Ange Postecoglou can end Tottenham Hotspur’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United today, but even victory in Bilbao might not be enough to save him from the sack.
Beating United to break the silverware curse and earn a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League would be a significant moment in Tottenham’s recent history.
The north London club have not won a major trophy since beating Chelsea in the 2007-2008 League Cup final, while their last European silverware came in the 1983-1984 UEFA Cup, but Postecoglou has presided over such a miserable English Premier League campaign that the Spurs boss heads to the San Mames with his future hanging in the balance regardless of the result.
Photo: Reuters
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has not been shy when it comes to managerial changes and has already been linked with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
As speculation mounts that Postecoglou would be gone after the final, his brash boast in September last year that he “always win things” in his second season has come to define the campaign.
The 59-year-old Australian can point to titles and cups won in his second year with Celtic, Yokohama F-Marinos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne, but those successes came far from the high-pressure environment of one of English soccer’s serial underachievers.
Tottenham’s last top-flight crown came in 1960-1961 and since their most recent FA Cup final victory in 1990-1991, the competition has been won by the likes of Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic.
The derisive term “Spursy” has entered the soccer lexicon to describe the kind of self-inflicted wounds that so often afflict the club.
Despite a promising start, stopping Tottenham shooting themselves in the foot has proved impossible for Postecoglou.
Spurs allowed a Champions League place to slip through their grasp in the final weeks of last season and Postecoglou has never recovered.
His penchant for ultra-attacking tactics initially earned praise, but it was not long before savvy opposition managers were exploiting the holes in his defense.
Postecoglou was lampooned for his naive approach by fans so often that he finally cracked during a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea last month.
He celebrated Pape Sarr’s apparent equalizer by sarcastically cupping his ear toward the supporters who had been jeering him, only for his season from hell to hit a new low as the video assistant referee intervened to disallow the goal.
That was one of 21 defeats in the Premier League this season, surpassing their previous worst top-flight loss tally of 19 in 1993-1994 and 2003-2004.
Languishing in 17th place with one game left, Tottenham are set to endure their worst finish since being relegated in 1976-1977.
Amid the wreckage of Tottenham’s dismal domestic form, Postecoglou has steered them to the brink of European glory.
Even Postecoglou admitted the “general sentiment” was that he would be sacked regardless of a Europa League run that included navigating knockout ties against AZ, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt.
In defense of his troubled season, Postecoglou has continually pointed to his trouble patching together an injury-ravaged squad.
James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall will all miss the final in the latest series of blows.
“We’ve dealt with adversity all year, particularly around our injury situation, and player availability,” Postecoglou told UEFA.com. “I have a great admiration and respect for this group of players, and I’m really hoping they’ll get the reward for that come the final.”
Echoing Postecoglou’s verdict, Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma said: “He’s like a dad or uncle for us. He’s always protecting us. Every game when we lose or win.
“He’s got a top mentality. He understands football. He knows it’s up and down. He never blames players,” he said.
Whether that faith in Postecoglou would be enough to spare him from the axe is another matter entirely.
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