Aston Villa will have to play Tottenham Hotspur two days before they were scheduled to, after Spurs' request to the Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou delivered a frank assessment of how he has seen the way his club have been portrayed in the wake of Spurs qualifying for the Europa League final.
They overcame Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt comfortably over two legs and now face Manchester United, who defeated Athletic Bilbao, in the showpiece which takes place in Bilbao the week after next.
Spurs, who have endured a miserable Premier League campaign having lost 19 of their 35 matches, hit the headlines this week having won in their bid to have their game against Aston Villa brought forward by two days.
Villa's final home game of the season, after which they'll bid farewell to their fanbase for the summer, was due to take place on Sunday, May 18, but they'll now welcome Spurs on Friday, May 16 - after the Premier League approved Tottenham's request to have the game rescheduled with the likelihood of their participating in the Europa Final days later.
That was a decision which infuriated many associated with Villa, who had no such luck with the league when they asked for help in the midst of a congested schedule earlier this year, and they've been left wondering why they've had to accommodate Spurs' request, which has ultimately been justified by their progress into the final.
Postecoglou, who has received his fair share of criticism this season due to Spurs' underwhelming form, hit back at those who have doubted his players, who are now potentially 90 minutes away from the club's first trophy in 15 years, and first European trophy in over 40 years.
"It's going to upset a lot of people, isn't it?" he said. "The debate's now raging. The latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they're just going to take a team photo because we're not worthy. I mean, who cares if we're struggling in the league? It's a separate thing.
"It's got nothing to do with league form. I couldn't care less who's struggling and who's not. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there. If it's so easy to get to a final, then why doesn't everyone who finishes in the top three do it?
"I've said all along that this is important. What's happening now is people are fearing that - that it actually might happen, and let's see how we can tear it down somehow and diminish it somehow by saying it's been a poor season and we don't deserve this or we don't deserve that, or somehow comparing us to Man United.
"Maybe if we had Man United's success then maybe I'd have a different view. So, of course it's massive. Of course it is, because you have to frame it against what this club has been through over the last 15 or 20 years and what the supporters have been through."
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