Ange Postecoglou on vindication for second season trophy claim after UEFA Europa League triumph with Tottenham – ‘It wasn't me boasting’
Updated 22/05/2025 at 10:28 GMT+1
Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham Hotspur's UEFA Europa League success can be the starting point for a glorious period for the club. Spurs ended a 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United 1-0, thanks to Brennan Johnson's scrappy goal. It lifts some of the pressure on Postecoglou, who insists he has unfinished business in north London, and wants to bring more trophies to the club.
Highlights: Postecoglou delivers as Spurs beat Man Utd to end trophy drought
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Ange Postecoglou insists he is not finished yet as he reflected on Tottenham Hotspur's UEFA Europa League final success against Manchester United.
Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game in Bilbao as the north London outfit secured a 1-0 victory.
It provides their manager with a moment of euphoria after what has been a tough season.
Spurs have struggled domestically, currently sitting in 17th place in the table with a game to play. Staying there would mark their lowest finish in the Premier League era.
But Postecoglou insists the only thing that mattered this year was ending a trophy drought that stretched back to 2008.
"I'm still trying to take it all in," he told TNT Sports. "I know what it means for this football club. Unfortunately, the longer it goes on, it's harder to break that cycle sometimes.
"I could see some nervousness in everybody at the club, because they've been in this situation before and until you take that monkey off your back, you'll never understand what it feels like.
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"We've got a really young group, but I'm hoping them tasting this now, and the success they've had, it feeds into itself. They'll feel differently about themselves.
"And for the supporters - there's probably been supporters here who've been following us for all those 41 years when we haven't won in Europe. Just what it means to them, it's incredible."
Although Tottenham have gone 17 years without a trophy, the same cannot be said for Postecoglou.
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Johnson: Tottenham get battered for not winning trophies but we got it done
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The Australian has previously lifted silverware during stints in Scotland with Celtic, Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos, and as the boss of his national team.
Curiously, he has often tasted success in his second campaign in charge of a club. This Europa League triumph is no different.
Indeed, it was a claim he made earlier this season, and, speaking to TNT Sports, he explained the psychology behind that statement.
"People misinterpreted it," he continued. "It wasn't me boasting. It was me just making a declaration. I believed it. At the time I said it, we were still in the Carabao Cup. I just had this thing inside of me.
"I know our league form's been terrible - nowhere near good enough and unacceptable, but us finishing third wasn't going to change this football club.
"The only thing that was going to change this football club was us winning something.
"When I said that, that was my intent. I'm not afraid to declare it. If I fell short, I was happy to cop it, but I believed it inside me.
"That was my ambition. I wanted to state it. I couldn't expect anyone from the club to say it, because the club has been so close. But I could say that. I was prepared to wear that if it didn't happen.
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Tottenham celebrate with Europa League trophy
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"The beauty is people kept reminding me of it. The reason they kept reminding me of it was because we still had a chance to do it. I was comfortable with it.
"I felt, being at the club for the last couple of years and because of what's happened in its history, people are quick to take shots at the club.
"I felt at times the club hasn't defended itself as strongly as it should. I understand that, because people have been here a long time, and they haven't got anything to lean on to.
"But I'm hoping this does. There's no reason why they can't go into next year believing they can win again, another trophy, and building a team that consistently strives to win things.
"If you see yourself in that way, irrespective of what the noise is from the outside - and that's what the great clubs do. They expect success because they've had it. Hopefully this takes the club forward."
Spurs' success in Europe is a complete contrast to how they have done in the Premier League, where they have lost 21 of their 37 matches.
Indeed, they are without a win in six games in the top flight, with that run including defeats to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
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‘The board has decisions to make’ – Bale and Hoddle weigh up Postecoglou future
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But Postecoglou explained: "I've always felt that knockout football is different from your league football.
"When you're in that situation, it comes down to good organisation, having a clear game plan and then moments and if you can minimise the moments the opposition have by having a really strong foundation.
"Having [Christian] Romero, [Micky] van der Ven, [Destiny] Udogie, [Pedro] Porro, [Guglielmo] Vicario in goal, we haven't that luxury a lot.
"And with [Yves] Bissouma and [Rodrigo] Bentancur, I just felt we would be really hard to break down.
"We could have been a little bit better in transitions. We had our moments. We could have worked that better.
"But I always felt comfortable that if we got ahead, we could negate most of what Manchester United were going to throw at us."
So what next? There have been plenty of calls for Postecoglou to leave his post this season, and even Europa League success might not be enough to satisfy some fans.
But the manager believes there is still a lot more to come from his side - and he hopes to be there to guide them to further glory.
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‘We have written history’ – Vicario sums up what Europa League win means to Spurs
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"I've had such a laser focus on winning this thing," he concluded. "Whatever happens, happens.
"I said yesterday; we're still building this team. It's still a very young team. We need to add some experience to it. We're in the Champions League.
"My thought process and what I've been doing this year is trying to build a team that can be successful for four, five, six years.
"But I'm the manager of the football club. That decision is not in my hands. It doesn't affect me though. If it was going to affect me, you would have seen it in the build up to here.
"All I cared about is this thing (points to medal), having this thing around my neck, because if I did, it meant that this football club has won a trophy.
"I don't feel like I've completed the job here. We're still building. The moment I accepted the role, I had one thing in my head, and that was to win something, more than anything else. We've done that now and I want to build on it.
"I think there's an opportunity here. That's my belief. You build on this. Those players in there, they'll want this again. Until you feel it, you can't describe it to people.
"They've got it now. They're not going to want to let it go but we need to build on that for sure."
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