Ange Postecoglou leaves Peter Crouch and Glenn Hoddle in stitches with Tottenham vs Qarabag joke
Despite Tottenham's Europa League opening group phase clash against Qarabag being delayed, manager Ange Postecoglou remained in good spirits before kick-off. With bad weather causing travel disruption for teams and supporters alike, the pre-game coverage took on an improvised manner.
At 7.30pm, just half-an-hour before the match was due to start, Spurs' opponents had not arrived at the ground. Around 45 minutes before the scheduled start time, a delay announcement was issued.
However, TNT Sports remained live from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with former England stars such as Joe Cole and Glenn Hoddle left to keep viewers interested. Speaking to Postecoglou prior, they themselves were left enjoying the output from the charismatic Australian.
"You guys have got to work hard tonight," Postecoglou jokingly acknowledged. "You got some songs, got some tunes?" It left the punditry duo laughing on air as they filled time before things got underway.
Presenter Lynsey Hipgrave was also impressed as the quartet enjoyed themselves, under strange circumstances. Fortunately, Qarabag arrived shortly after as preparations for the match got underway.
Tottenham's own contingent were at the ground long before then, with TNT claiming captain Son Heung-min had been inspecting the pitch at 6pm, two hours before kick-off. It comes in the first of eight matches to played at this stage of the tournament.
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Spurs will also welcome Roma, Elfsborg, and AZ Alkmaar to north London as part of the revamped UEFA format. They don't face the same teams home and away - either - with trips to Ferencvaros, Galatasaray, Hoffenheim and Rangers to come for Postecoglou and his players.
Qarabag entered this match at the top of the Azerbaijan Premier League with five wins from their first six games. Tottenham themselves got back to winning ways at the weekend, beating Brentford after consecutive losses had put Postecoglou under if only a little bit of pressure.