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Ange Postecoglou still unsure of Tottenham future after parade

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Ange still in dark over Spurs future after parade - ESPN
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Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou said he had not had any discussions with the club regarding his future despite ending a long trophy drought by winning the Europa League title and qualifying for the Champions League.

Spurs ended a painful 17-year trophy drought on Wednesday when they beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the Europa League title and qualified for the Champions League despite sitting 17th in the Premier League.

The title was vindication for Postecoglou, who had said earlier this season that he always won trophies in his second season with a team.

However, his future at the club remains unclear, even after he promised Spurs fans that "season three is better than season two."

The 59-year-old Australian, who signed a four-year contract when he came on board in June 2023, said he had not spoken to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

"Somebody rightly pointed out, sometimes they kill off the main character so I could be in strife there," Postecoglou told a news conference with a laugh on Saturday.

"I'm not going to put a limit on what we can achieve but I certainly believe that it's exciting, the possibilities of next year knowing I've got a group of players now and staff and a club that knows what it takes to win.

"I haven't had any discussions with the club ... Maybe they were just waiting for clear air to give me some guidance, but I haven't heard anything from the club."

When pushed on whether he would be at the club next season, Postecoglou said he had not given it a lot of thought.

"I assume at some point somebody will tell me something," he added.

"If not, I'm just going to roll up next year and I'll be a bit like [George] Costanza from [television show] Seinfeld, I'll just sit in the desk and get on with my job."

The club held an open-top bus victory parade on Friday when thousands of fans lined the streets outside their stadium to celebrate, but they must quickly shift focus to Sunday's home game against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Despite most of their players looking the worse for wear after exuberant celebrations, Postecoglou chuckled and said they would field a team but underlined the importance of celebrating the title.

"As I've got older, and I used to be a bit different, but I really feel you need to celebrate your achievements properly and that was kind of my message to the boys," Postecoglou said.

"It's really important because once they've achieved it and they've done it in a very difficult way, it's important for the people around them because then they can relax and enjoy it as well.

"And it's important to make the experience as memorable as possible so that when I ask them to climb the mountain again, there's a reason for it.

"Fair to say they took my words literally and certainly enjoyed themselves over the last couple of days and, like all parties, there's always one family member that embarrasses you and you want to keep control of ... We had a couple of those!"

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Tottenham's Ange Postecoglou: Season three better than season two

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Ange tells fans: 'Season 3 is better than season 2' - ESPN
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Ange Postecoglou promised Tottenham Hotspur fans greater success next season after making good on his pledge of always winning a trophy in his second year at a club with a triumph at the Europa League.

Thousands of fans joined an open-bus victory parade on Friday to celebrate Spurs ending a 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United 1-0 in Wednesday's final.

"I told them and they laughed. I told them and they didn't believe. And here we are," Postecoglou told the crowd to roaring applause.

"I'll leave you with this: all the best television series, season three is better than season two."

Postecoglou earlier brushed aside concerns about his future at Spurs as the club have their worst domestic season for nearly half a century, sitting 17th in the Premier League table.

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UEFA sorry after Tottenham's Son Heung

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UEFA sorry after Son made to wait for UEL medal - ESPN
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UEFA has apologised for running out of winners medals during the Europa League final trophy ceremony on Wednesday after more Tottenham Hotspur players than expected lined up to receive their individual prizes.

Spurs captain Son Heung-Min, Cristian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur -- who were the last to line up for individual medals -- were left empty-handed after their team beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the club's fourth European title on Wednesday.

Son lifted the trophy without a medal around his neck.

"To our great displeasure, we did not have enough medals available on stage during the trophy ceremony presentation due to an unexpected discrepancy in the player count, as more team members -- including injured players -- participated in the ceremony than initially anticipated," UEFA said in a statement.

"The missing medals were promptly delivered to the winning team in the dressing room, along with our sincerest apologies for the oversight."

Information from ESPN's Tom Chambers contributed to this report

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Europa League final as it happened: Tottenham vs. Man United

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Spurs beat Man United in Europa League final: as it happened - ESPN
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It finally happened. Tottenham Hotspur's 17-year wait for silverware is over, ending their drought by beating Manchester United to win the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday.

Relive all the action from the San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, with a moment-by-moment account of a famous European night in Spurs' history.

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Tottenham beat Man United in Europa League final, clinch UCL spot

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BILBAO, Spain -- Tottenham Hotspur ended their 17-year wait for a trophy on Wednesday as Brennan Johnson's 42nd-minute goal was enough to beat Manchester United 1-0 and win the Europa League.

Both clubs went into the game under massive pressure after hugely disappointing Premier League campaigns left United in 16th place and Spurs below them in 17th, but Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou kept his promise of always winning something in his second season.

