Postecoglou Fulfills Promise, Tottenham Hotspur Win Europa League

BILBAO, THURSDAY — "I always win something in the second year." This statement was made by Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou after his team was defeated by Arsenal in September 2024. After 249 days, that statement resulted in a Europa League trophy at San Mames Stadium, Bilbao, Spain.

Spurs ended a 17-year title drought across all competitions and returned to being champions in European competition after 41 years by defeating Manchester United 1-0, on Thursday (22/5/2025) early morning WIB, in the Europa League final. A touch from winger Brennan Johnson in the 42nd minute was enough for "The Lilywhites" to lift the championship trophy.

In his professional career as a tactician, Postecoglou won championship titles after completing the first 12 months with three inaugural professional teams. He lifted the trophy in his second full season with Brisbane Roar as champions of the A-League, with the Australian national team through the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, and with Yokohama F. Marinos thanks to the Japanese League trophy.

Only with Celtic—the club he managed before taking on Spurs—Postecoglou immediately delivered a championship trophy in his first season. During his two years in the Scottish capital, Glasgow, Postecoglou, an Australian of Greek descent, won five domestic titles.

"My work is not finished at Spurs. I want to build a team from the achievements in the Europa League," said Postecoglou after celebrating the 22nd trophy in his coaching career.

Gleen Hoddle, former player and manager of Spurs, applauds Postecoglou's historic contribution to the club. He hopes that the Europa League title will serve as a starting point for Postecoglou to win more championships with the Lilywhites.

"Ange Postecoglou put everything right (in the final). Hopefully, this is a turning point for Spurs to be more successful because they have suffered for a long time," Hoodle, who was a member of the Spurs squad when they won the 1983-84 UEFA Cup, told TNT Sports.

In addition to giving Spurs their third Europa League trophy, Postecoglou also taught his players to show respect to MU until the end of the match. He led the Spurs squad to give a guard of honour to MU players and staff who walked to the champion's podium to receive the silver medals, aka second place.

"This is an extraordinary moment for the club. Proud for the club and all the supporters. Now Ange (Postecoglou) joins the ranks of legendary managers who have won European trophies," said Gareth Bale, another Spurs legend, as reported by UEFA.

The legendary status is rightly borne by Postecoglou for the North London team. He is the ninth manager to present a major competition trophy for Spurs. In the European arena, Postecoglou aligns his achievements with Bill Nicholson (UEFA Cup 1971-1972) and Keith Burkinshaw (UEFA Cup 1983-1984).

In the Europa League, Spurs became the fifth team to achieve three championships. They are on par with other major European teams, such as Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, and the Italian duo, Juventus and Inter Milan. The team with the most Europa League titles is Sevilla, with seven championships.

Although they still lag far behind Sevilla in terms of trophy collection, Spurs have made their own history in the Europa League thanks to their victory over MU at San Mames. They are the team that has recorded the most wins in that second-tier European club competition.

Spurs have already amassed 98 victories in the Europa League. The Lilywhites have surpassed AS Roma, who led in the total number of victories in the Europa League when this season began with a record of 97 wins.

In the championship match in Bilbao, Postecoglou showcased more experience compared to Manchester United Manager Ruben Amorim. He prepared a game plan more meticulously, prioritizing victory over gameplay.

The record of 27 percent ball possession and only one shot on target is the lowest statistical collection for Spurs in 100 official matches under Postecoglou. This figure is below the average of 51 percent ball possession per game and five shots on target per match in the Europa League this season.

"I always feel that knockout stage matches are different from league matches. In knockout match situations, teams must display good organization, confidence, have a solid game plan, and seize the moment," said Postecoglou.

“Spurs defended like a Trojan horse,” said Hoodle of Spurs' play.

Bale added, "Tonight shows that Spurs have a Plan B. I consider that as a manager, Ange is also becoming more mature and bringing an impressive defensive level to his team."

In response to the decisive goal that secured his championship title, Johnson expressed great pride in being able to deliver one of the most important goals in the club's history. He stated that he was simply trying to make contact with the ball when he saw a long pass heading towards him at the far post of Manchester United.

"Since I arrived at the club I've heard, 'Tottenham are a good team but they never get the job done.' Today we got the job done," Johnson told TNT Sports.

With the Europa League title, Spurs have become the third English team to secure a spot in the group stage of the 2025-2026 Champions League. They follow Liverpool and Arsenal. There are still three Champions League tickets up for grabs in the final matches of this season, on Sunday (25/5/2025).

Spurs have the opportunity to become the lowest-ranked English representative to compete in the most prestigious club competition in Europe. As the final week approaches, Spurs are still in 17th place, which is the last position to remain in the Premier League.

Amorim was disappointed that his team failed to capitalize on the opportunities from a total of 16 shots they produced. He witnessed the acrobatic block by Spurs defender Micky van de Ven on Rasmus Hojlund's shot, followed by the save from Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to thwart Luke Shaw's header at the end of the second half.

"I think I have always been honest. We did not play perfectly, but we were better than our opponents. I see that we have shown an improvement in our game regardless of the final result," said Amorim as reported by BBC.