In the tunnels after losing to arch rivals Arsenal, a frosty Ange Postecoglou is asked whether he now regrets his pre-season comments saying that he usually wins trophies in his second year.
He demands to correct the record. “I always win trophies in my second year”.
Arrogance, self-belief, madness, delusion – all the above describe that comment. But for the mercurial Aussie manager who has built his career on converting the non-converted, he was nailing his flag to the mast.
In doing so, he was gambling on himself to pull off what could now be one of football’s great stories.
Fast-forward six months. Spurs have just been thumped 5-1 by Liverpool, handing the Reds a 20th English league title at Anfield. It’s Tottenham’s 19th loss of the season as they hurtle, out of control, to their worst Premier League result ever.
They’d previously been comprehensively put away by Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final, and two days later were dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa in the fourth round.
Slowly but surely, the calls for Ange’s head have been growing louder and louder.
Despite all the failures of season 24/25, Ange’s flag is still nailed to the mast. Spurs are in the semi-final of the UEFA Europa League – Europe’s prestigious second-tier cup competition.
Winning it would secure Spurs a desperately sought-after first trophy in 17 years and would be the club’s biggest achievement since their last European victory in 1984 (they won in a penalty shoot-out against Anderlecht). Add to this automatic qualification to next season’s lucrative UEFA Champions League and all the spoils that follow.
In a word, their path to this semi has been “bumpy”. Their league form should be unsurprising. It’s been far from the promises of ‘Ange-ball’ and the free-flowing, end to end excitement that fans glimpsed early in his tenure.
Spurs fans who are famous for saying “I’d finish 17th in the league if I was guaranteed a trophy” are now truly being put to the test. As far as football fans go, they’re a hard lot to please.
A loss to Turkish giants Galatasary S.K. and draws to both Rangers and AS Roma meant automatic qualification for the knock-out stages came down to the final group round match-day against IF Elfsborg.
An injury-riddled Spurs, playing their fourth-choice goalkeeper got through thanks to three goals in the last 15 minutes. Thank you, Dane Scarlett (20), Oyindamola Ajayi (19), and Mickey Moore (17).
The awkward European run continued when they travelled to the Netherlands to face AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the Round of 16. A solitary shot on target, and an own goal left them needing a win on their return leg at home. Two goals from French winger Wilson Odobert (20) secured a 3-1 win (3-2 on aggregate) and booked a ticket to the quarter-final.
Up next, Eintracht Frankfurt. The 2022 winners of this competition who have yo-yoed between the Europa League and the Champions League in recent years. Led by German footballing royalty, Mario Götze, the first leg finished 1-1 at home. A gritty 1-0 win on the return leg thanks to a goalkeeping error and converted penalty by Dominic Solanke means Spurs now have one more opponent to beat before booking their ticket to the final in Bilboa.
Ange-ball? Nowhere near it. Is the flag still up there? You bet.
At no stage has Ange hinted he doesn’t believe his own prophecy won’t be fulfilled. After each of his 19 losses in the Premier League he’s done nothing but dig in.
After being constantly written off by very credible pundits like Jamie Carragher and Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle, Ange has only ever thrown punches back. Add multiple testy spats with fans on the side lines at the Tottenham Stadium and the powder keg at Spurs is ready to ignite.
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What happens next? Ange has already said “we’re going to have to do it without the footballing Gods this season”.
Spurs are heavy favourites to see off Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt over the two-leg semi-final.
If Ange drags Spurs to silverware this season, he’ll keep his job. In doing so, he’ll become Tottenham’s greatest modern manager. The non-converted will have to admit that Ange Postecoglou delivered that long desired trophy in his second year at Spurs.
Just like he said he would.