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Ange Postecoglou has had a touchy relationship with certain sections of the Tottenham fan base at times, but the Australian has now praised the supporters for what they have done through the club’s Europa League run.

This season has been an ugly one for Spurs domestically, and we have seen Postecoglou and Tottenham players get into altercations with fans on occasions.

However, that relationship appears to have been mended, at least temporarily, which was evidenced by the wild celebrations in front of the travelling Tottenham Hotspur contingent in Bodo/Glimt last week.

There is now undoubtedly a togetherness building at Spurs, mainly down to the fact that Postecoglou’s men now have a brilliant opportunity to end their 17-year trophy drought.

Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham supporters have made a real difference in the Europa League

While Tottenham’s Premier League results have continued to go from bad to worse through the season, their fortunes in the Europa League have been entirely different.

Spurs broke a 64-year record with their win over Bodo/Glimt, which was their ninth win in this edition of the Europa League, which is the most that the Lilywhites have ever had in a single European campaign since 1961.

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Postecoglou puts that down to the fact that the fans have got behind the team in a big way and created a fantastic energy in the stadium through the knockout phase of the competition.

The Tottenham manager told Football.London: “I’ve certainly felt the supporters have played a huge role in our European run. The AZ game at home, then Frankfurt home and away and then Bodo home and away, they’ve been brilliant.

“The Bodo game at home, I know people got a bit nervous when we conceded but I thought we were so dominant that night and a big part of that was the way we started the game and that was because of the crowd and the energy inside the stadium from the moment the boys walked out.

“With the energy in the stadium, we scored within a minute, and there is no doubt the crowd have played a huge part in our cup run for sure. I am sure come the final, they will have an important part to play there as well.”

The Tottenham fans will make themselves heard in the final

Given how big an occasion the Europa League final is for Spurs, one would certainly expect the around 15,000 Tottenham fans in attendance at the San Mames to out-sing their Man United counterparts.

Hopefully, the players can respond to the atmosphere and deliver one final big performance to get over the line and achieve European glory.

After a long time, it feels like an exciting time to be a Spurs fan, with all eyes firmly on Bilbao.

Ange Postecoglou has now written his name into Tottenham’s history books, but not in the manner that he would want, with the Australian setting an unwanted record with Spurs’ latest defeat to Crystal Palace.

As expected, Postecoglou significantly rotated his squad, with eight changes made to the starting eleven from the one that took to the field at Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.

It was an opportunity for many players to stake a claim in the team for the Europa League final, but they failed to do that, with the Lilywhites being comprehensively outplayed.

A brace from Eberechi Eze proved the difference between the sides as Tottenham fell to yet another Premier League defeat at home.

Ange Postecoglou enters the record books for an unwanted reason

This was not just another defeat for Spurs, but a significant one since it was their 20th loss of the league campaign.

That is the most Tottenham have ever lost in a single season in the Premier League era, with Ange Postecoglou beating the 19 defeats overseen by Ossie Ardiles in the 1993/94 season.

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With two games left to go, Spurs’ record could get even worse, and unfortunately for Postecoglou, this record he is setting will likely not be beaten for a long time.

Should we read anything at all into Tottenham’s defeat against Palace?

Tottenham’s loss against Palace might not mean much for the Europa League final, given that a severely weakened team was fielded.

The players were always going to find it difficult to get up for a league game with nothing riding on it after coming down off the jubilation of Thursday evening.

While Ange Postecoglou has come under heavy criticism for much of the season, Oliver Glasner believes that the Australian deserves immense credit for what he has been able to achieve this campaign.

Glasner’s men consigned Tottenham to their 20th defeat of the league campaign, which is the most defeats Spurs have ever suffered in a single Premier League season.

It is not the sort of record that Postecoglou would have wanted, but the Australian will have a chance to become the first Spurs boss to win silverware since 2008 when the Lilywhites take on Man United in the Europa League final next week.

Postecoglou has blasted his critics for trying to downplay Tottenham’s achievements in Europe this season, and his Palace counterpart believes that the 59-year-old should get more credit.

Oliver Glasner on Tottenham’s Europa League achievement

Crystal Palace beat a weakened Tottenham side 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, but the Lilywhites have bigger fish to fry as they look forward to their first European final in six years.

Glasner knows what it takes to go all the way in the Europa League, leading his Eintracht Frankfurt side to the trophy two years ago.

