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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said he was “very” hungry to build on his success after winning the Europa League, with speculation still swirling around his future.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou after winning the europa League (AP)
Ange Postecoglou lived up to the early-season promise he made.
“I always win things in my second year. Nothing has changed,” the Tottenham manager said in September after back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.
That narrative has followed him all season yet eight months later, Postecoglou delivered on his word by leading Tottenham to the Europa League title with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the final in Bilbao on Wednesday.
“It wasn’t me boasting. It was a declaration … If we fell short, I was ready to cop it,” Postecoglou told TNT.
The Australian’s job is still on the line with the club 17th in the Premier League after a dismal domestic campaign and he said the decision is not up to him.
“Very (hungry to build on 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,” Postecoglou told reporters.
“I still feel there’s a lot of work to be done and I think that’s quite obvious — but not as much work as people may think.
“People can bang on about our 20 league defeats and where we are but they’re missing the point of what we’re trying to build here or what I’m trying to do anyway and I really feel that tonight can be a great platform for us to keep on.”
The coach said he was not sweating on his future, which he accepts is under heavy scrutiny, but would prefer to stay if he can.
“Relaxed is not the word (for how I feel), because I’d be disappointed if we couldn’t continue on this path,” he continued.
“I understand why it would be difficult for a club like this to buy into one person’s vision…
“I’m a winner, I’ve been a serial winner my whole career… people dismiss my achievements because they didn’t happen on this side of the world but for me they’re all hard-earned and all I’ve done my whole career is win things.”
Postecoglou, who won trophies with Celtic, Australian side Brisbane Roar and Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos, said he thinks Tottenham can progress to further success in the near future.
“We’re in the Champions League (next season), my thought process of what I’ve been doing this year is trying to build a team that can be successful for four, five, six years,” he told TNT Sports.
“But I’m the manager of the football club. That decision is not in my hands.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
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