Postecoglou was facing an uphill battle to save his job, but he has now delivered Spurs' first trophy since 2008 and their first European hardware since 1984. They also secured a spot in the Champions League and an estimated £100 million in revenue at the expense of United, who face a season in the wilderness with no European football for the first time since 2014-15.

"I'm still trying to take it all in. I know what it means for this football club," said a jubilant Postecoglou after the match. "Unfortunately, the longer it goes on it's harder to break that cycle sometimes. I could sense nervousness from everyone at the club as they've seen it before and until you take that monkey off you're back, you'll never understand what it feels like.

"We've got a really young group, but I'm hoping them tasting this now, it feeds into itself and they'll feel differently about themselves."

In a scrappy game short on quality here at Estadio de San Mamés, Johnson's bundled effort from Pape Matar Sarr's cross separated the teams and sparked jubilant celebrations for the Tottenham contingent among the 49,224 crowd.

"This season hasn't been good at all, but I swear, not one of us players care about that," Johnson said after the match. "This is what it's all about; this club hasn't won a trophy for 17 years. It means so much. All the fans get battered, we get battered for not winning a trophy. I'm so happy.

"Ever since I came here it's been, 'they're a good team, but can never get it done.' We got it done today."

Spurs opted to leave captain Son Heung-Min on the bench while Ruben Amorim started Mason Mount ahead of Alejandro Garnacho.

On a night of high stakes, both goalkeepers contributed to a nervous start. Noussair Mazraoui was required to make a vital early intervention as André Onana was caught out trying to meet Pedro Porro's right-wing cross.

At the other end, Guglielmo Vicario flapped at Bruno Fernandes' 16th-minute corner and Amad Diallo flashed a shot across goal. Diallo looked the liveliest player on the pitch but both teams were desperately short of quality in the final third.

The opening goal summed up the standard on show. Sarr swung in a cross from the left where Johnson and Shaw went to meet it at the near post. The ball ricocheted off Shaw and past Onana with Johnson getting the final touch.

"I think people misinterpreted [my claim about winning in second year]," Postecoglou added. "It wasn't me boasting, it was me just making a declaration, and I believed it. I just had this thing inside me, more than anything else -- and I know our league form has been terrible, nowhere near good enough and unacceptable -- but us finishing third wasn't going to change this football club.

"What was going to change it, was us winning something."

United saw more of the ball after the break but struggled to create much of note. Leny Yoro tried to meet Fernandes' 58th-minute free kick at the near post, but Vicario saved and Spurs scrambled it clear.

Tottenham were reduced to counter-attacks and Dominic Solanke should have done better when played in by Yves Bissouma, but his poor touch meant the opportunity was lost.

Son came on for Richarlison with 23 minutes remaining but United created their best chance shortly afterwards as Vicario failed to deal with Fernandes' ball into the box and Rasmus Hojlund headed at goal only for Micky Van der Ven to acrobatically clear the ball off the line.

It was Hojlund's final contribution, as moments later Amorim replaced him with Joshua Zirkzee as part of a double change with Garnacho on for Mount.

Fernandes then headed wide from Diallo's cross before Garnacho forced Vicario into a low save to his left as United found some momentum. Spurs retreated still further as United continued to probe and in a frantic finale.

Shaw forced a fine save from Vicario as the game went into stoppage-time, but Tottenham held on for a moment of history.

Tottenham had won all three matches it has played against United this season and are unbeaten in six straight games against the Old Trafford side, with the last five under manager Ange Postecoglou.

United and Tottenham had met in just one previous final -- the 2009 League Cup when Alex Ferguson's Red Devils won 4-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

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Europa League final as it happened: Tottenham vs. Man United

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Europa League final live updates: Tottenham vs. Man United - ESPN
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It finally happened. Tottenham Hotspur's 17-year wait for silverware is over, ending their drought by beating Manchester United to win the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday.

Relive all the action from the San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, with a moment-by-moment account of a famous European night in Spurs' history.

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Man United, Tottenham fans clash ahead of Europa League final

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United, Tottenham fans clash ahead of UEL final - ESPN
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Clashes between fans of Tottenham and Manchester United have been reported ahead of the UEFA Europa League final in Spain on Wednesday.

Confrontations took place in the center of Bilbao and in some nearby cities where many of the supporters were staying to avoid overpriced accommodation in the host city.

More than 50,000 English fans were expected in the Basque Country city of Bilbao, according to local officials.

There were no reports of serious injuries in the confrontations, which happened mostly overnight as fans arrived.

Images reproduced by Spanish media showed the supporters clashing on the streets of Bilbao, with some throwing tables, trash bins, bottles and other objects at each other.

There were also reports of confrontations in San Sebastián and Santander, other Basque Country cities filled with English fans, many without tickets for the final.

