Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur have won the Europa League after beating Manchester United in Bilbao.
Spurs had gone over 17 years without winning any silverware and were often ridiculed by fans of rival clubs for their terrible luck with trophies.
Those days are over now as Postecoglou fulfilled his promise of always winning silverware in his second season by lifting the Europa League on Thursday.
The Tottenham manager was delighted after the game, and he made his feelings clear on what chairman Daniel Levy said about him when he first joined the club.
Ange Postecoglou disagrees with what Daniel Levy said about him at Tottenham in 2023
Many people viewed Ange Postecoglou’s appointment at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 as a gamble.
Spurs had massive names like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte at the helm before the Australian, and neither managed to win silverware.
Levy’s idea of bringing in proven winners to end his club’s trophy drought backfired, so he felt the need to change his approach.
That’s why Postecoglou got the job, but what Levy said after appointing him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium didn’t go down too well with the now-59-year-old.
When asked about his future after winning the Europa League, Postecoglou said, as per Football London: “Look, I think I said yesterday, I am pretty kind of… not relaxed. Relaxed is not the word because I would be disappointed if we couldn’t continue on this path, but it’s not a criticism.
“I understand why it would be difficult for a club like this to buy into one person’s vision. I remember even when I signed, the club and even Daniel [Levy] said, ‘we went after winners, it didn’t work and now we’ve got Ange,’ but mate, I’m a winner. I have been a serial winner my whole career.
“It’s what I have done more than anything else. I know people talk about my football, which I am very proud of. I know people dismiss my achievements because they didn’t happen on this side of the world, but for me they were all hard-earned, and all I have done my whole career is win things.
“I understand, look, obviously the way things have gone in the league, people are right to be concerned about, but I don’t think that’s a true reflection of where it is at. Whatever happens, my own belief in what I do doesn’t waver, and I’ll continue to push on and do what I do.”
Daniel Levy has a huge dilemma at Tottenham
The expectation before the Europa League final was that Tottenham would part ways with Postecoglou irrespective of the result.
The Australian deserves enormous credit for ending Spurs’ trophy drought, but the fact that he suffered 21 defeats in the Premier League this season has raised alarm bells.
Levy now has a decision to make at Tottenham.
Getting rid of Postecoglou right after he delivered on his promise of silverware would be extremely harsh, but will Spurs be making the same mistake that Manchester United did with Erik ten Hag if they keep him?
It really is a difficult call to make, and it will be interesting to see what Levy will do in the coming weeks.
