This was a long way from Tottenham’s most cohesive performance of the season but perhaps Ange Postecoglou can file away this narrow win over AZ Alkmaar as one of those nights when the result mattered most. There were chances for AZ at various stages, only for poor finishing to let the Dutch side down, and it is likely that Postecoglou will not have liked some of what he watched from Spurs. Some of the understudies did not do themselves justice, not least Timo Werner, and a draw would not have flattered the visitors.
Even so, Spurs still did enough to maintain their perfect record in the Europa League and it was positive to see Richarlison, with a penalty early in the second half, move them closer towards securing a place in the knockout phase by scoring for the first time since May. There was intrigue in a heavily rotated team featuring James Maddison after his half-time substitution in last Saturday’s thrashing of West Ham. Could this be his role now? The Thursday night footballer who cannot get into the starting 11 on the weekend? If so, there was certainly no sign of any moping from the playmaker here.
Maddison was constantly looking for the ball during the early stages, always aware of the possibilities around him, although it was not easy for him to create when Spurs’ attack featured so many players trying to play themselves into form. Postecoglou’s changes made it difficult for Spurs to build momentum during an uneven first half. There was a buzz at first, the s.
