Ange Postecoglou has opened up on how his challenge at Tottenham Hotspur was different to any of the other ones he has undertaken in his managerial career so far, with the Australian admitting that he did not always have the trust of everybody at N17.
Postecoglou has just achieved what many big-name managers before him have failed to do: deliver a trophy to Tottenham Hotspur.
Postecoglou made a heartwarming speech to the Tottenham players and their families after the Europa League win, insisting that they fully deserved this success on the back of the difficulties they have endured this season.
Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham challenge was his toughest
In his post-match press conference following the win on Wednesday, Ange Postecoglou acknowledged that the challenge at Spurs has been the toughest he has had in his two-decade-long coaching career.
The Australian admitted that unlike his previous clubs, where he had a complete buy-in from everyone, many people at Tottenham were hesitant to back his vision full-throttle, given how many times the club had been burned over the last two decades.
When asked if winning the Europa League as Spurs head coach is his biggest achievement, Postecoglou responded (via Football.London): “Look, I feel if I say that it diminishes the other achievements. Not for me but the people I’ve shared them with. But it’s definitely been the toughest thing I’ve ever done without a shadow of a doubt. And I knew that going into it.
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“This club’s had some unbelievable world-class coaches, world-class players and they haven’t had a night like this. And it’s fair to say that it’s been really challenging because wherever else I’ve had success, by this stage I’ve kind of had the faith and trust of everybody.
“And here it’s been different. And I understand. That’s not a criticism. It’s just I think, because of the club, and the way, it’s history, I don’t think they could ever go all-in on one person. For me, that’s always how it’s worked well, when people back my vision.
“But within that, I think when we got to the end of January, the end of the transfer window, and assessed our situation, I just made a decision there and then that this was the trophy we were going to go for. And probably was at odds with what other people at the club believed at the time we should do.
“Again, that’s understandable. But I just really believed we could win this. And everything we’ve done since then, everything we’ve done in terms of games, the teams I’ve selected, has been about making sure that when these games came around, the Europa games, that we’re in the best possible condition to tackle them.
“That’s come at a cost, for sure, in the league. And I’ve got to take the responsibility for that. I just felt like the end-game of winning something was more important, and it was the only way I was going to do it.”
The Spurs players never lost faith in Postecoglou
Under previous managers, we have seen some players throw in the towel when results start trending downward, which has often been the main catalyst for the sacking of some of Postecoglou’s predecessors.
However, even though Tottenham’s results have been historically poor in the Premier League this season, the players never seemed to lose faith in the Australian and his methods.