Three winners and three losers from Tottenham's Champions League draw with Bodo/Glimt - Opinion

Tottenham Hotspur made the long trip to Norway, hoping to secure another three points in the Champions League, but their performance was simply not good enough.

Concerns were raised when Tottenham Hotspur had to face Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-final last season. However, Ange Postecoglou’s team played their best football across the two legs and stormed to a 5-1 win on aggregate.

With this in mind, Spurs were expected to triumph once again against the Champions of Norway. Despite this, it was another frustrating match for Thomas Frank and his players, who required yet another late goal to secure a draw.

There is little to be positive about after Tuesday’s game, but we will try and find something while looking at the three winners and losers of Bodo/Glimt v Tottenham.

Mohammed Kudus has nothing to worry about at Spurs

The only thing Mohammed Kudus can be criticised for so far this season is the fact that he is yet to score a goal. Other than that, the winger has been highly impressive since making the switch from West Ham. 

He was brought on after an hour when Spurs trailed 1-0 and still managed to complete more dribbles than any other player on the pitch.

Kudus’ performance last night was nothing special, but he will be fancying his chances of comfortably remaining as Tottenham’s first-choice right winger. Wilson Odobert had one or two promising moments, but there are clear limitations to his game, while Brennan Johnson did not offer much in the attack.

Micky van de Ven wore the captain’s armband

Micky van de Ven is only 24 years old, but he was given the opportunity to captain his team for the first time.

Better still, the defender scored the goal, which got Tottenham back in the game and helped them rescue a point. Fotmob rated van de Ven as the best player in the Spurs team.

However, it was his foul which caused a Tottenham goal to be disallowed and moments later, he received a yellow card after he took his frustration out on an opposition player. Hopefully, the night will have been a good learning experience for van de Ven.

Joao Palhinha will benefit from Tottenham’s midfield display

None of the Spurs midfielders had a great game against Bodo/Glimt, and that could help cement Joao Palhinha’s position in the first-team.

Some have criticised Frank for playing Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, and if only one could be chosen, it would surely be the Portuguese loanee. Bentancur made plenty of defensive contributions on Tuesday, but he gave away a penalty and offered little in attack.  

Palhinha scored his second goal of the season to secure a point against Wolves and has impressed with his defensive displays. Tottenham travel to Leeds on Saturday, and it seems inevitable that Palhinha will be named in their starting lineup.

Now, let’s take a look at the three losers from Bodo/Glimt 2-2 Tottenham…

Pedro Porro had a defensive disasterclass

Pedro Porro usually helps increase Tottenham’s creativity, and he certainly did more than Johnson last night. He even got the assist for van de Ven’s goal, which saw Spurs begin their comeback.

However, the 26-year-old’s defensive display brought to mind his struggles during the first half of last season. He lost five of his nine ground duels and was dribbled past four times against Bodo/Glimt.

Porro has been one of Tottenham’s best players during the current calendar year, but he was miles off it in Norway.

Richarlison was invisible for Spurs

Some might say it was Richarlison who applied the pressure to cause Jostein Gundersen’s own goal, but this was his only contribution on the night.

Richarlison played the full 90 minutes and yet managed just 10 touches. He missed one big chance and was barely involved in the game.

Now is the time for the Brazilian to show he is good enough to be Tottenham’s primary centre forward option, but he did not make the most of this opportunity. Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani will both be relishing the chance to put Richarlison back on the bench when they return from their injuries.

Guglielmo Vicario should be dropped by Tottenham

Hugo Lloris was not always consistent during his Tottenham days, but on his day he was world class. Guglielmo Vicario has had some standout moments since joining Spurs, but they are far less common than the Frenchman’s were.

Vicario conceded two goals and made two saves and his goals prevented figure was -0.79, highlighting a poor performance.

The Italian does not need to be benched permanently, but any player performing at his current level should be made to feel some pressure. Antonin Kinsky should be given an opportunity to start in a game which holds importance because Vicario is failing to show he is a reliable shot-stopper.

READ MORE – Bodo/Glimt 2-2 Tottenham match report, as late goal saves more Thomas Frank blushes