Ange Postecoglou’s run of winning silverware in his second season at a club goes on. Despite Tottenham’s Europa League final triumph over Manchester United on Wednesday evening, question marks remain over the Australian’s long-term future in N17.
Tottenham may have got their hands on the Europa League trophy but it has been a season to forget in the Premier League with the team currently languishing in 17th position. Postecoglou’s future will no doubt prove to be a big talking point in the weeks ahead and clarity over the situation is needed with chairman Daniel Levy required to make a decision one way or another.
Even though things may not have gone to plan for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, the post-match celebrations at San Mames Stadium on Wednesday evening highlighted the incredibly strong bond Postecoglou has with his playing squad. That was also very clear in his speech after their semi-final win at Bodo/Glimt as many noted that the players would run through a brick wall for him.
Ahead of the final, a number of the squad vowed to win the trophy for the 59-year-old and that’s exactly what transpired. At a time when the Tottenham squad were stood on the podium waiting for Son Heung-min to collect the trophy and proudly hold it aloft in front of those watching on in the Basque Country, Postecoglou took himself to the side.
It very much looked like a move that would allow the players to enjoy their moment in the spotlight together and celebrate a remarkable achievement as one. However, a number of his first-team squad weren’t having it and they duly ensured that Postecoglou was in the middle of them for the trophy lift.
Pedro Porro noticed the boss over his shoulder and called for him to join the players, with the pair going on to share a long embrace. Guglielmo Vicario was next to signal for Postecoglou to come over, before Micky van de Ven grabbed him and pushed him right into the mix and that resulted in Lucas Bergvall putting his arm around the Australian’s neck as they celebrated their achievement.
After Bissouma had lifted the trophy, the midfielder and Porro made a beeline for Postecoglou so he could have his moment with the grand prize. It said an awful lot about the players’ affection for their head coach and his smile said everything as he got his hands on the trophy he was determined to deliver to the football club.
What comes next with Postecoglou remains to be seen amid all the unanswered questions in regards to his future. One thing that has been evident during this run to winning the Europa League trophy is that the squad are fully behind him, they love his approach and, most importantly, they want to play for him.
Spurs fans, the wait is over. After 17 years, Tottenham have their hands on silverware.
This Daily Mirror special edition tells the story of how Ange Postecoglou and his team battled their way to Europa League victory.
From their first tie against FK Qarabag back in September, to the dramatic night in Bilbao, Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur follows their path to triumph.
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An exit for Postecoglou ahead of the new season after guiding the club to silverware would surely not sit well in the Spurs dressing room considering the bond shared between players and manager. That in turn may work against the new man coming in if that is to be the case.
Speaking after the game, Son made his feelings clear when it comes to Postecoglou and the current speculation.
“He won the trophy. Nobody did it, so …. look, it’s not up to me or the players, but we just have to look at the facts, at the fact that we haven’t won in 17 years, today is the day we finally won it,” he said. “It’s the manager who wins the trophy. So we see what’s going to happen.”
The decision ultimately rests with Levy but Postecoglou has reiterated that he is hungry to take the club forward.
“Very. Because we’ve got a really young group of players. And you can talk to them about success and what it means, but until they feel it, it doesn’t become real,” he explained. “I’ve got no doubt that all those boys tonight, having this feeling will want it again. And to get it again they’re going to have to make similar sacrifices. They’ve climbed the mountain now. They know what it takes to get to where we are. I think that does, it accelerates the opportunities to build a team who can be successful, and play at a high standard for years to come.
“As I said yesterday, I still feel there’s a lot of work to be done, I think that’s quite obvious. But not as much work as people may think. People can bang on about 20 league defeats and where we are, but they’re missing the point of what we’re trying to build, or what I’m trying to do anyway. I really feel that tonight can be a great platform for us to kick on.”
Postecoglou deserves that opportunity to take Tottenham forward and ensure that their Europa League triumph is not a one-off. Spurs players will undoubtedly feel the same way after guiding them to their greatest achievement in decades.
They only went and did it! Click here to listen to a special episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs’ Europa League triumph.
Send your messages of congratulations after Tottenham’s Europa League triumph here.
