Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, launched an impassioned defense of his managerial career on Tuesday, emphatically refuting suggestions that his position is precarious ahead of Wednesday’s Europa League final against Manchester United.
Under intense scrutiny following a dismal Premier League season where Spurs sit 17th, a place below their final opponents, Postecoglou bristled at a reporter’s question implying he was “walking a fine line between infamy and history.”
“That depends on your outlook, but I’ll tell you one thing � irrespective of tomorrow, I’m not a clown, I never will be, mate,” he stated directly to the journalist, who had reportedly used the term in a prior article. “It’s really disappointing that you use such terminology about a person who for 26 years, without any favours from anyone, who’s worked his way to being in a position where he’s leading out a club in a European major competition, for you to suggest that somehow us not being successful means that I’m a clown.”
Tottenham face Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United at the San Mam�s stadium with the chance to end a 17-year trophy drought and secure highly coveted Champions League qualification for next season. Many observers have speculated that Postecoglou’s job could be on the line regardless of the outcome.
The former Australia and Celtic boss, who has a history of winning trophies in his second season at clubs, highlighted the immense effort he has put into transforming Spurs, a club that hasn’t tasted European success since 1984.
“I’ve tried as hard as I can to stick to that process in getting the club to a position where they can challenge for trophies and at the same time, rejuvenate the squad and change the playing style,” he explained. “It has been a fair assignment with plenty of challenges along the way.”
Despite the Premier League struggles, Postecoglou emphasized the significance of the upcoming final. “With such a big game tomorrow, there is an opportunity to fulfil at least the main task I was given, which was to bring trophies to the club.”
He dismissed concerns about his personal future, asserting it would not be “helpful” to address it with his players. “My future is assured. I wouldn’t be the first person who changes jobs. We all change jobs. I’m sure you’ve had more than one job. My future is assured. I’ve got a beautiful family, I’ve got a great life. I’ll keep on winning trophies until I finish, wherever that is. Don’t worry about my future, mate.”
However, Postecoglou also indicated a desire to continue his work at Spurs, who finished fifth in the Premier League in his first season (2023/24). “I really feel like we’re building something, and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerates that,” he said. “So I still think there’s a lot of work to be done. That’s quite obvious with the challenges we’ve had this year, but also there’s been some growth that I’d like to see through.”
In terms of team news, Postecoglou confirmed Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski would all miss the final due to injury. However, Pape Matar Sarr is available after being withdrawn in the recent 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa.
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