Europa triumph can spur more Tottenham success

Tottenham Hotspur ended a run of 17 years without a trophy by winning the Europa League, and it could spark further success at the club whether coach Ange Postecoglou stays in his job or not.

The Australian led Spurs to their first European trophy since 1984, but could be sacked with the team languishing 17th in the Premier League, marking its worst domestic campaign since it was promoted back to the top flight in 1978.

The 1-0 win over Manchester United in Bilbao earned Tottenham Champions League soccer next season and potentially 100 million pounds ($134 million) as a result.

It is money which could be used to bolster a squad that lacks quality in some areas, but was also hampered by injuries.

However, the biggest step forward for Spurs could be on a psychological level, having ended a barren spell spanning nearly two decades, since they won the League Cup in 2008.

Postecoglou accepted that he may not be in charge next season, but said he believes his players will be bolstered by the experience.

"Unfortunately, the longer it goes on, it's harder to break that cycle sometimes," he said.

"Until you take that monkey off your back, you don't understand what it feels like."

The coach said his young side would begin to crave the taste of success, and now understood the work it had to put in to achieve it.

"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. I've got no doubt that all those boys tonight having this feeling will want it again, and to get it again they're going to have to make similar sacrifices," he told reporters.

"They've climbed a mountain now, so they know what it takes to get to where we are, and I think that accelerates the opportunities to build a team that can be successful and competitive at the highest level for years to come."

Postecoglou watched, slightly removed, as his players celebrated wildly.

The coach described himself as a "serial winner", and said he had learned a thing or two while picking up trophies with Celtic, and Australian side Brisbane Roar.

"I've learned to understand that what makes nights like these memorable is to remember them," he said.

"I kind of stand back and just watch everyone else enjoy it, and that's all I need."

'Que sera, sera'

Tottenham experienced heartbreak in the all-English Champions League final in Madrid in 2019, as it fell 2-0 to Liverpool.

While none of the club's younger players, including 23-year-old goalscorer Brennan Johnson, were there to suffer it, captain Son Heung-min was, and he was delighted to finally earn his first trophy at the club.

"I felt the pressure, I wanted it so badly, the last seven days I was dreaming every single day. I can sleep easy now," he said.

Departed Spurs great Harry Kane, who won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich this season, the first trophy of his career, spent over a decade playing for the club without tasting success, before leaving in 2023 to find it elsewhere.

After claiming its third Europa League crown, Tottenham will have another chance to lift silverware in the UEFA Super Cup after the summer break, where it will face Paris Saint-Germain or Inter Milan, which meet in the Champions League final on May 31.

It will be a quick test of Postecoglou's theory that Spurs have made significant progress, even if he is not on the bench to see it.

"I haven't had any discussions (with the board), nobody has spoken to me about anything. I'm going to go back to my hotel room, get my family and friends together, open up a nice bottle of Scotch, have a couple of quiet ones and get ready for a massive parade on Friday," he said.

"Then, Monday, I'm going on holidays with my beautiful family because I deserve it, and 'que sera, sera'."

AFP