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Ange Postecoglou’s bid to win a trophy with Tottenham Hotspur before a potential departure remains on course with his side comfortably navigating passage to the Europa League final against Manchester United.
The Premier League teams will meet in Bilbao, Spain on May 22 (5am, AEST), after dominating their opponents in their second leg ties on Friday. It will be the sixth all-English European trophy final in history and Tottenham played in two of those previously, beating Wolves in 1972 and losing the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool.
Postecoglou caused widespread mirth earlier in the season when he told reporters he always won trophies in his second season with clubs. That boast has looked even more outrageous as he led the team to 16th on the table with three matches to go, but now he has a chance to claim Spurs’ first trophy since the League Cup in 2008, against a United team that has also underperformed and is 15th.
On Friday, Spurs travelled to Norway with a 3-1 cushion against Bodo/Glimt, and scored twice in the second half through Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro for a 5-1 aggregate win.
Victory in the final brings with it a place in next year’s Champions League – but whether Postecoglou sticks around that long is matter for conjecture after a miserable league campaign.
“Couldn’t be prouder of the lads,” Postecoglou said. “We knew it was a difficult place to come – their record, the pitch – the lads handled it really well.
“We’re excited, were in a final – we’ve grown in maturity through this competition.
“The lads understand what’s required. Focused, clear minds, we’ve used every player in the squad. We’re used to dealing with adversity. You understand the context of what this club has been trying to achieve for a while.
“Managers and players come and go but one constant is the supporters. It was just great to see the smiles on their faces. We’ve given them some hope, something to dream about. Hopefully we can do something special … we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.”
Former Socceroo Craig Foster, on Stan Sport, hailed the victory as a landmark moment for Australian football – with Postecoglou becoming the first Aussie manager to reach a European final.
“This season has been absolutely horrible, and he’s had to manage through the most intense pressure, not just of his career, but what any manager could go through,” said Foster.
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“It’s been a furnace. This year you’re talking about five solid months of just every day, every weekend, every press conference, and he’s had to push back against that constantly, and that’s not easy to do.
“Any comment, any word it’s seized upon. A lot of the fan base has been calling for his head.
“So the most intense pressure you can have. That is coaching a club the size of Spurs – it’s incredibly difficult to keep them on track, keep them going, keep them tight, keep them together.
“You can see today that they still are, and I think you’ve seen signs of that recently, anyway.
“So this is a big, big morning for Australian coaching. This is absolutely immense, immense.
“Ange has broken a lot of barriers in his career, and he’s broken another one, being a first Australian coach in a major European final. That’s big. Win or otherwise, it doesn’t matter. It has already created a new level.
“So for Australian coaches, all the young coaches watching, and all of the coach educators, Australian football generally, it’s a very, very big moment.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United came from a goal down to beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 on the night and 7-1 on aggregate, Mason Mount capping a dominant display with a long-range worldie.
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Mount scored twice – his first goals at Old Trafford since joining from Chelsea almost two years ago.
“I’m so happy for him,” said coach Ruben Amorim. “He is such a player. He works really hard, he has quality.
“When you see that kind of guy like Mason working hard every day, eating well, having ice baths, when you have this kind of player you just want to help him. He is perfect for this position as he can be a midfielder, but also runs like a winger so I’m really happy for him.”