The morning after the night before and Tottenham Hotspur head coach, Ange Postecoglou, will undoubtedly still cherish in the glory that the termination of a 17-year-old trophy guard will bring.
Although the Europa League final between Spurs and Manchester United was far from the best advertisement for Premier League football, the game on Wednesday evening was just to get the job done and look for Champions League football next season as an added bonus.
The Red Devils certainly showed up in every aspect that scored a goal, so there will be positives for Ruben Amorim to take a new disappointing evening for United.
Tottenham vs Man United Match Statsopta perform by statistics
When the dust settles, the numbers will not lie.
More possession (73.4% to 26.6%), more passes (514 to 183), more opportunities created (four on one), more shots at goal (16 to three) … The reality is that Amorim's men could not really have done too much more, and for a miracle of Spurs keeper guglielmo vicario could be Luke-time-time-time-time
Postecoglou replacement has already been drawn up?
Postecoglou, on the other hand, will feel any justification in his methods, and although he and Tottenham will now rightly celebrate, once a forensic assessment of the final has been carried out, it can lead the Spurs -hierarchy to the early conclusion that the Australian has taken the team as far as possible.
Former director of the North London club, Fabio Paraticians, apparently has already received in the ear of chairman Daniel Levy about hiring ex-Ajax boss, Francesco Farioli.
Ajax -Coach Francesco Farioli after the match against FC Twente on May 18, 2025ANP / DDP USA / Profimedia
The style of football from the 36-year-old with the Dutch giants earned him the compliments this season, but even though he had a nine point lead in the Eredivisie to play with less than a month of the season, Ajax somehow lost the title of PSV Eindhoven.
If Tottenham really believes that Postecoglou is no longer the answer, it brings a manager with little experience and who really presses the right move under pressure – especially at the moment?
Injured a key factor in the poor competition of Spurs
Moreover, there must be a recognition of the series of circumstances that cross the Australian during parts of the 2024/25 campaign.
At one point, Spurs 11 had wounded senior players, many of whom – Micky van de Ven, James Maddison et al – would be considered clear starters.
James Maddison was one of the many Tottenham players who were injured during the Michael Zemanek season from 2024/25
Starting matches against established Premier League-Squadrons with inexperienced young people such as Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray would always have a knock-on effect and yet Postecoglou always likes that it doesn't want to use it as an excuse.
He has never hidden himself when it comes to answering the difficult questions about his own position as the slide continued the English top flight, and he resolved again after the final.
Postecoglou wants the victory of the Europa League winning platform for more success
“I still have the feeling that there is a lot of work to do and I think that is pretty clear – but not as much work as people can think,” he told reporters.
“People can pop and where we are on our 20 competition -but they miss the point of what we are trying to build here or what I try to do and I really have the feeling that tonight a great platform can be for us to continue.
Tottenham Hotspur -Head Coach Ange Postcoglou talks at a press conference -hotspur FC / Shutterstock editorial / Profimedia
“I understand why it would be difficult for a club like this to buy in the vision of one person, but I am a winner, I have been a serial winner all my career.
“We are in the Champions League (next season), my thinking process of what I have done this year is trying to build a team that can be successful for four, five or six years, but I am the manager of the football club and that decision is not in my hands.”
Statistics do not make a good reading for Ange
His attitude suggested a sincere conviction that he is far from in the football club, but his opponents will still indicate 21 defeats of 37 Premier League matches, only six homes and a general profit percentage of only 29.1% in the 2024/25 season.
Since the job was accepted, the general winning record of ange of 31 out of 75 league games (41.3%) is the worst of every Spurs manager in the past decade, Bar Cristian Stellini, who was only in charge of four games.
Tottenham's recent form under Ange Postcoglouflash score
19 victories at home do not sound terrible until you realize that Antonio Conte 20 houses wins less than Postecoglou in 19 games, and even Jose Mourinho conquered 16 times in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium even though he was in charge of 17 fewer competition matches.
The Australian has also lost 33 league matches in the same period, which is only one less than Conte, Mourinho and Stellini combined.
But Ange wants to dress things up, those are the difficult facts.
Is Daniel Levy or Twist?
Although his position is threatened, it is clearly not untenable, and Daniel Levy threatens to make himself even more unpopular than he is already with Tottenham fans if he has brought the man who brought the club his first trophy of any description in almost two decades.
The question that must be answered is whether Levy and the club hierarchy really believe that they are already about to have no return with Ange.
Tottenham -President, Daniel Levy, congratulates Ange Postecoglou after the Europa League victory at Manchester UnitedMark Pain / Alamy / Profimedia
Simply put, if Postecoglou survives any voice of no trust, the club must support him with what it needs.
With Champions League football on the horizon, that will mean a considerable financial investment – something that would certainly be on the cards if a new manager were brought in.
Assuming that next season still is in charge and such an edition will finally come, then the ball is very much in his court.
Decisions, decisions …
#Jason Pettigrove