Europa League can make it a special season for Spurs – James Maddison

James Maddison believes Tottenham can still enjoy a special season after they progressed into the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday night.

Spurs and Ange Postecoglou were under pressure after a lacklustre display in a 1-0 defeat away to AZ Alkmaar last week, but responded with aplomb in the second leg of their last-16 tie with a Wilson Odobert brace sandwiching Maddison’s 48th-minute strike enough earn a 3-1 win.

An injury crisis throughout the winter saw Tottenham slip to 13th in the Premier League before they exited both domestic cups in February.

However, with key figures like Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven available again, the Spurs squad retain hope they can go all the way to the final in Bilbao after they set up a last-eight meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Asked if they can win the Europa League, Maddison said: “Of course. It would be naive to say no and I could give you a cliche answer and say we’re focused on the next game, but it has to be there, there has to be that drive.

“The quarter-final is the next stage and we’ll focus on that, but the gaffer always talks about having a special season and this is one way we can have a special season.

“There are lots of good teams in it but listen, we’re a good team so the belief is definitely there.”

Spurs started well against AZ, but it took until the 26th minute for the deadlock to be broken by Odobert, who curled home from Dominic Solanke’s pass for his first goal for the club.

Maddison made it 2-0 at the start of the second half with his 11th goal this season before the pre-planned withdrawal of Van de Ven in the 61st minute disrupted the hosts and Peer Koopmeiners pulled one back to level the tie on aggregate.

But Maddison’s exquisite turn deep inside his half, after patient play out from the back, release Djed Spence to combine with Son Heung-Min and set up Odobert to score at the back post and send Spurs through.

“We’ve worked on that this week,” Maddison told SpursPlay.

“Beautiful overlap from Djed. Credit to the gaffer and the coaches, we work on the overlaps and the winger being in at the back stick.

“How many times have you seen Brennan Johnson score that goal at the back stick and (this time) it was Wilson. It’s something we work on and I think they’ll be pleased with that.”

Postecoglou being able to start Van de Ven and Romero together for the first time since December 8 made an enormous difference to Spurs.

Van de Ven has struggled with hamstring issues since October and after a comeback against Elfsborg in January, the 23-year-old revealed Postecoglou made the call to allow him more time to build up fitness.

“It was not a new injury but it was just little problems that came up,” Van de Ven explained.

“Then we decided all together, with the medical staff, with me and with the gaffer, especially the gaffer, he took me back a little bit to give me some more time, to manage my training intensity and match intensity.

“It is really good to be back and I am feeling really, really good now.”