Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham Hotspur are facing “an unbelievable opportunity” with Thursday’s Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, and has pushed back against those trying to “diminish” the significance of the team’s potential achievement.
If Spurs win over two legs they will reach the Europa League final in Bilbao on May 21. It would be just the sixth European final in Tottenham’s history and give them the chance to win their first major trophy since 2008.
With Tottenham also having a disastrous Premier League campaign, 16th in the table, Postecoglou talked about the “parallel worlds” they are currently inhabiting. And he believes that some people are trying to undermine their European achievements.
“I’ve sensed, which is not surprising because I’ve said it before, that this is the way this club is perceived,” Postecoglou said at his press conference on Wednesday. “That people are always trying to diminish it.”
Postecoglou spoke specifically about people trying to downplay what it would mean for Spurs to win the Europa League. He rejected suggestions it would be akin to Manchester United’s FA Cup win last season — which saved manager Erik Ten Hag from the sack for a few months — and he defended the Champions League place that would come from winning this tournament.
“I’ve heard people say, well, it’s the equivalent of Man United winning the FA Cup,” Postecoglou said. “No, it ain’t. I’m sorry, not on any planet is it the equivalent. Others suggesting that maybe we’re not worthy of Champions League. I mean, again, they’re things that are designed there to diminish what’s ahead of us, which is an unbelievable opportunity.
“Like you said, irrespective of how this season’s gone we have generations of fans who want this more than anything else. To share again with the people that they love, a special moment, supporting their football club. So this season could have gone a lot differently and we could be flying in the league, but it wouldn’t make this opportunity any different. The opportunity is the same.”
Postecoglou has impressed the historical significance of this game on the players. He is confident Spurs will be in good physical condition but said that Son Heung-min will not have recovered from a foot injury in time to play.
“What we have before us is a semi-final of a European competition with an opportunity to get to a final, win a trophy, Champions League football,” he said. “I just think for the players and everyone involved at the football club, it’s a brilliant opportunity.”
James Maddison, also speaking at the pre-match press conference, said the Spurs squad was “100 per cent” behind the head coach, whom he described as a “great man”.
“He’s the first person to tell you and I’ll tell you myself we’ve had a poor season in the league,” Maddison said.
“We’ve been very good in Europe but the league season has probably been unacceptable and we can all take a collective responsibility for that, but he’s my manager, he’s my gaffer, and I respect him an awful amount.”
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)