If Tottenham Hotspur are popularly known for one thing in recent times, it is ending the season without silverware, which has made them the subject of intense banter.
One has to go back to the 2008 EFL Cup final when they beat London rivals Chelsea as the last time they won a trophy. Since then, they have finished second in the Premier League in 2017, and reached the UEFA Champions League and EFL Cup finals in 2019 and 2021 but lost both.
The North London outfit are back in another final, this time the UEFA Europa League, and will battle it out with Premier League rivals Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday night.
It’s Europa League final matchday
Let’s do this together
pic.twitter.com/CnySZfvncO
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 21, 2025
This final hits differently because club manager Ange Postecoglou bragged back in September that he always wins a title in his second season.
“I always win things in my second year. Nothing’s changed. I’ve said it now. I don’t say things unless I believe them,” he said after the 1-0 loss to North London rivals Arsenal.
The Australian tactician was not bluffing with that statement having done that in stints with South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar in his native Australia and the Japanese league with Yokohama F. Marinos.
He also won the Asian Cup two years after becoming Australia boss and the Scottish Premiership in both seasons with Celtic.
Tottenham’s season is generally not one that fans will want to remember, especially in the Premier League where they are set to finish in a dismal 17th spot after losing 21 games and winning just 11.
Such disappointing form would have gotten any manager shown the exit door let alone a team like Tottenham, one of the biggest teams in the Premier League and in the world, valued at $3.2 billion per Forbes.
Postecoglou must therefore defend his comments of winning trophies in his second season. Otherwise, he might be gone in the summer as reported by multiple media outlets.
Tottenham’s Europa League campaign is the only positive to their inconsistent season. They began with a 3-0 home win over Qarabag in the league phase followed by wins away at Ferencvaros (2-1) and at home against AZ Alkmaar (1-0).
The next three games were without a win, losing 3-2 at Galatasaray, followed by a 2-2 draw against AS Roma and 1-1 draw with Scottish giants Rangers.
Spurs were, however, able to bounce back in their final two league phase games with a 3-2 win away at Hoffenheim and a 3-0 home win against Swedish side Elfsborg to finish fourth in the standings behind Lazio, Athletic Bilbao and United.
The 2024/25 #UEL league phase
pic.twitter.com/BGnoQwzie1
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) January 30, 2025
The knockout phase was not all that easy for Postecoglou’s side as they lost 1-0 at AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the round of 16 but bounced back to win the second leg at home 3-1.
The quarter-final was equally tough, drawing 1-1 at home with 2022 Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg before securing a hard-fought 1-0 win in the return leg in Germany, courtesy of a Dominic Solanke penalty.
The semi-final against Bodo/Glimt was expected to be a tough one, particularly as the Norwegian giants had knocked out one of the Europa League favourites, Lazio, in the previous round.
Spurs, however, had no trouble against them, winning the first leg 3-1 at home followed by a solid 2-0 victory in Norway to go through 5-1 on aggregate.
Two goals
Tottenham’s perfect performance in Bodø is named #UELPOTW
pic.twitter.com/SPYeauIu80
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 9, 2025
The stage now is set for Postecoglou and Tottenham to silence the naysayers, but standing in their way is a Manchester United side equally desperate to win the Europa League after a poor season as well.
Spurs have already beaten United thrice this season, a 3-0 win in the league at Old Trafford followed by 4-3 win at home in the EFL Cup quarter-finals and a 1-0 win in the return league fixture at home. The Red Devils are however unbeaten in the Europa League this season
Postecoglou’s side has been blighted by injuries to lots of key players for much of the season. The likes of Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall will miss the final in Bilbao, but the Australian has the likes of captain Heung-Min Son, midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and his preferred backline of Pedro Porro, Cristian Ronero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, at his disposal.
Most of these names were rested in last Friday’s penultimate Premier League game against Aston Villa, meaning they will be fitter and fresher compared to United, who used a number of key players and still lost 1-0 to former title rivals Chelsea.
Tottenham have their destiny in their own hands, especially with automatic Champions League qualification next season at stake, and must do everything at their disposal to make it count as another golden opportunity to win silverware might be far away.
