Jose Mourinho claims Tottenham have made costly error in the Europa League despite 1st leg win over Bodo/Glimt
Jose Mourinho claims Tottenham have made costly error in the Europa League despite 1st leg win over Bodo/Glimt
Tottenham conceded a late goal against Bodo/Glimt in their Europa League semi-final with the return leg taking place in Norway – a venue that has seen some shocks including Jose Mourinho’s heaviest ever loss.
Bodo/Glimt have kept alive their Europa League hopes ahead of hosting Tottenham in next week’s second-leg of their semi-final. The Norwegian outfit have proved a daunting test on their own patch – something Jose Mourinho knows all too well.
The Special One is among a number of managers who have tried and failed to deliver a trophy to Tottenham. Ange Postecoglou is hoping to end their drought and has Tottenham 3-1 in front ahead of their trip to the Article Circle.
Bodo/Glimt are certainly European minnows and will welcome the Premier League outfit to the Aspmyra Stadion, which holds just over 8,000. The extreme temperatures in northern Norway mean the club play on an artificial pitch, which brings unique challenges for those not accustomed to it.
The Norwegian outfit have shown they can pack quite the punch at home – becoming the first team in history to stick six on a side led by Mourinho. Back in 2021 his Roma outfit were humiliated, losing 6-1 in a Europa Conference League group match.
The Portuguese coach said after his humbling experience: “On an artificial pitch, in weather conditions like these, I decided to rotate a lot of players. Then, we lost to a side that was better than us. It’s simple.”
On that occasion Bodo/Glimt had the likes of Patrick Berg, their current skipper, playing and scoring for them. Roma clearly didn’t learn their lesson as they faced the Norwegian side again in the knockout stages. They lost 2-1 again as Mourinho declared: “Bodo/Glimt are a tough team”.
In recent seasons, as well as Roma, the likes Celtic, Besiktas and Porto have been dispatched. Manchester United were pushed all the way when they hosted the Norwegians earlier in this years tournament, securing a 3-2 victory after initially trailing.
Bodo/Glimt are hoping to now upset the odds when they welcome Tottenham on Norway having already knocked out Twente, Olympiacos and Lazio. Their late goal, courtesy of Ulrik Saltnes, has given them hope next week with the Premier League side wary of the challenge ahead – but their manager remains confident.
He said: “Obviously they scored the goal late, which doesn’t I think reflect our dominance in the game, but if we repeat that performance next week, it’ll be enough for us to get through.
“I get that Bodo away is a difficult fixture, but I think in Europe this year we’ve been really good at managing whatever situation we’re in. I think all those experiences give me the belief we can go there and get the job done.”