UEFA this week warned fans about buying unauthorised tickets that were unlikely to get them into the stadium. The clubs were each allocated 15,000 tickets in the 50,000-capacity venue, with some priced at just €40 ($45).

Prices in the thousands of euros have been demanded on secondary ticketing websites.

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Europa League: Spurs, Man United most chaotic combined XI

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Maguire and Son? LME's Europa League final combined XI for maximum chaos - ESPN
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On Wednesday, Athletic Club's wonderful San Mamés stadium in Bilbao will serve as host for this season's Europa League final, and for the third time, it will be an all-English final as Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester United. Despite the fact that the Premier League can feel a sense of pride about having three representatives in two European finals this season (Chelsea playing Real Betis in the Conference League final), the overall sentiment is that this is a game that comes with an emphatic, overwhelming air of mediocrity.

After losing to Chelsea on Friday, Ruben Amorim's United suffered their 18th league loss of the season, making it their worst campaign since 1973-74, when they suffered 20 defeats and were relegated from the top flight. They are also in an eight-match winless run in the league and find themselves in 16th place. Spurs, meanwhile, are 17th, have lost 25 games in all competitions, an unwanted record for them in a single season, and have one league win since April 6.

Do I need to keep going here? I think you get the picture. These are two terrible teams, playing in a woeful season, devoid of style, aggression or delivery. And what's their reward? A trophy and a glorious chance to book a spot in the Champions League. The neutral will express their anger at the unfairness of seeing either take part in next season's biggest European competition when the likes of Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest might miss out.

But since when has soccer been fair? These are the rules, my friends. We should all accept this very point and remember the everlasting mandate that when it comes to this game of ours, it's not us who write the script, it's soccer itself. And this is the final, whether we like it or not.

But can I offer you an alternative train of thought? What if, because of desperation and a desire to get something out of this dreadful season, United and Spurs actually give us a wonderful circus of entertainment? To quote a great line from HBO's "Game of Thrones:" "Chaos is not a pit, it's a ladder." Chaos doesn't represent destruction. It is an opportunity.

I expect exactly this -- a very chaotic final with goals, flying tackles, multiple bookings and an overall sense of tumultuous football. It will be the Europa League final equivalent of Heath Ledger's Joker in "The Dark Knight." My suggestion? Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Without further ado, here's my most chaotic combined XI of the two teams. This isn't necessarily about my idea of the strongest lineup, but rather the players who are best equipped to give us the most chaotic, possibly worst/best final ever, and I mean that in the worst/best possible way. Lots of fireworks with zero composure.

Let's see what you got, United and Spurs. I'll be preparing my popcorn with excitement.

GK: André Onana

I think Onana is often made the scapegoat for many of United's issues, but there is no doubt he has made some costly errors throughout the season, including in this very competition against Lyon in the quarterfinals. In a final that promises imperfection, I am sure the Cameroon goalkeeper will give us -- for better or worse -- some moments to remember.

CB: Cristian Romero

At his best, the Argentina World Cup winner is an imposing presence at the back thanks to his physicality and intensity, so I have him in my lineup for one reason only: There might be a few scraps in this game, and whenever there is a possibility of that scenario, I need Romero to be part of it.

CB: Harry Maguire

This is a no-brainer, isn't it? Maguire could do any of the following on Wednesday: score a stoppage-time winner from a set piece; go on the right wing, nutmeg Destiny Udogie and put in a dime of an assist; score an own goal; see a red card. All of these are realistic possibilities.

It's simple: if you want drama, light up the Maguire bat signal.

CB: Micky van de Ven

Here's what I think: Spurs' chances of victory -- and in many ways, manager Ange Postecoglou's fate -- begin with Tottenham's center-back partnership. A lot rides on the aforementioned Romero and his Dutch partner, Van de Ven, who is the fastest player in the Premier League, thus making him invaluable for Postecoglou's high line.

Let's expect some marauding runs, causing some major headaches for United.

RWB: Amad Diallo

Diallo has been one of Amorim's most important players this season, and it's a shame his productivity didn't continue due to an ankle injury that kept him out of the side from February until late April, when he returned in record time. His menacing runs and trickery will be a focal point on Wednesday and, after losing in two Europa League finals (2021 with United; 2022 with Rangers, both times as an unused substitute), he'll be extremely ready for Bilbao on Wednesday night.

CM: Pedro Porro

Yes, I know. I know. Porro is not a central midfielder, but he is the most forward-thinking distributor for Tottenham. Due to injuries to Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, Postecoglou has issues in the midfield, so why not place the Spain full-back in the middle of the park? At the very least, it could make great entertainment -- for better or worse.

ACM: Bruno Fernandes

Without their captain, United could have been in even worse danger this season. He's their most vital player in every sense of the word and, even though he hasn't done anything this season against Spurs (who have won all three games this season against the Red Devils), this is a European final, so the stakes and narrative are different. However, we also know about his temper, especially when things are not going his way, so this isn't even a discussion.

