THOSE WERE THE QUEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Van de Ven lifts lid on the obsession which drove Spurs to break 17-year barren run

- KEITH WEBSTER

SEVEN months after Tottenham lifted the Europa League trophy, Micky van de Ven has revealed how silverware became an all-or-nothing obsession at the club.

When Ange Postecoglou walked through the door in the summer of 2023, Spurs fans had gone 15 years since seeing their team win the League Cup in 2008, their first trophy since two in the 1990s - the League Cup in 1999 and the FA Cup in 1991.

The drive to put something in the cabinet was ramped up around the narrative on Postecoglou always winning something in the second season at his previous clubs and as the pressure grew on the manager over poor form in the Premier League, success in Europe became imperative.

"Everybody knew we had to win the trophy," said defender Van de Ven, whose partnership witih Cristian 'Cuti' Romero was crucial, given the pressure that Postecoglou's AngeBall style placed on his backline.