5 hours Ago
Yves Bissouma wrapped Wilson Odobert in a headlock and Pape Matar Sarr started slapping his head. They were not practicing their wrestling moves on the 20-year-old winger but showing affection and admiration towards him after he produced a stunning performance in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday evening which booked their place in the Europa League quarter-finals. Bissouma and Sarr then pushed Odobert into the goal in front of the South Stand to ensure he soaked up the supporters’ adulation.
Advertisement When the full-time whistle blew a few moments earlier, the television cameras had to weave in between members of Tottenham’s backroom staff to catch a glimpse of the shy hero who had initially remained seated while everybody else jumped to their feet in celebration. Ange Postecoglou hugged all of the players, including Odobert, as they headed down the tunnel. Postecoglou had reacted angrily when asked before this fixture whether it was “win or bust” but there was no denying the sense of relief around the stadium that his team had avoided an embarrassing exit, and Odobert was central to their success.
This was only his 11th appearance since joining Spurs from Burnley last August in a deal worth up to £30million. The France Under-21 international started brightly in north London but suffered a hamstring injury which required surgery and left him sidelined for four months. It has been a challenging campaign but he chose the perfect moment to score his first two goals for the club.
In the first half, Son Heung-Min chased down Wouter Goes after a sloppy back pass from Peer Koopmeiners and deflected the ball into Dominic Solanke’s path. Solanke squared the ball for Odobert who stroked a left-footed shot high into the net. After the break, James Maddison gave Spurs the lead on aggregate and when Koopmeiners equalised, to briefly raise the prospect of extra-time, Odobert found the back of the net again.
Odobert’s ability to drive past defenders is a valuable weapon and he demonstrated that on multiple occasions against AZ. In the 14th minute, he wriggled through a compact midfield and skipped over a few outstretched legs before popping the ball off to Son. There was a clever dummy in the second half, and then another mazy dribble in the build-up to Maddison’s strike.
Odobert’s confidence to run at defenders contrasts with Brennan Johnson who replaced him with around 15 minutes remaining and looked hesitant. Advertisement “People are getting a glimpse of what Wilson’s all about,” Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference. “It’s a shame what’s happened to him this year and he’s still working his way to fitness.
“I was excited when we signed him. He’s one of these players who has the ability to take players on, find space, great technician and super pleased for him to get his goals. He’s worked hard silently to get back in the team.
” Odobert will deservedly grab all of the headlines but maybe as importantly this was the first time that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero had started together since December, and that game ended in disaster. They were both returning from injury and suffered setbacks in a sometimes farcical 4-3 defeat to Chelsea. There were question marks over their sharpness ahead of this fixture too.
Romero looked sloppy in possession during last Sunday’s draw with Bournemouth, his first appearance in three months, while Van de Ven only completed 30 minutes of that game, which marked his return from five weeks out. Romero was once again guilty of being erratic on the ball at times against AZ, but his ability to play line-breaking passes offers Spurs a way of quickly progressing up the pitch. The Argentina international relished man-marking his former team-mate Troy Parrott and they clashed on multiple occasions.
In the 17th minute when Djed Spence challenged Parrott, who quickly dropped to the floor and stayed there, Romero screamed in his face. When the 26-year-old can control his emotions, he plays with an edge and aggression which opposition strikers struggle to deal with. On the rare occasions when Parrott was not being bounced around by Romero, he was running into space only to be overtaken by Van de Ven.
Having them both fit is a huge boost. Van de Ven produced a colossal performance. The Netherlands international appeared to be trapped in his own half by Ernest Poku at one stage only to turn away from AZ’s winger and then charge forward with the ball.
When Poku raced through on goal in the 57th minute, not long after Maddison had scored, Van de Ven caught up with him and applied enough pressure to put him off without conceding a penalty. Advertisement It was not a huge surprise that AZ scored less than two minutes after Archie Gray replaced him, with Postecoglou admitting that it “disrupted” the team. Gray did well to follow Parrott’s run into the right-hand channel and slow him down but Van de Ven’s incredible speed would probably have completely eliminated that situation in the first place.
The 23-year-old said after the game that he has fully recovered from the hamstring injury which has ruined his season after experiencing a false dawn on his previous return in January. “Yeah it was just some problems and I didn’t really feel comfortable, that was the thing,” Van de Ven said after the game. “The gaffer and the medical team made the decision to manage me from training and match minutes to make sure I was 100 per cent fit before I came back.
I was 100 per cent for sure but after the Elfsborg game I didn’t really feel comfortable by myself but I wanted to keep pushing. They took the responsibility to take me back and make 100 per cent sure that I was good. “I’m really excited and happy to be back.
I came through the 60 minutes feeling well and good, so hopefully I can build from this.” On an evening when Tottenham’s chances of winning silverware, and potentially Postecoglou’s job, were on the line they managed to produce the perfect outcome. Spurs’ talented winger scored for the first time, their first-choice centre-back partnership were reunited, and club-record signing Dominic Solanke provided two assists — his first direct goal involvements since returning from a knee injury.
Spurs now have three weeks to prepare for the first leg of their quarter-final against German side Eintracht Frankfurt. If they can keep building the fitness of Romero and Van de Ven, and perhaps even have Kevin Danso and Dejan Kulusevski back from injury, then Postecoglou will be able to pick from the strongest squad he has had available all season. After a difficult few months, there is a renewed feeling of optimism.
(Top photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images).
