Speaking to the press today ahead of Tottenham’s Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar tomorrow, Ange Postecoglou discussed the competition itself and how he thinks his team have fared so far.
Spurs have made strong start to Europa League campaign
Tottenham come into the game off a comprehensive win over London rivals West Ham at the weekend, which helped to erase some of the memories of that dismal defeat to Brighton before the international break.
The Lilywhites also have two wins from two in the Europa League so far and will be looking to cement their status as one of the favourites to win the competition by registering a third.
Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, though, will likely present a sterner test than Azerbaijan outfit Qarabag, and Hungarian side Ferencvaros have done so far.
In front of a home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tomorrow, Ange Postecoglou will be expecting another emphatic display from his team.
Europa League is a tough challenge
In his press conference today (via Football.London), Postecoglou was asked about his team’s progress thus far, and how he feels about the Europa League in general, and he picked out one key positive he has found from the first two games.
He said: “We’ve started the competition really well. Whenever you play away in Europe, it’s a different challenge. We’ve exposed our younger players to European football, too, which is a positive.
“We weren’t in Europe last year and I thought we missed it. We’ve started the competition well but there’s still a long way to go. One step at a time for us.”
Next few games are key
If Spurs can beat AZ Alkmaar, that will set them up nicely for three very, very difficult fixtures on the horizon. Getting out of the Galatasaray, Roma, and Rangers games unscathed will be a real test, and will indicate just how far Tottenham could go in this competition.