. The risk is that you give up possession and you end up defending deeper without having the ball – and being in survival mode. This wasn't the case for Tottenham, who got the ball where they wanted.

"Spurs' main principle, both attacking and defending, was being a compact team. The outfield players normally passed over short distances and were a very compact unit. It meant if a player lost the ball or was beaten in a one-vs-one, the next player was close, so that it became a real team effort."

Spurs' second goal

Spurs went ahead through Dominic Solanke after 63 minutes. Bodø/Glimt pushed for an equaliser but were hit by a finely-executed counterattack six minutes later, with Pedro Porro scoring the second.

"The video of Porro's goal shows the teamwork and hard work of Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, and Rodrigo Bentancur. Bentancur follows Ulrik Saltnes, something he did throughout the game. Cristian Romero steps up and takes out a Bodø/Glimt attacker. This counter is controlled, the Spurs players push fast up and they have good positioning to receive the ball. Even in their counterattack, Spurs remain compact in all phases of the game. The cross is lucky and goes in, but even if it had not, Spurs had four players waiting. But the whole move starts with good defending."

Jan Peder's coaching tips: Preparing a game plan

"There are many variables. You look at your own team, its strengths and weaknesses. If it's a two-legged tie like Spurs vs Bodø/Glimt, draw from the result and what the first game looked like.

"But there will be new factors for the second game: a new stadium and its environment, a new pitch. Both these variables were very different in Bodø compared to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"You must also look at your opponent, and their strengths and weaknesses: how they are at home compared to away. This is an important factor with a team like Bodø/Glimt, as is the weather. In Bodø, there was snow around the pitch in the previous round versus Lazio.

"But you should know your players better than anyone, know the feeling around them, the confidence and where they are mentally and physically. So you put everything together and make your plans: A, B and C. Some teams have a very strong identity and normally stick to a Plan A, but others are more tactically flexible and can adjust to the circumstances, as Tottenham did in Bodø."