Ange Postecoglou has praised the Spurs supporters for creating a great atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday and has admitted that it contributed in a big way to the performance that his side delivered against Bodo/Glimt.
Given Tottenham Hotspur’s continued struggles this season in the Premier League, the atmosphere at the club’s home ground has turned toxic at times.
While most of the anger of Spurs fans has been directed at the owners, there have been instances where Postecoglou himself has confronted some Tottenham fans.
However, things were very different on Thursday as the supporters got behind the side for the semifinal, creating an extremely intimidating atmosphere right from kick-off.
Ange Postecoglou credits the atmosphere for Tottenham’s fast start
A huge tifo reading ‘To Dare is To Do’ was displayed across the massive South Stand as the players walked out, with the fans at the top of their voices even before the game had got underway.
The Spurs players responded to the occasion, with Brennan Johnson putting the home side in front with just 38 seconds gone on the clock.
Postecoglou has now insisted that it was the energy and the atmosphere at the stadium that pushed his players to make a fast start.
When asked what he thought of the crowd, the Tottenham boss told Football.London: “I thought our supporters were outstanding tonight, from the moment we walked out and I think they added the energy to the team.
“Even us scoring an early goal came from the fact that as soon as the boys walked out, there was a buzz in the stadium and that’s a credit to our fans.
“We’ve obviously had a tough season, but the European nights this year have still been pretty special and they played their part tonight, a massive role in us performing in the way we needed to.”
Bodo/Glimt players looked shell-shocked
We have seen on many occasions that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium can be a cauldron of noise like no other venue when the supporters decide to get fully behind the team.
Many of the Bodo/Glimt players would have never played in an atmosphere like the one on Thursday and it was clear that they were shell-shocked in the first few minutes.
The fact that they had a huddle after conceding early on suggests that their heads were gone at the start.
The only disappointment from a Tottenham perspective was the fact that they did put the tie to bed as the Norwegian side were there for the taking.