Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart confessed that the Hoops underestimated Bodo/Glimt under Ange Postecoglou…
Kjetil Knutsen’s side etched their name into the history books as the first Norwegian club to reach a European semi-final, going up against the Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.
Thursday was not Ange Postecoglou’s first encounter with Knutsen
But Thursday night’s first leg in London was not Postecoglou’s first encounter with Knutsen, as he previously suffered a heavy defeat to his team in the Conference League while managing Celtic.
Hart was unable to stop Celtic from falling 3-1 in the first leg in Glasgow’s east end, before the Norwegians sealed the tie with a 2-0 win in the Arctic Circle in 2022.
Since then, Bodo have established themselves as a formidable force in Europe, with former Spurs and England goalkeeper Hart acknowledging that Celtic were taken aback by the Norwegian champions.
When questioned about Bodo/Glimt’s impressive meteoric rise in recent years, Joe Hart shared his thoughts with TNT Sports: “You know what, it’s their organisation,” he said. “Their presence. The manager and the players fully believe in what they are doing.
“They are on a ride, they are on an upwards curve and they are really making progress ever since I played them and experienced what a top team they are on. Not much surprises me in football, especially in my latter years, but that Bodo/Glimt team really surprised me.
‘We feel pretty strong, we drew Bodo/Glimt, a Norwegian team’
“We played them at home, we dropped out of the Europa League – we finished third and at that point you dropped into the Conference League. We feel pretty strong, we drew Bodo/Glimt, a Norwegian team – ‘what are they like, oh they are pretty good on a plastic pitch’ – that is all we knew,” Joe Hart said.
“Obviously we do our analysis, very professional in the modern day – and I don’t feel confident saying it – but we professionally took them lightly, and we disrespected them. We weren’t quite ready for the game, and they came with this game plan and this energy.
“We were playing under Ange at the time and playing flowing football – we weren’t being crushed at the time. We were very confident – and we went over to Bodo and we were out of the tie. I have kept my eye on them ever since.”
After defeating Celtic three years ago, Bodo have continued their European run by eliminating major clubs such as AS Roma and Besiktas. This season, they beat FC Porto in the group stage and came close to defeating Manchester United.
In their most recent match in Europe’s second-tier club competition, Bodo eliminated Lazio over two legs. Postecoglou’s men will travel to Norway next Thursday with a 3-1 advantage hoping to reach this month’s final in Bilbao against either Athletic Club or most likely, Manchester United.
Conor Spence
“Everything”
Joe Hart on what it’d mean to Ange Postecoglou and the Tottenham fans if they win the Europa League 🏆
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