Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca admitted he asked Ange Postecoglou something very unusual about Tottenham’s Europa League final.
The 2024-25 season was full of ups and downs for Tottenham Hotspur, but it ended in the best possible way after Spurs finally put an end to a 17-year silverware wait by lifting the Europa League trophy with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the final.
However, that wasn’t enough for Ange Postecoglou to keep his job as Tottenham head coach. He was sacked less than two weeks later, with the win overshadowed by an abysmal Premier League campaign that saw Spurs finish just above the relegation zone in 17th place.
However, there probably isn’t a single Spurs fan who isn’t grateful to Ange for delivering a night they’ll never forget. Even with all the criticism over his stubborn tactics and refusal to adapt, he gave Tottenham their first major European trophy in almost four decades.
Ironically, it was in that same Europa League run that Ange finally flipped the narrative that he isn’t tactically flexible or creative enough.
During the final stages of the competition, he surprisingly switched to a five-man defence when protecting a lead. It was a tactical twist many thought they’d never see from him, but one that proved decisive on the club’s biggest night in years.
Enzo Maresca reveals Ange Postecoglou surprised him with Tottenham comment
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Wolves, Enzo Maresca opened up about a recent chat he had with the former Spurs boss:
“Four weeks ago, I was in London for the LMA award. I was with Ange [Postecoglou], before he took the job with Forest,” Maresca said.
“We were speaking, and I said, ‘Ange, I’ve never seen your team play back five, apart from the last 10 minutes of the Europa League final against United.’
“He started to laugh, and he said, ‘Enzo, I hate to play back five, but because it was the last 10 minutes, and we needed to win the title’. I said, ‘Okay, I don’t care, we play back five.’
But then Maresca revealed that Ange did the very same thing he claimed to hate, something the Chelsea boss never expected.
“F***ing hell, (when) we played Forest, it was a back five. And I prepared the game against a back four. So, in the warm-up (when Forest were setting up with a back five, I said to my players), Guys, all the plan, rubbish, back five.”
Ange Postecoglou may return to managing football once again
Although most Spurs fans have now moved past the initial frustration of Ange’s sacking, helped by Thomas Frank’s impressive start, with Tottenham currently sitting 3rd in the league, there’s still genuine affection for the Australian.
His short-lived return to English football with Nottingham Forest didn’t go to plan, though. Ange was dismissed just 39 days after taking charge, failing to win any of his first eight matches in charge. Despite that rough patch, a comeback might not be far off.
Reports in Scotland suggest Postecoglou could be set for an emotional return to Celtic following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation earlier this week. Ange still remains adored there, having won five trophies in just two seasons during his time in Glasgow.
While the move would make perfect sense for all parties, Celtic, Ange, and even Spurs fans who still wish him well, it’s been suggested that he’s considering taking a break from management for now.
That said, he hasn’t ruled out the Celtic job entirely, and we may not have to wait too long before his next chapter becomes clear.