Gary Neville hits out at ‘Disrespectful’ Tottenham live on Sky Sports
Tottenham are now preparing for a huge Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
The Lilywhites fell to a 1-0 defeat in the Netherlands on Thursday (6 March) with a Lucas Bergvall own goal proving to be the difference in the first leg of the round of 16 showdown.
This leaves an uphill battle ahead for the North London outfit who need to score a minimum of two goals on 13 March to see themselves through in the Europa League.
Spurs prepared themselves for the game with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Neville calls out Tottenham in Europa League comments
This season has been disastrous for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou has seen his job come under pressure due to his side’s poor form.
Spurs are a mid-table side this term and having been knocked out of both the FA and Carabao Cup, if the boss is to win silverware in his second season, it will have to be the Europa League.
However, defeat against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday has certainly made the task harder for the Lilywhites who have to put on a strong display to bring it back.
Nevertheless, many expect one of the English clubs to lift the Europa League, despite Manchester United also failing to win in the week after a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad.
Neville has hit out at this on Sky Sports News via X, saying: “It’s disrespectful of United and a little bit of Tottenham.
“There’s this feeling that United and Tottenham are going to end up in the final of the Europa League. They’re going to have to start playing an awful lot better than they are.”
Tottenham have plenty of work to do
Although the Europa League is not out of sight for Tottenham, there is plenty of work to be done by the Lilywhites if they are to find their way back into the tie on Thursday.
Not only was it a loss for Postecoglou’s side, but it was not a strong performance from the North London outfit, which makes the next leg a worry.
| Team | Possession | Shots | Shots on target |
| Tottenham | 62% | 7 | 1 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 38% | 12 | 5 |
There have been suggestions throughout the season so far that competing in the Europa League is the only thing that has been keeping Postecoglou in a job, which means there will be increased pressure on his shoulders going into the game.
Neither of the English sides put in a display to be proud of on Thursday, with Chris Sutton taking no time to highlight how underwhelming it was.
As Neville suggests, for now the conversations may need to be focused on getting through the second leg of their tie. Maybe then, Spurs can think about the possibility of making a final.