Tottenham Hotspur’s season took another turn for the worst on Thursday night.
Despite boasting a 2-0 aggregate lead, Spurs were sent tumbling out of the Europa League after losing 3-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb.
Winning that competition represented perhaps Tottenham’s best chance of entering the Champions League next season, but now Jose Mourinho’s side – eighth in the Premier League table – must finish in the top four if they’re going to be among Europe’s elite again in the near future.
It was a defeat that underlined Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s importance for the Lilywhites.
The Denmark international sat out the game due to suspension and the former Southampton star – a £15 million signing last summer – was sorely missed in midfield.
Tottenham resume their domestic campaign with a trip to Aston Villa on Sunday night and here’s a few pictures of Hojbjerg at Hotspur Way on Friday.
If Mourinho’s side lose to Villa they’ll be six points and four places behind fourth-placed Chelsea and given how well the Blues are playing, it’s difficult to see Thomas Tuchel’s men dropping many points.
With that in mind, tomorrow could well be Spurs’ biggest game of the season and they certainly have a better chance with Hojbjerg than without him.
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