Joe Hart rages at Tottenham star Lucas Bergvall for being lazy vs AZ Alkmaar

Following what was a long week coming into the second leg with a one-goal trail, the North Londoners managed to turn it around as Tottenham Hotspur progressed through the Europa League last sixteen on a 3-2 aggregate win. And this serves as a sense of hope for an underwhelming season at N17.

The North Londoners will advance to the quarterfinals of UEFA’s second-tier campaign, and they will be facing German giants Eintracht Frankfurt in the next round of the competition.

Joe Hart lashes into Bergvall

But while there are a lot of positives to take from the game, it was one moment of weakness that allowed the Dutch side to get an upper hand on the fixture, and it was once again down to the 19-year-old Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall, whose own goal in the first leg was the decisive moment of the pressure that Ange Postecoglou had coming into the second leg. And the former Djurgården midfielder’s error in the second leg again could have cost the North Londoners heavily given how his mistake allowed AZ to claw back into the tie.

When the Lilywhites were leading 2-1 on aggregate and had a dominant possession, the Stockholm-born midfielder made a casual pass near his own box, which ended up rebounding off teammate Wilson Odobert and gifting Peer Koopmeiners a simple finish to make it 2-2 on aggregate, and suddenly the tie was on again.

And former Manchester City goalkeeper turned pundit, Joe Hart, was highly critical of the teenager, and he called out Bergvall for his poor performance in the game and in the tie.

Speaking while he was analysing the aftermath of the game for TNT Sports (via. Football Insider), Hart said:

“There’s always been that threat in the game for Tottenham, no matter how well they’re playing, they look like they’re just gonna shoot themselves in the foot. That ball was dealt with! Archie Gray got back, did what he needed to do, held up Troy Parrott. Gray just slightly caught out, but he gets back in, gets goal side, gives Troy Parrott no options.

“Ahhh, it’s calamitous really. Really, really, really slack. Bergvall, been enjoying his performance all night, just got lazy.”

Who is this down to though…

To be honest, Bergvall is more of an offensive player that has been played into a balanced role, something that Ange Postecoglou has been doing with James Maddison as well, which has proven critical in the former Foxes midfielder’s output. And possibly the Australian head coach has to reevaluate the Swedish midfielder’s role, given how he possesses technical flair, but there have been defensive lapses every now and then.

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou the reason behind Maddison’s underwhelming season at Tottenham?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham gets boost in 25GA winger pursuit, but there are clubs who need him more

We will see how this goes, but this can be pinpointed to the tactician on the sidelines as much as to the player in this case. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.