Tottenham’s Most Glorious, Agonizing Dilemma

Tottenham just finished their worst season in decades with their first trophy in 17 years. Now, they have to make a decision about their manager.

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When you’re running one of the bigger sports teams in the world, it’s important to be able to look at the big picture and take emotion out of the equation. To not overreact to small-sample variance or recency bias. But running a sports team is also about people. And sports are ultimately about producing special, winning memories.

Last night in Bilbao, Tottenham Hotspur did just that. After 17 long years, Spurs finally lifted a trophy, ending at last one of the more notorious silverware droughts in soccer. The 1-0 Europa League victory over Manchester United also marked Spurs’ first European title in 41 years, and they additionally clinched an improbable Champions League qualification, even though Spurs finished near the bottom of the Premier League table. Manager Ange Postecoglou has now produced a moment that Spurs fans around the world will cherish forever. Iconically, he did so after calling his shot all the way back in September, when he said: “I’ll correct myself. I don’t ‘usually’ win things [in my second season]—I always win things in my second year.” The fact that he said this as manager of Spurs, a club that’s frequently been the subject of ridicule for its many nearly there moments over the years, makes the moment that much sweeter. Tottenham’s victory on Wednesday night was practically a footballing exorcism.

Postecoglou spoke on that sense of redemption after the game. “I’m really hoping it changes the way the club sees itself more than anything else. … We’ve done it now, so that’s the monkey off the back, so the club can stand tall and hopefully look at itself a bit differently. We’ve won one now, so there’s nothing stopping you winning again.” In the immediate aftermath of the final, it’s a tempting narrative to buy into. Now that Postecoglou has extinguished Spurs’ demons and given the club a taste of silverware again, you could easily write a story about Spurs building momentum from this victory and pushing on in the Premier League and Champions League next season. It’s a neat and tidy story.

But it’s not exactly that simple. Postecoglou’s Spurs have been a disaster this season in their primary competition, the Premier League, setting a club record for lowest points total and most losses across a single season. Which raises a question: Should one match define whether an organization retains or sacks its coach? In a vacuum, you’d clearly say no. But the real world we live in is a lot more gray than that.

The situation Spurs find themselves in is basically without precedent across other sports. In most sports—especially American ones—teams compete for the same singular prize at the end of the season. It’s not the most perfect comparison, particularly from the perspective of prestige, but Spurs’ Europa League run is akin to the NIT in college basketball or an NBA Cup title—championships in a second-tier competition. Ask a Milwaukee Bucks fan how they feel about their situation right now. The Bucks were NBA Cup winners, sure, but they’re reportedly on the precipice of trading their star player and starting from scratch after a playoff collapse. In most sports, a team that did as much losing as Spurs all year long would not be in a position to end the season with such a dramatic and impactful victory.

Now, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has to make a decision that you could argue is one of the most important of his tenure. For months now, as Spurs have floundered in the Premier League, it’s been a question of not whether, but when, Postecoglou would be sacked. The day before the game, Postecoglou got into a heated exchange with a reporter who wrote a piece headlined “Ange Postecoglou Teetering Between Hero and Clown With Tottenham Legacy on the Line in Europa League Final.” In the pre-match coverage for CBS yesterday, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane said that neither expected Postecoglou to return as manager next season, regardless of the result. “I don’t think he’ll be Tottenham manager,” Carragher said. “I think he’ll basically have two games left as the Tottenham manager, tonight and [Spurs’ final Premier League game] at the weekend.” Keane added: “The pressure he's been under to lose 21 games, that's hard to take.”

"I will tell you one thing, irrespective of tomorrow, I'm not a clown and never will be."

Ange Postecoglou responds to a report that he would be a 'hero or clown' depending on the Europa League final result.

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Lh0irPXe7O — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 20, 2025

But in Postecoglou’s press conference after the game, he addressed any speculation that he would walk away—at least on his own terms, as some had suggested before the match. “As I said yesterday, I still feel there’s a lot of work to be done. I think that’s quite obvious,” he explained. “But not as much work as people may think. People can bang on about 20 league defeats and where we are, but they’re missing the point of what we’re trying to build or what I’m trying to do, anyway. I really feel that tonight can be a great platform for us to kick on.”

So, ultimately, the decision will come down to Levy. Postecoglou has become an instant Spurs legend forever because of this cup run. If the game really is about glory, shouldn’t he be given another chance in both the Premier League and Champions League this fall? Is it wise to sack the manager who you could reasonably say instilled a winning mentality into a club that has been losing for a long time? It’s easy to say no in the glow of winning. But the reality is more complicated.