The Palace boss pointed out that the North London club have done tremendously well to get to the final, given the number of injuries they had throughout the campaign.

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Glasner told Palace’s official website: “Congratulations to Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham for reaching the Europa League final.

“Tottenham had many injuries, many games to play, and I think they had many storms to overcome. It’s part of our job, but in the end, I really have a huge appreciation for Ange and how he dealt with the situation.”

Tottenham have been linked with a move to sign Oliver Glasner as a replacement for Postecoglou in the summer after such a poor domestic season.

Postecoglou’s legacy is entirely riding on the Europa League

While the injury crisis was clearly an extenuating circumstance for Tottenham this season, one cannot get away from the fact that this is now statistically the worst ever Spurs side in the three-and-a-half decades of the Premier League.

If Tottenham fail to win the Europa League, Postecoglou will unfortunately go down as a flop, despite his fifth-place finish last season.

However, his place in the Spurs history books will be secure if the Lilywhites manage to get their hands on the trophy and overcome their 17-year trophy drought.

It is not often that a manager’s legacy depends on just one game, but that is exactly the situation that Postecoglou now faces.

Eberechi Eze was asked by a Spurs fan just ahead of Sunday’s clash if he would come to Tottenham this summer, and the attacking midfielder’s reaction was very interesting.

The England international’s brace proved the difference between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, taking his tally to 12 goals and 12 assists across all competitions this season.

Those are elite returns from a player who is widely thought of as one of the best in the Premier League, and that is perhaps why Tottenham have identified Eze as their top summer target, according to reports.

However, some sources have suggested that Spurs are not willing to trigger Eze’s £68m release clause. Perhaps the Palace man’s performance yesterday may help to change the Tottenham hierarchy’s mind.

Eberechi Eze smiles when asked about Tottenham move

Ahead of the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the midfielder was signing autographs for young Spurs fans at the venue and was gracious enough to even sign matchday programmes.

One young fan then shouted out to the Palace star: “Can you come to Tottenham?” and Eze then looked at the fan and gave him a very cheeky smile before walking through the tunnel.

Watch the interaction below:

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Can Tottenham persuade Eze to join this summer?

Amid the speculation over the Palace star’s future, Alan Pardew opined last week that Eze would not join Tottenham.

The former Eagles boss feels that the attacking midfielder would want to make a bigger move, suggesting that he is one of the best 10 players across the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou was spotted having a chat with Rodrigo Bentancur and Pedro Porro in the sun during Tottenham’s latest training session, and he has now revealed why he has seemingly changed his ways.

Ange Postecoglou is now well into his second season as boss of Tottenham Hotspur, and while things have not gone exactly to plan in the league, there is still plenty to be optimistic about, with Spurs set to contest the Europa League final.

The Australian made it abundantly clear during his early days at N17 that he was not particularly interested in forming deep friendships or personal relationships with his players.

Postecoglou believed that allowing such bonds to develop could lead to unintentional favouritism, something he has long felt could damage the harmony and competitive edge within the squad.

He said: “We have so many people here. My goal is to make every single one of them feel valued so I try and get across as many as possible…

“Most of the chats I have with the players are as a group. Of course, players can come to me with issues. It’s just that I won’t be sitting down with them and asking how their day was.”

He continued: “I have to make decisions and some of them are hard. It’s human nature that if I like one person more than someone else then I ask: ‘Why am I making this decision?'”

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Postecoglou changes stance after chat with Rodrigo Bentancur and Pedro Porro

However, in the build-up to Tottenham’s recent clash against Aston Villa, Postecoglou was spotted having a relaxed sit-down with both Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Tottenham manager has since addressed the moment and explained that while he did not previously place much value on forging close personal ties, his perspective has shifted with time, and he now believes those connections carry real weight.

Speaking to football.london, he said: “A lot of that stuff is references from when I was a young manager. When you get older you mellow a bit and you realise the world’s changed and people need connections.

‘It was a nice day and it was good to sit and chat. They are both great guys and it was good to get some feedback. They played a bit yesterday. It is a fairly common occurrence [to chat with players].”

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou showing signs of evolution

Football has most certainly evolved, and that is reflected in the way top Premier League managers now operate, with many leaning heavily on the emotional side of leadership.

During Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Liverpool, there was clear evidence of just how close he and his players were, and a similar dynamic has been seen with Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City squad.

Ange Postecoglou has offered a powerful and deeply personal insight into what winning silverware would mean for both himself and Tottenham, as the club edges closer to ending a near two-decade drought.

There is no denying that Tottenham Hotspur are on the brink of something special this season. The Lilywhites, in nine days, will be heading to Spain to take on Manchester United in the final of the UEFA Europa League.

Should Tottenham secure a victory in Bilbao on Wednesday, 21 May, it would end their almost two-decade wait for silverware.

It would also see Ange Postecoglou deliver on his second-season trophy claim – a statement he made earlier in the campaign when he declared: “I always win things in my second season.”

Ange Postecoglou explains what winning a trophy means for Tottenham

The Tottenham boss has now sat down to explain what a trophy would mean for both the club and himself. He has stated that should he win this piece of silverware, then he will have a trophy he can reminisce about in his old age.

And for Tottenham, it would bring an end to their 17-year wait for silverware. Postecoglou also stated that if Spurs are to end their trophy drought, they would have to fight for it, drawing a parallel between Tottenham and the clubs he managed in the past.

He told football.london: “For me personally, great it’s another trophy I can reminisce about in my old age, but more importantly for the club. It’s the significance of what it does.

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“Yokohama had not won the championship for 14 years, Australia and Brisbane had not, and Celtic was one year but that is a long time in Scotland.

“We had to wrestle it back. When you look at the historical backdrop of this club for the past 20-odd years. It feels like a turning point for how people perceive this club and this club perceives itself.

“The photos I see up on the walls of the stadium are of Bill Nicholson, the 1984 winning team. Most of the photos are black and white. Now it is about can we get this group up on the wall.”

Spurs’ Premier League form adds pressure to Manchester United clash

Spurs’ poor Premier League form makes the clash against Manchester United very crucial for the Lilywhites.

At the moment, Tottenham are enduring their worst ever Premier League campaign in recent years, with the Lilywhites camped in 17th place after suffering their 20th league defeat against Crystal Palace.

Ange Postecoglou was left worried once again as training ground chaos added to Tottenham’s growing list of injury scares, with the manager calling on the footballing gods for mercy.

Of course, given how poorly things have gone for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, it is only natural that the club has its eyes set on the final in Bilbao, which is now nine days away.

But before they make the trip to Spain, Tottenham have a Premier League clash to prepare for, with a visit to UEFA Champions League-chasing Aston Villa next on the horizon.

Tottenham would certainly want to use this game as a chance to get everyone back to full speed, especially after Postecoglou rang the changes last time out against Crystal Palace, giving fringe players a run in the squad.

Ange Postecoglou reacts to Brennan Johnson and Sergio Reguilon training collision

Dejan Kulusevski picked up a knock against Crystal Palace, but Postecoglou has stated that the club are waiting for 24 hours before they can know just how good or bad things are.

As if that is not enough, in their most recent training session on Monday, Sergio Reguilon and Brennan Johnson, who were teammates in training, collided. It definitely was an accidental collision, as it appeared that Reguilon simply slipped into Johnson.

Postecoglou revealed he is praying to the footballing gods that Tottenham do not pick up any serious injuries in training between now and May 21.

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The Australian manager told football.london: “I do not know if you saw training but we had Reggy slide tackling Brennan Johnson and they were on the same team!

It seems to be how our season has gone. You want to protect the integrity of training. Thankfully nothing too serious. We just have to hope and pray to the football gods.”

Brennan Johnson injury scare is the last thing Tottenham need

That being said, Spurs cannot afford to pick up any more injuries ahead of their clash against Manchester United.

As it stands, the Lilywhites are set to be without James Maddison, who is out for three months, and Lucas Bergvall, who is sure to miss the final.

Of course, Radu Dragusin remains out with an ACL problem. But Heung-min Son was back on the pitch against Crystal Palace, which is a good sign.

Brennan Johnson is currently Tottenham’s top scorer in all competitions, and should he pick up an injury, he would be a big miss.

Ange Postecoglou has offered a further injury update on Dejan Kulusevski following the midfielder’s early substitution in Tottenham vs Crystal Palace.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their 20th Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday after Crystal Palace completed a first-ever league double over their London rivals, claiming a 2-0 win in north London.

