Ange Postecoglou has declared that he is a winner after ending Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final.
The Greek-Australian manager masterminded the victory to earn Tottenham their first trophy since winning the Carling Cup in 2008.
Postecoglou revealed earlier in the season that he usually wins trophies in his second season, and he has lived up to the statement with the triumph in Bilbao.
Despite the Europa League success, Postecoglou’s future is unclear with reports linking him to be sacked following the club’s disastrous campaign in the Premier League.
He is hoping he will be given the chance to build on the Europa League success while declaring that he is a winner.
Postecoglou said: “I remember even when I signed, the club and even Daniel said, ‘we went after winners, it didn’t work and now we’ve got Ange.’ But mate, I’m a winner.
“I have been a serial winner my whole career. It’s what I have done more than anything else.
“Obviously the way things have gone in the league, people are right to be concerned about, but I don’t think that’s a true reflection of where we are at.
“We’ve got a really young group of players and you can talk to them about success and what it means, but until they feel it, it doesn’t become real.”
Postecoglou is confident that the players will love to have another go at trophies next season.
He said: “I’ve got no doubt that all those boys – having this feeling – will want it again. To get it again they’re going to have to make similar sacrifices.
“They’ve climbed the mountain now. They know what it takes to get to where we are. I think that does, it accelerates the opportunities to build a team who can be successful and play at a high standard for years to come.
“As I said yesterday, I still feel there’s a lot of work to be done, I think that’s quite obvious, but not as much work as people may think.
“People can bang on about 20 league defeats and where we are, but they’re missing the point of what we’re trying to build, or what I’m trying to do anyway. I really feel that this can be a great platform for us to kick on.”
Postecoglou also revealed that he was not boasting when he made the second season success statement.
He said: “It wasn’t me boasting. It was me making a declaration. I believed it. Finishing third wasn’t going to change this football club. Us winning something changes this football club.
“I’m not afraid to declare that. If I felt short then I was happy to cop it. That was my ambition. I could say that. I was prepared to wear it. People kept reminding me of it but that was only because there was an opportunity to win something.
“It’s how the club perceives itself. People are quick to take shots at the club, who haven’t defended themselves as much as it should. I understand that as people have been here a long time and haven’t had anything to lean on. I’m hoping this does.
“There’s no reason why they can’t go into next year believing they can win again and building a team that strives to win things. If you see yourself in that way, irrespective of what the noise is, that’s what the great clubs do. They expect success as they’ve had it. Hopefully this takes the club forward.”
Postecoglou won league titles with South Melbourne (1997/98), and Brisbane Roar (2010/11) in Australia, and the Japanese league with Yokohama F Marinos (2019). He also won cup competitions at each club.
He has won a total of 22 trophies in his coaching career including the Asian Cup, and the Scottish League, and the Europa League.
