Embattled Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou accused the club’s critics of a negative agenda on Wednesday as he prepared for a pivotal game of his second season in charge.
The Australian has come in for fierce criticism this season with Tottenham languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League, but they could still find Europa League redemption.
Tottenham host Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday with many suggesting Postecoglou’s future at the club could depend on whether or not he can salvage a poor season by winning the trophy.
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The London club prepared for the crucial clash with a 3-1 league victory over bottom club Southampton at the weekend but even after that win, Postecoglou was grilled about Brennan Johnson being denied a hat trick.
Johnson was keen to take a late penalty with the score 2-1 but it was instead given to Mathys Tel.
“We scored, we won. Delighted. It’s incredible. It’s the one bit. Literally turning gold into crap when it’s Tottenham. If we’re 2-1 up and we get a penalty late on, I want our best penalty taker to take it,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“I just think we’re in that position now where even the good stuff we do is going to be turned into a glass half-empty rhetoric. The one slight against this club is that it hasn’t been a winner. The winners’ mentality in the last minute is to score. We scored and somehow, in this alternate universe, everything Tottenham does is negative.”
Bundesliga side Frankfurt won the Europa League in 2022, beating Rangers in the final on penalties, and they represent a tough obstacle for Tottenham over two legs.
Tottenham fans have not had much to shout about this season, but Postecoglou hopes the home crowd can help create a raucous atmosphere in their 60,000-seat arena on Thursday, similar to the one Arsenal fans produced against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
“It’s hugely important,” Postecoglou said. “With every European game, you are watching last night or watching tonight, the atmosphere makes a big impact.
“It’s a big part of European football. A lot of teams that have success in Europe are on the back of a really strong home atmosphere. We hope it’s the same for us tomorrow.”
Tottenham have not won a trophy since the League Cup in 2008 and have not reached a European quarterfinal since 2019 when they reached the Champions League final and lost to Liverpool.
Postecoglou said even if he does end that trophy drought, it might not be good enough for some people.
“I just think you can’t win the argument of convincing people. Even if we win [the Europa League], I am gone anyway. That’s just the general sentiment of the people,” he said.
“If you try to use that as a motivation, you are not going to win anyway. It’s got to be something more in it for us. For us, what’s most important is that we have been through a tough time but we are still in a position to make an impact.”
