Robbie Savage called out live on BBC over disrespectful Tottenham comment
Robbie Savage has been called out for his choice words when speaking about Tottenham’s European journey.
Ange Postecoglou has, against all odds, navigated his team to within one game of ending their 40-year wait for a European trophy.
A Europa League final in Bilbao awaits the North London club, where they will meet fellow Premier League side Manchester United.
The dichotomy of both clubs’ positive results on the continent compared to the painful league campaign they have endured has been stark, even leading to UEFA’s reward structure to be called into question.
Savage downplays Europa League campaign
Tottenham’s performances in Europe have generally been disciplined, clinical and pragmatic; a far cry from the weekend’s lousy showing against Crystal Palace.
Especially in the knockout rounds, they dealt with difficult atmospheres away at AZ Alkmaar and 2022 Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt before facing Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals.
| Team | Home Result | Away Result |
| AZ Alkmaar | 3-1 W | 1-0 L |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 1-1 D | 1-0 W |
| Bodo/Glimt | 3-1 W | 2-0 W |
They overcame the Norwegian side, beating them 3-1 at home before travelling to the Arctic Circle and securing a 2-0 victory.
Savage was nonetheless unimpressed by Tottenham’s progress, suggesting live on BBC’s 606 programme (11 May) that the quality of teams they faced diminished their achievement, exclaiming, “They beat Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final!”
When challenged by his co-host Chris Sutton, who labelled his colleague’s comments as “disrespectful”, the former United midfielder doubled down, sarcastically saying, “Oh c’mon! Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final, wow! Name me two decent teams Spurs have beat on the way to the final…”
Whilst Bodo has a limited pedigree in European competitions, their rise in recent years has been remarkable, and they went into the tie against Spurs having only tasted defeat at the Aspmyra Stadion once in Europe all season.
Spurs must end trophy drought
Tottenham have been guilty of plenty of near misses, only securing one major trophy since Daniel Levy took over the club 24 years ago.
Since their last trophy in 2008, they have fallen short in three finals, most recently in the League Cup defeat to Manchester City in 2021.
Spurs fans have taken to the streets multiple times this season over this bleak record, compounded by their 17th-place league standing, and will hope they can finally get over the line to end this wretched run.