Why European glory may not be enough for Big Ange

A first trophy since 2008 is within reach for Spurs this evening, but their manager could yet pay the price fora dismal domestic campaign

- Miguel Delaney

Anyone who has watched Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this season might well be surprised at their camp this week. Many there have total belief they are going to win the Europa League. The group is calm, but focused. The extent of the conviction might seem unusual given recent performances, but there are rational reasons. One is their very Europa League run, as well as three wins from three against Manchester United this season. There is also the conviction of Ange Postecoglou himself, who many players are rowing in behind. “I think he proved all you guys wrong,” Micky van de Ven says.

It’s where statements like “I always win things in my second year”, as Postecoglou has insisted, can start to become so persuasive. One other factor emboldening Spurs is this season’s stirring trend of trophy droughts ending. There has already been Newcastle United, Bologna, Crystal Palace and even Tottenham’s own Harry Kane at Bayern Munich. That feeling can be contagious. Many within Spurs saw what happened at Wembley on Saturday and wondered, “what if…?”

An alternative view is that it would be vintage Spurs to defy all of this and end up losing tonight, as they go for their first trophy since 2008.

It could also be vintage Spurs in another way. The belief that they will win is only surpassed by conviction about something else. That is, Postecoglou is leaving, even if he wins.

Should that departure happen after delivering major silverware, it would only follow the precedents of their last trophy-winning managers. Both 2008 League Cup winner Juande Ramos and 1999 League Cup winner George Graham were sacked shortly afterwards. Despite successes that are now historic for the club due to their rarity, neither coach has much of a legacy at the club. That perhaps says a bit.