James Maddison has hailed Ange Postecoglou for driving Tottenham to European glory, revealing the manager’s biggest strength on the path to victory.
Tottenham Hotspur endured a historically poor Premier League campaign under Ange Postecoglou in his second season at the helm.
The north London club finished 17th on the Premier League table, recorded just 38 points from 38 games, and lost 22 matches – their worst-ever showing in the top flight.
Yet, in stark contrast, Tottenham shone under the floodlights of Europe. The Lilywhites marched all the way to the Europa League final, beating Manchester United 1-0 in a tense affair at the San Mames Stadium in Spain, ending a 17-year wait for silverware and clinching their first European title in over four decades.
James Maddison praises Ange Postecoglou for his belief and leadership at Tottenham
Indeed, there were moments during the season when Ange Postecoglou’s position came under real scrutiny, especially with the club languishing near the foot of the table.
However, Tottenham kept faith with the Australian, who went on to break their long-standing trophy drought both domestically and in Europe.
The Tottenham manager never wavered in his convictions. Throughout the lows, Postecoglou remained adamant about his now-famous “second season success” mantra, and now, speaking after the Europa League triumph, James Maddison has highlighted how that unwavering confidence proved pivotal.
He told Sky Sports that Postecoglou’s recent “season three is better than season two” remark was just one of many motivational moments: “The season three line – that is iconic as well, he has got them in the locker, those motivational mic drop moments.”
On whether the second season trophy claim was the ultimate mic drop, Maddison continued: “I always win things in my second season. Managers can go and clubs can too – you do not need a bigger example than Tottenham, who have gone long periods without winning trophies – 17 years.
“But he is a man who has always had success and to be fair, I think his biggest strength is his self-belief in what he does. That fed into us and was instilled in us in Europe this year. In all the away games, even the early group stage ties and the round of 16, we had a really bad performance away at AZ Alkmaar.
“He went heavy on us because you just know he is a winner. Then we turned it around in the second leg, got into the quarter-finals, and with every round we got closer, we started to believe more and more. Now we are winners – and no one can take that away from us.”
Tottenham players rally around Ange Postecoglou after Europa League success
The Australian manager has clearly had a profound impact on this group of players, who appear ready to go through brick walls for him.
With speculation still swirling around his long-term future, several first-team Spurs players have stepped up to back Postecoglou and make it known that they want him to remain in charge at Tottenham.
Guglielmo Vicario, speaking after the Europa League final, made his thoughts clear: “Yes, of course. He is my gaffer. He is the person who decided to bring me to this football club. I just have to be very thankful to him for how much he believed since day one, since he wanted me to sign for this football club.
“I am very happy for him, for what we achieved altogether tonight. It is a brilliant night, he deserves this a lot. He drove us brilliantly this season. It is a big credit to him.”