Postecoglou Wants Ambition from Tottenham After Europa League Success
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has urged the club to show ambition after ending its 17-year trophy drought as he awaits a decision on whether he will stay on for a third season at the English team.
Tottenham claimed its first piece of major silverware since 2008 by beating Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final last month, earning in the process a spot in next season's Champions League.
Postecoglou remains in the dark about his future, though, with his status affected by Tottenham's 17th-placed finish — its lowest since the Premier League was founded in 1992.
In an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp. published Monday while on a family holiday in Greece, Postecoglou said he hasn't wanted to let the club 'just enjoy the moment' because he 'wanted us to think about what's next.'
'Don't settle for this,' he told ABC's Australian Story. 'We've got a taste of it now. My players have got a taste for it. The club's got a taste for it. Well, let's make sure we're back here again.'
Those comments explain why, during Tottenham's trophy parade, the 59-year-old Australian declared in front of tens of thousands of fans in north London: 'Season three is always better than season two.'
However, away from winning the Europa League, Tottenham has been on a downward trajectory in the Premier League since the team's strong start to Postecoglou's first season in charge.
This season, he clearly made Europa League success the priority over results in the Premier League, rotating heavily and protecting the fitness of various key players.
Tottenham lost 22 of its 38 league games and that woeful record has increased the scrutiny and pressure on Postecoglou.
'That was when the laser focus came in,' Postecoglou said when explaining why he essentially sacrificed the league. 'Every decision I made was around, 'Well, how do we navigate this to get to where we want to?''
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Spain into last four of Women's Nations League after 2-1 win over England
BARCELONA: Spain's Claudia Pina came off the bench and scored twice as the reigning Nations League champions came back from a goal down to beat England 2-1 on Tuesday and claim victory in Group 3, booking their spot in the last four of this year's competition. With Germany and France having already secured victory in Groups 1 and 2 respectively and Euro 2025 only a month away, world champions Spain and European champions England met to decide their group in an intriguing clash of styles. Spain piled the pressure on from kickoff, striker Esther Gonzalez forcing England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton into a superb one-handed reflex save early on, and the England defense struggled to deal with the slick passing and movement of the hosts. However, Alessia Russo gave the visitors the lead against the run of play in the 22nd minute. With the Spaniards pleading for a free kick for what they saw as a foul on Salma Paralluelo, Keira Walsh played the ball in behind for Russo, and she scored with a well-taken finish. Rocked by the goal, the hosts had plenty of possession but created little in the way of dangerous chances until Pina entered the fray in the 58th minute. She equalized less than two minutes later by flashing a shot across Hampton and into the net as England were punished for losing possession when trying to play out from the back. With Euro 2025 due to start in a month's time, the 23-year-old Pina staked her claim for a starting spot by getting the winner 10 minutes later, curling home a brilliant dipping effort that left Hampton helpless. The win moved Spain to 15 points from six games, five ahead of England. England captain Leah Williamson was disappointed with the result and noted that there was work for her side to do ahead of the Euros. 'We didn't have any real threat. Under that much pressure against the top sides, that's what happens. We just have to be better on the ball and find solutions quicker. A great lesson,' she said. 'We know what we are capable of. The game changes constantly, we have to adapt a bit quicker. We have time to build and time to push ourselves before the start of the tournament.' In the evening's other decisive game, Sweden raced out to a 3-0 lead after 11 minutes against Scandinavian neighbors Denmark, eventually winning 6-1 to book the remaining spot in the Nations League semifinals by winning Group 4 with 12 points, two ahead Italy, who thrashed bottom side Wales 4-0.
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Man United captain Bruno Fernandes rejects $135m Al-Hilal transfer deal, UK media reports
BEIRUT: Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes reportedly turned down a lucrative offer to sign for Saudi Pro League powerhouses Al-Hilal, for 'family and personal' reasons. Though there had been no official word from Al-Hilal about any approach to the player, several British media outlets reported on Tuesday that the 30-year-old rejected a massive deal said to be worth £80 million-£100 million ($108 million-$135 million). BBC Sport said the Portuguese midfielder spent the past few days 'seriously' considering an offer that would have more than doubled what he earns at Old Trafford, where he is already one of the top earners. Having discussed the deal with his family, however, Fernandes told the Saudi club he would not be joining them. Portugal were preparing on Tuesday for their Nation League semifinal against Germany on Wednesday, and with Fernandes expected to participate in the prematch press conference in Munich, it was thought the question of Al-Hilal's interest in him might be raised. Man United were said to be thrilled and relieved by his decision to stay with the club. Head coach Ruben Amorim had said last week that he believed his captain would remain at Old Trafford for the forseeable future. According to the British media reports, there was no direct communication between the two clubs, so United were never presented with any official offer from Al-Hilal that they could turn down. However, the stories suggested the Saudi side were willing to offer Fernandes up to £100 million to sign in time for the FIFA Club World Cup, while will take place in the US between June 14 and July 13. The Mirror newspaper quoted former United star Rio Ferdinand as saying he was delighted that Fernandes decided to remain in England. 'I've got to be honest (it's) the biggest news for me today,' Ferdinand reportedly said on his podcast. Sky Sports said that Al-Hilal offered Fernandes £100 million to join and were willing to almost treble his £250,000-a-week wages, and his decision to turn them down was thought to be both a football and personal one. It was also reported that the player's agent, Miguel Pinho, had visited Riyadh for talks with senior Al-Hilal executives but this could not be independently confirmed. said Fernandes rejected an 'eye-watering' £700,000-a-week move after discussing it with his family and coach. Former United right-back Gary Neville told Sky Sports the transfer would not have been a bad deal, financially, for the Old Trafford club but added: 'He's so important. The fact that he wants to stay, the fact that he wants to go through this and come out the other side — because it would have been easy for him at the end of this season to say, 'Look, I'm done here' — will endear him towards Manchester United fans even more.' Al-Hilal often shares important news through the club's account on social media platform X but there had been no mention of any potential offer to Fernandes.
Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
Vast majority of Brits want full arms embargo on Israel: Poll
LONDON: Around 80 percent of the British public support a full arms embargo on Israel, and just 16 percent oppose expelling the country from the UN, according to a poll conducted by Opinium. Around three-quarters of respondents want public sector pensions to disengage from investments linked to Israel. The findings come in the aftermath of Co-op members voting at their annual general meeting last week for the supermarket to stop selling Israeli products. Two-thirds of those surveyed by Opinium back similar boycotts by other UK supermarkets. Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said in a statement: 'The polling … speaks to Israel's growing isolation and the significant public support for sanctions. 'By continuing to arm and support Israel even as it enacts a genocide and a policy of forced starvation, the British government is holding on to an increasingly fringe position, completely out of sync with public opinion, and with the views of those who supported it at the last election.' On Wednesday, thousands of activists are set to form a kilometer-long cordon around the Houses of Parliament in London, linked by a stretch of red fabric, to call for an end to UK military aid to Israel and the imposition of sanctions on the country. Jamal said: 'Those bringing the demand for an arms embargo to Parliament … in a symbolic red line are doing so knowing that the demand is supported by the majority of their fellow citizens.' The PSC said in a press release: 'For nearly 3 months Israel imposed a total blockade preventing all humanitarian assistance, resulting in deaths by starvation, widespread malnutrition and hunger amongst 2.3 million people. 'Israel has now imposed a severely limited and militarised aid operation, condemned by international aid organisations, that has resulted in scores of Palestinians being shot dead as they search for food.'
