Tottenham must consider Ange Postecoglou’s biggest atribute before sacking him this summer.
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Tottenham must consider a key factor before deciding whether or not to sack Ange Postecoglou, and it’s a consideration they must make whether they win the Europa League or not. Spurs booked their place at the Bilbao final - where they will meet Manchester United on May 21 - on Thursday night by beating Bodo/Glimt 2-0 in their semi-final second leg.
The North London club were already halfway there, 3-1 up leading into the second leg, but playing on an artificial pitch in Northern Norway, they were still obliged to put on a professional display to finish the job. They did just that, and it was a sight to behold as the Spurs players engaged with their hardy travelling support.
Tottenham are now potentially just 90 minutes away from winning their first trophy in 17 years and securing Champions League qualification in the process. A Europa League title would provide a welcome distraction from what has been a disastrous Premier League campaign, one that looks likely to go down in the history books as the club’s lowest-ever Premier League points total.
Injuries have played a big part. Tottenham’s season was derailed by a seemingly never-ending run of injuries in the first half of the season, and even a little beyond that. Did Postecoglou’s training methods play a role in that? The players say no, while others will argue to the contrary.
The bigger question is whether Postecoglou should have found better answers to the crisis, unwilling the change his failing style of play even with the limited personnel he had at his disposal. The depth of Tottenham’s injury issues meant it would have been a near-impossible job to get this team to the European spots, but Postecoglou’s stubbornness may well have worsened the situation.
The Australian has struggled to turn things around in the league even after many of his players returned from injury, and he hasn’t maintained the best of relationships with the fans throughout what has been a truly forgettable league campaign for the club.
Postecoglou’s biggest attribute must be considered
Case closed? For some it may be, but there is a monumental factor that can’t be overlooked in all this, and while it’s connected to Tottenham’s Europa League run, it doesn’t involve winning the trophy. Some believe Postecoglou’s future should be tied to the team’s ability to take first prize in Bilbao, but Spurs would be smart to dig deeper.
You look at the players in these Europa League games and you see players still playing for their manager. In spite of all that has gone on this season, the players have continued to defend their boss and turn up in the competition they know could be his saving grace.
Even at the height of the chaos, back in January, Dejan Kulusevski said: "We had games when we showed perfect football. Football that not many teams can play in the world. We played beautiful games against (Manchester) United, against (Manchester) City, four-nil, so I think he is the right man," the 24-year-old winger said.
"We play for him. We want to win for him and, to be honest, we have similar ideas. I am very positive as a guy and I always want to play that football he wants. I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. Yes, I think he's the right man."
Postecoglou has been reciprocal in his praise for his players, handing them all the credit after Thursday night’s big win. He told TNT Spors: "I couldn't be prouder of the lads, we knew it was a difficult place to come. We were well aware of their record and the pitch but we've grown in majority through this competition. They understood exactly what was required and that's why we won the game.
"We knew they'd have to come out more in the second half and that's where we hit them. We're used to adversity, we've used nearly every member of the squad, but it helps that we've got some players back and we've handled every knockout tie."
Now, players rarely call out their manager, but such passionate defences of them at times of crisis are not common. Just look at how top managers like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte have lost their dressing rooms, even on much more successful runs, and how quickly those situations have deteriorated.
Little more could have gone wrong for Postecoglou and Tottenham this season, but the Australian, even with some of his pointed comments in the press, has kept his players fighting for him. That is a unique ability that is not shared by some of the best managers in world football. It’s a quality that could end Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought, and it could be a sign that Spurs have the right man after all, at least in the long term.
Stick or twist? That’s a question the Tottenham board will have to answer this summer, but it should not depend on Europa League success. The Spurs board will have to dig deeper to make sure they are not discarding a diamond in the rough, and that involves considering all of Postecoglou’s attributes and flaws, some of which should carry a greater weight than others.