Ange Postecoglou made sweeping changes ahead of the Palace clash, with eight players coming into the starting eleven – yet the rotation failed to spark a response, as Tottenham were thoroughly outplayed and fortunate not to lose by a greater margin.

Dejan Kulusevski, who has been operating in the number ten role since James Maddison’s injury against Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie, was forced off early in the match after taking a whack to the knee from Marc Guehi, with Mikey Moore brought on in his place.

Postecoglou later downplayed fears of a serious issue in his post-match press conference, describing the substitution as precautionary and insisting that Kulusevski was fine, despite the knock.

However, it was reported by Alasdair Gold that Dejan Kulusevski did not train with the rest of the Tottenham Hotspur squad on Monday, although the journalist was quick to stress that this was expected and should not be taken as a sign of a significant injury.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming Premier League clash against Aston Villa on Friday, Ange Postecoglou has now provided a fresh update on Dejan Kulusevski’s condition.

Ange Postecoglou has revealed the thought behind using Wilson Odobert in the number ten role against Crystal Palace and has shed light on whether we could see the Frenchman playing in that role moving forward at Tottenham.

As expected, Postecoglou rang the changes for the clash against Crystal Palace, with eight new players coming into the starting eleven from the side that beat Bodo/Glimt 2-0 in Norway.

Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dejan Kulusevski were the only three players who kept their place in the starting lineup, but the Swede only lasted 19 minutes, being forced off after a clash with Marc Guehi.

Kulusevski coming off posed a big problem for Postecoglou since James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall are already out injured, with the Tottenham boss opting to bring on Mikey Moore and move Odobert to the number ten role.

Ange Postecoglou reveals if we will see more of Wilson Odobert in the middle

However, Postecoglou confirmed that he only opted to move Odobert to a central role due to Tottenham’s injury situation, admitting that he did not want to expose any of his other key players ahead of the Europa League final.

The Tottenham head coach also admitted that the players who came into the side failed to take the opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the team for the final.

When asked if we could see more of Odobert as a number ten, Postecoglou told Football.London: “It was a needs must basis today, I put him in there, he’s played there before because I didn’t want to expose any of the other guys from the other night so he had to play in there.”

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Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-min Son boost for Tottenham

While the result may not have gone Tottenham’s way on Sunday, there is some good news on the injury front for the Lilywhites ahead of the final in Bilbao.

Postecoglou confirmed after the game that Kulusevski had only picked up a knock, and there is optimism that he will not miss any football.

Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged that the changes that he made to the side were one of the contributing factors to Tottenham’s loss to Crystal Palace, but he has explained why playing some of his key men against the Eagles was not an option.

Following the jubilation of Thursday night when Spurs sealed passage to the final of the Europa League, they were brought back to Earth on Sunday by a well-drilled and disciplined Palace side.

The Tottenham side, which featured eight changes from the eleven that started in Norway, was second best for the majority of the game, with Oliver Glasner’s men registering a comfortable 2-0 win through a brace from Eberechi Eze.

The defeat was Spurs’ 20th loss of the league season, which is the most Tottenham have had in a single campaign in the Premier League era, with Ange Postecoglou setting an unwanted record.

Ange Postecoglou says playing key Tottenham players was not an option

The Tottenham head coach was measured in his post-match press conference, stating that the changes he made to the side did impact performance, but admitting his side should have still played better than they did.

When asked if the changes made to the team had an effect on the display, Postecoglou told Football.London: “That explains some of it but not all of it. I still felt we should have been better than we were today.

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“So, I can’t totally discount the performance today on the fact that I’ve made a number of changes. We should have still been able to perform better than what we did.”

When asked if the plan was to bring Solanke and Richarlison on if Dejan Kulusevski had not gone off injured, the 59-year-old responded: “No, we weren’t going to. The last time we played on an artificial pitch with Tamworth, the game after we got two calf injuries out of it.

“Guys like Brennan, maybe Richy and Madders, so we were never going to risk those guys today.”

The Swede, who was one of just three players to keep their place in the starting eleven from the mid-week clash, was forced off with an injury in the first half after a clash with Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Tottenham fans would have had their hearts in their mouths when it happened, particularly given that James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall are already sidelined.

However, Postecoglou confirmed that Kulusevski just has a knock and revealed that the medical department are confident that he should be fit for the Europa League final.