Ange Postecoglou accused his critics of trying to “tear down” Tottenham’s run to the Europa League final as a 2-0 win at Bodo/Glimt kept alive the under-fire Australian’s bid to end their 17-year trophy drought.
Postecoglou’s side will face Manchester United in the final in Bilbao on May 21 after securing a 5-1 aggregate victory in the semi-final second leg in Norway on Thursday.
Having won the first leg 3-1 last week, Postecoglou would have been hammered by his growing army of doubters if Tottenham had blown their chance to reach the final.
But second-half goals from Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro ensured the much-maligned manager still has a chance to fulfil his boast that he always wins a trophy in his second season.
Despite languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, Europa League glory for Tottenham would secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
Whether that will be enough to spare Postecoglou from the axe is another matter.
The 59-year-old has admitted the general perception outside Tottenham is he faces the sack regardless of the Europa League run because their domestic form has been so bad.
With three games left in the top-flight season, Tottenham are in danger of their worst finish since they were relegated in 1976-77.
United are just one place above Tottenham in the English top flight after an equally woeful campaign.
United boss Ruben Amorim has said winning the Europa League won’t save their season from being a failure.
But the combative Postecoglou came out fighting when that was put to him during his press conference after the second leg.
“What do I care what Manchester United think? Why is that relevant to me? Ask the Manchester United manager why he said that. Me, I’ve said all along this is important,” Postecoglou said.
“You know better than me, you follow this club more than I have. What do you think a trophy would do for this club? The question answers itself. It doesn’t need me.
“You know what’s happening right now is people are fearing that it actually might happen.
“Because it might happen let’s see how we can tear it down somehow and diminish it somehow by saying it’s been a poor season and we don’t deserve this or we don’t deserve that.”
‘We can do something special’
Given his dedication to a polarising gameplan that puts the emphasis on attack, it was instructive that Postecoglou opted for more cautious tactics in the second leg.
The Australian appeared to appreciate the stakes as he adapted to the threat posed by Bodo/Glimt on a tricky artificial pitch in cold and rainy conditions.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the lads. We knew it would be a difficult place to come. We’re well aware of the record they have here and the pitch and all those kind of things,” Postecoglou said.
“We fully deserved to win both legs and we’re excited, we’re in the final.”
Tottenham have already beaten United three times this season, winning 3-0 and 1-0 in the Premier League and 4-3 in the League Cup.
The north Londoners are aiming to win their first European trophy since the 1984 UEFA Cup and their first silverware in any competition since the League Cup in 2008.
Tottenham’s last four finals have all ended in defeat, most notably the 2019 Champions League showpiece against Liverpool, while they were also beaten in the 2009, 2015 and 2021 League Cup finals.
Postecoglou might not be certain where his future lies, but he is determined to bring the trophy back from Bilbao.
“This is why we do what we do as much as anything else. You understand the context of what this football club has been trying to achieve for quite a while and managers and players come and go, but the one constant is the supporters,” he said.
“We’ve given them some hope, something to dream about. We’ve got an exciting trip coming up and a great experience and who knows? Hopefully we can do something special.”
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