Ange Postecoglou has spoken on Tottenham’s Europa League ambitions – “I don’t see it as salvaging the season. I see it as doing something special.“
Two seasons in charge at Tottenham for Ange Postecoglou and the reality is that the club have fallen behind in his second campaign.
Given how badly things have gone, the general feeling around Tottenham Hotspur is that time could be up for him, and a decision on Postecoglou’s future could be made as early as Friday.
For many, the UEFA Europa League has been seen as the Australian’s saving grace, and with Eintracht Frankfurt looming on Thursday, the 59-year-old remains in charge.
Ange Postecoglou addresses his own Tottenham future
Ahead of the clash with the German side, Ange Postecoglou has spoken to the media, fully aware of the growing sentiment around his time at Tottenham.
The Spurs boss made it clear that he doesn’t see winning the Europa League as a way of salvaging the campaign. Instead, he views it as a special achievement.
He told Football.London: “Yeah, I don’t see it as salvaging the season, I see it as an opportunity to do something special, so it depends on your outlook on life mate, I don’t know.
“You’re at a point where you have an opportunity to get to the semi-finals of a major competition. Obviously, you know the challenge before you, and that’s the bit you’re excited about. I don’t think it is about salvaging anything, and you know these opportunities don’t come round very often even if you’re having a good season, so why not take it?
“That has kind of been the message to the players. Irrespective of everything else that has happened this year, we’re a game away from the final four of a major competition and we shouldn’t take that for granted in terms of something that is a regular occurrence because it certainly hasn’t been for this club, but we’ll try to take advantage of that.”
When asked if he knows what will happen with his future if he wins/loses on Thursday, Postecoglou added: “Do I know? No, I’ve got no idea. We’ve got a game tomorrow night… but it’s not something I need to think about, I don’t think.
“I’ve never thought about those kinds of things in terms of what’s important. What’s important is we have a game tomorrow night that’s a massive opportunity for this group of players, for us as a team, for this football club to get closer to achieving what everyone wants to achieve.
“I think anything else other than that, and particularly in terms of me, I don’t have much thought process that thinks about life or my career or what I’m doing in that way. What I do know is we have an opportunity to get to the final four of a major tournament and that’s where my focus is.”
Spurs hopes for silverware hang on Europa League progress
Tottenham are now 17 years without a trophy, and for many fans, any silverware would be welcomed in a heartbeat, despite their current league position.
Spurs are still a long way off from the Europa League final. In fact, they’re not even favourites to make it past this round, after drawing the first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Frankfurt have been excellent at home this season – unbeaten so far – and Opta’s AI model doesn’t even fancy Spurs’ chances of winning the tie against Frankfurt, tipping the German side to go all the way.
Even so, many Tottenham fans remain hopeful, as winning the Europa League is the one silver lining left in what’s been a bleak 2024/25 season.