Ange Postecoglou shares final thoughts ahead of Europa League final against Manchester United

Spurs will have a chance to win their third Europa League on 21st May.

“There’s been a real belief that we can do something in this tournament, from day one,” the Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou tells UEFA as he prepares for the UEFA Europa League final.

“I always win things in my second year,” said Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou in September 2024 after a north London derby defeat against Arsenal.

The Australian former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is currently one game away from leading his team to their first trophy since the 2007–08 League Cup (and their first European honor since the 1983–84 UEFA Cup), which sounded like a big statement given Tottenham Hotspur’s poor performance in his second season with the Premier League team.

Ange Postecoglou tells UEFA how his faith in Tottenham Hotspur got them through difficult moments ahead of their match against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final.

Postecoglou on Spurs’ one of the poorest seasons

We’ve had to deal with a fair few setbacks this year, fair to say. Even during Europe in the early rounds, we had to play with a young team at times, away from home, and get results. And we’ve dealt with adversity all year – particularly around our injury situation, and player availability.

When we got to European games, the guys were really clear-headed about what we needed to do. They weren’t going to let noise or other things distract from the fact that there’s still an exciting possibility about what we’re doing in Europe. There’s been a real belief that we can do something in this tournament, from day one. And it’s fair to say that belief was tested all the way through.

Bilbao bound 🫡 pic.twitter.com/f7bCKn3rz8

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 19, 2025

Postecoglou on Tottenham’s double win against United this season

My experience in finals is that they’re stand-alone fixtures, where previous form leading into it and head-to-head is really irrelevant. The players, everyone knows what’s at stake. There’s always a tension and tightness that you can’t replicate in any other fixture when you’re playing a final.

What’s most important for us is that we prepare ourselves well, we prepare to play a really strong United at their best. If you do that, then you give yourself a chance, because I think if you rely on what’s worked in previous encounters, you fall into a false sense of understanding of what’s going to be required on that day. On that day, it’s going to be a real strong collective effort to overcome a strong opponent. Anything less than that, you just won’t be successful.

Postecoglou on his team’s mental preparation despite setbacks

They could have lost belief, they could have splintered, they could have, kind of, not really stayed true and believed in what we were doing, and they haven’t all along; irrespective of what outcomes we were having, they were always there, ready to take the feedback, ready to listen, ready to take the lead from me.

I have a great admiration and respect for this group of players and staff. And I’m really hoping they’ll get the reward for that come the final.

Postecoglou on winning the Europa League trophy

Managers, players; we come and go. We contribute where we can, but the supporters are the constants at any football club. They’re always there and you just have to think about [the fact that it’s been] 15-odd years since the last trophy.

But 1984 was the last time they saw their club lift a European trophy. Since 1984, there have been supporters who have been coming to every game. So, you can imagine what impact that will have on their lives, their family’s lives, the people who are in their circle.

It will be something they’ll never forget and it’ll be something that they’ll share with two, three generations of people in their circle. So, it doesn’t escape me – the enormity of it. That doesn’t mean it makes it any easier. You’ve just got to make sure that on the day, you give yourself the best chance.

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