In this chaotic situation with a chance to see much drama, I need Fernandes in this XI.

CM: Manuel Ugarte

It's quite simple, really. The Uruguay holding midfielder is the football equivalent of the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. An enforcer with a sense that, sometimes, his erratic physicality can get him into trouble. He ran the show in the first leg against Athletic Club but was not great in the second and came off in the 62nd minute.

Which version will we see on Wednesday? I need to have him in the lineup to find out.

LWB: Patrick Dorgu

Dorgu is a talented defender, but he has yet to acclimate to the Premier League and most notably to Amorim's system, which is very demanding for wing-backs. There will be lots of offensive opportunities, but against the counter? That's when you could see a lot of scrambling from the Denmark international.

FW: Son Heung-min

"I feel good and ready to go," the South Korean captain said after playing 74 minutes in Tottenham's 2-0 loss against Aston Villa on Friday. This is good news for Tottenham, but Postecoglou now has to figure out what's best for his team, because there is still a sense of rustiness from Son after being sidelined for a month. We obviously know how good and impactful Son can be for Spurs, but can United take advantage of his recent return to action? I expect the Red Devils to fully focus on him whenever he is on the pitch.

CF: Rasmus Højlund

After a disastrous campaign (four goals in 31 league matches), the Denmark striker has been unable to do pretty much anything up front. Just like Onana, I think he is also somewhat of a scapegoat for the club's poor season, because distribution for him has been almost nonexistent.

Do I expect frustration on Wednesday? An all-out mission to do everything he can to score a goal and become a hero for United? Or once again, just like in Friday's loss against Chelsea, no more than a shot on target and another disappointing evening for the 22-year-old?

All of the above are extremely possible.

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Spurs' Postecoglou backs himself for final: 'I'm not a clown'

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Spurs boss Postecoglou: 'I'm not a clown' - ESPN
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Ange Postecoglou has hit out at criticism of his management by insisting "I am not a clown" and vowed to "keep winning trophies" wherever he goes as speculation mounts over his future at Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs will aim to end a 17-year wait for a major trophy in Wednesday's Europa League final against Manchester United, an achievement which would go a long way to salvaging an otherwise desperate season in which they have suffered a club-record 21 Premier League defeats and sit in 17th place.

Sources have told ESPN that Postecoglou is facing an uphill battle to save his job and one report suggested Wednesday's game could define the 59-year-old as either a "hero or a clown" depending on the outcome in Bilbao.

"I'll tell you one thing: irrespective of what happens tomorrow, I'm not a clown and I never will be," Postecoglou said in a pre-match news conference. "I'm really disappointed that you would use such terminology about a person who for 26 years without any favours from anyone has worked his way to a position where he's leading out a club in a European major competition [final].

"For you to suggest that somehow us not being successful means that I'm a clown ... [I'm] not really sure how to answer that question."

With speculation rife about his future despite having two years left on his current contract, Postecoglou continued: "Does it matter? Really? It doesn't matter because the reality of it is the opportunity is the same, for me and more importantly for the club.

"I've said before that whatever happens beyond tomorrow is kind of irrelevant when you think about the opportunity that exists right now.

"That opportunity is to provide something special for the football club and for the supporters and for everyone who has worked so hard, not just this year but for the 15, 16 years, however long it has been without a trophy and also the 41 years without a European trophy.

"If I was worried about my tenure at this football club, it's fair to say we wouldn't have been in this position because I would have been distracted long ago."

Sources have told ESPN that the club's hierarchy have grown increasingly concerned about the team's domestic slump despite their progress in Europe and Postecoglou dropped the clearest hint yet he could be sacked.

"I've been in this position before where the big game was the last game I managed," he said. "It's not unusual territory for me. I have always navigated it pretty well because for me nothing is more important than my responsibility for this football club and its fans that tomorrow me, the players, our mind is only on one thing and that is to create something special.

"I qualified for a World Cup and left. Won the treble with Celtic and left. Won at Brisbane and left. It's actually more common than you think.

"My future is assured. I wouldn't be the first person who changes jobs, we all change jobs.

"I've got a beautiful family, a great life, I'll keep winning trophies until I finish, wherever that is, don't worry about my future, my future is not entwined with anything, my future is assured."

However, Postecoglou insisted that ending Tottenham's trophy drought would not be a big enough achievement for him to walk away satisfied from the role.

"No, because I don't think my job is done here," he admitted. "I really feel like we're building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerates that.

"I still think there's a lot of work to be done. The challenges we've had this year are well chronicled, but there's been some reasoning in that and there's also been growth I'd like to see through, but whether that happens or not is not that important right now.

"I think this job is far from finished. There's some growth there to take this club where it needs to be."

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