I’ve been a Spurs fan since I first started getting into European soccer, around the 2012-13 season. The logical part of my brain has been ready to move on from Postecoglou for several months, regardless of what happened during this Europa League campaign. The results in the Premier League week to week speak for themselves. Spurs are 17th out of 20, which should be impossible given that they are the eighth-richest club in the world. Europa League wins against Norwegian Cinderella Bodo/Glimt, German third-place side Eintracht Frankfurt, Dutch underdogs AZ Alkmaar, and the worst Manchester United team of my lifetime weren’t going to change that.

But I’d be lying if the emotional part of my brain didn’t reconsider that opinion about Postecoglou immediately after seeing their performance in the final and the ensuing trophy celebrations. We’re all human and prone to getting caught up in the most joyous, unlikely fairy tales in sports.

I mention the team’s performance in the final specifically because it may be key to Levy’s decision-making over the next however many days. Spurs defended for their lives for the final 45 minutes, even though they were totally unable to keep possession of the ball in the second half since their best midfield passers were out injured. This was a far cry from the Postecoglou team that played a comically high line against Chelsea in 2023, even though his team was playing with nine men after two red cards in that game. On Wednesday, Postecoglou abandoned his attack-always philosophy to preserve a more robust defensive shape. He brought on an extra center back in Kevin Danso to secure the defense, which had to win the match 1-0 because the attack was without its usual level of creativity.

Spurs’ performances throughout this whole Europa League run showed a tactical flexibility and commitment to winning ugly that they haven’t really demonstrated throughout much of Postecoglou’s Premier League tenure. When the team took the winners’ stage last night to lift the trophy, the players called Postecoglou over from the side to join them in the middle of the celebrations. As the Spurs players held up a sign bearing the quote that will go down as one of the ultimate called shots in sporting history, they made it clear that they're still buying in to Postecoglou's message. Two sentences that were mocked and ridiculed for much of the season as Spurs kept losing have now become both a rallying cry and victory lap baked in 17 years of history.

I watched the post-match celebrations soaked in Champagne, beer, and my own sweat alongside a few hundred fellow Philadelphia-based Spurs fans at a watch party. I threw my hands in the air when the camera cut to a smiling Postecoglou holding the trophy, even though I wanted it to be his last meaningful match in charge of the club.

This is now the ultimate battle of process vs. results. In some ways, Levy is in a no-win situation. Sack Postecoglou, and the next guy had better be successful—or else you’ll be remembered for driving out the only coach who won you something. Keep Postecoglou around, only to fire him in the middle of next season? Then you’ve wasted a whole preseason of training as well as a vital transfer window on a coach you were never really committed to. It’s hard to argue with Postecoglou’s results in this competition, but it’s easy to cast doubt on Tottenham’s process and results for the rest of the campaign. Ironically, it’s practically the same scenario their opponents Manchester United found themselves in this past season, and the club was clearly worse off for keeping Erik ten Hag before sacking him in the middle of the season, even though he had won them an FA Cup five months earlier.

In Postecoglou’s defense, it’s fair to say that Spurs haven’t played their best available lineups in the Premier League since the Europa knockouts began on March 6. Would the Premier League situation be less dire if they had dedicated their best resources to that competition? Tottenham was still 13th on March 5, with just 33 points in 27 games. You could also argue that Spurs suffered a severe injury crisis that hampered them throughout much of the season. But Spurs have had injury issues in both years under Postecoglou’s leadership, and some have theorized that they’re correlated with his high-intensity style of play. The severe drop-off in performance when Spurs have played some of their reserves also calls into question the identification and development of talent at the club.

My heart really likes Postecoglou and wants him to succeed. The club will forever be in his debt, and you couldn’t fault him for trying to fix his consistency issues with more money—$100 million extra for qualifying for the Champions League—and a trophy he can flex for potential new signings. Postecoglou has now clearly laid the decision at Levy’s feet with his post-match commentary.

“I’ll be disappointed if I can’t continue here,” Postecoglou said, before adding: “I remember when I signed, the club and even Daniel said, 'We went after winners, it didn't work, and now we've got Ange.' But mate, I'm a winner. I have been a serial winner my whole career.”

On Sunday, Spurs will take a lap of honor and parade their Europa League trophy around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The American mind isn’t built to comprehend how a team can finish 17th and simultaneously experience the best club season in almost two decades. History and a larger sample of data tell us that this is probably as good as it’ll get for Postecoglou in North London. It’s fair to argue that he’s earned a second chance; now it’s up to Levy to decide his future with the club.

But before making a decision, maybe Levy should see whether Postecoglou has any bold claims about his third season.

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