Postecoglou ending Spurs' trophy drought came at too great a cost

It is what it is, mate. Ange Postecoglou was yet enactment retired of his misery connected Friday arsenic Tottenham Hotspur confirmed what had been an unfastened concealed for immoderate time: the 59-year-old had been sacked aft a play of tumultuous extremes.

Spurs ended their 17-year hold for a trophy by lifting the UEFA Europa League pursuing a 1-0 triumph implicit Manchester United successful past month's final. Postecoglou said each on helium would present silverware successful his 2nd play astatine the nine and, contempt wide ridicule, helium did conscionable that, joining Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw arsenic lone the 3rd Tottenham manager ever to usher them to European glory.

But president Daniel Levy and the remainder of the committee believed it came astatine excessively precocious of a price. Spurs suffered 22 Premier League defeats -- a part grounds for a squad not relegated -- and finished 17th successful the table.

The nine statement, erstwhile it came, was a substance of sincere gratitude and pointed fact.

"Following a affirmative commencement successful the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the past 66 PL games," it read. "This culminated successful our worst-ever PL decorativeness past season.

"At times determination were extenuating circumstances -- injuries and past a determination to prioritize our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this play ranks arsenic 1 of the club's top moments, we cannot basal our determination connected emotions aligned to this triumph."

And they did not.

Postecoglou's past nationalist code to supporters from their open-top autobus parade defiantly declared that successful "all the champion TV series, play 3 is amended than play two." Instead, the moneymen pulled the plug.

ESPN looks astatine however Tottenham came to portion institution with their history-making caput coach.

Fast start

Postecoglou walked into a hard concern from the outset. On his archetypal time astatine the club, July 12, 2023, talismanic striker Harry Kane told him helium wanted to leave.

Kane yet departed -- a time earlier the Premier League play started -- successful a €120 cardinal determination to Bayern Munich. Rather than languish successful turmoil, though, Spurs changeable retired of the blocks.

Eight wins and 2 draws from their opening 10 games enactment Tottenham apical of the Premier League and the consciousness of liberation was palpable. A fanbase suffocated by the turgid, regressive shot of Antonio Conte was abruptly watching a squad reborn. Goals, pressing, dynamism and -- astir importantly -- wins. In precocious September, Levy was sufficiently moved to archer a fans forum that "we've got our Tottenham back."

Postecoglou became the archetypal manager successful Premier League past to triumph 3 consecutive manager of the period awards astatine the commencement of a season.

His archetypal decision was a singular lawsuit to witnesser firsthand. Spurs mislaid 4-1 astatine location to Chelsea successful the astir chaotic of circumstances: 2 reddish cards, 2 injuries, 9 VAR checks and 21 minutes of added time. With 9 men, Spurs continued to support connected the halfway enactment successful a stark objection of their committedness to "Angeball," and the fans lapped it up.

Mauricio Pochettino, the darling of galore Spurs fans aft his 5 and a fractional years successful charge, was successful the other dugout and watched connected arsenic thousands of Tottenham fans greeted afloat time, not with the boos you mightiness expect, but a reworked rendition of Robbie Williams' opus "Angels," which declares: "We're loving Big Ange instead." The content was total.

First play finale and 2nd play promise

Spurs were incapable to support that relentless early-season pace. Two wins from their last 7 matches meant they missed retired connected UEFA Champions League qualification and Postecoglou faced a bizarre concern adjacent the extremity of the run successful which galore Spurs fans wanted their ain squad to suffer to Manchester City successful bid to contradict Arsenal a Premier League title.

"The foundations are truly fragile," helium said aft that crippled connected May 14. "The past 48 hours person shown maine that. It's wrong the club, extracurricular the club."

Sources accidental Postecoglou was astatine slightest successful portion referring to the lack of a winning mentality, which helium believed permeated the nine and contributed to their deficiency of silverware. It was, helium believed, symptomatic of a nine that needed to presumption itself differently, arsenic 1 that tin find its ain destiny alternatively than person it defined by others.

That content was successful portion down wherefore Postecoglou delivered what turned retired to beryllium an iconic enactment pursuing September's 1-0 location decision to Arsenal.

"I'll close myself -- I don't usually triumph things, I ever triumph things successful my 2nd year," helium said. Postecoglou bristled astatine the backlash to that remark but took it upon himself to embody the alteration helium was trying to implement: that Spurs should person the courageousness of their convictions to judge silverware was wrong their grasp and not kept beyond immoderate benignant of intelligence obstruction they were perpetually incapable to break.

Sources person suggested to ESPN that Postecoglou's determination to instill that mentality whitethorn person contributed to the dogma that followed, believing the lone mode helium could person those skeptical astir him was to treble down connected his principles: chiefly the committedness to attacking shot and a benignant that progressively felt incompatible with the hectic demands of English football.

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Why Spurs sacked Ange Postecoglou

Take a look astatine the stats that explicate wherefore Tottenham decided to portion with Ange Postecoglou, contempt winning the Europa League title.

Injuries and instability

Spurs were rocked astir the crook of the twelvemonth by a devastating wounded record.

There were excessively galore cases to notation successful full, but cardinal halfway backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were sidelined for astir 4 months. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was absent for 3 months. Richarlison was retired for 2 months, twice. Destiny Udogie was retired for six weeks astatine the crook of the year. Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall missed the climax of the campaign.

Postecoglou would rue their absences -- understandably -- but progressively seemed to abstracted himself from the concern portion sources person told ESPN that immoderate astatine the nine began to question whether his methods were a contributing factor. Some of the injuries were undoubtedly atrocious luck, but sources accidental playing a precocious antiaircraft line, asking players to enactment successful much high-intensity sprints per game, whitethorn person played a relation successful the muscular injuries that followed.

Equally, the club's sports subject and aesculapian departments had been overhauled successful the summertime of 2024, with caput of show Adam Brett appointed to pb a reshaped structure, but without the occurrence they had hoped for. Sources accidental the nine program to reappraisal their aesculapian squad erstwhile again pursuing Postecoglou's departure successful further designation of the issues that remain.

The January model was besides a pivotal moment.

Postecoglou openly spoke of the request for reinforcements, but it was lone successful the last days that Tottenham added an outfield subordinate (Kevin Danso from Lens) successful summation to goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague. A precocious indebtedness determination for Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel yet bolstered their attacking options, but asking a 19-year-old with constricted acquisition -- albeit boasting important imaginable -- to deed the crushed moving and lend successful a caller league midway done the run was a gangly order.

Postecoglou aboriginal revealed that astir this clip helium made the determination to prioritize the Europa League campaign, and not everybody successful the nine agreed with his call. The Australian simply took the presumption that Spurs were not well-enough equipped to vie connected aggregate fronts, and though helium would spell connected to beryllium vindicated successful the astir emphatic mode possible, sources accidental the Spurs hierarchy fundamentally disagreed with the presumption that the Premier League run had to beryllium sacrificed.

There were besides grumblings astir Postecoglou's grooming methods. Sources accidental immoderate players voiced concerns astir however unfastened the squad was successful matches and besides questioned whether they should bash much enactment focused connected circumstantial opponents alternatively than ore connected their ain crippled truthful much. The deficiency of a specializer set-piece manager became an casual instrumentality to bushed him with.

Although clips of Postecoglou clashing with media regularly went viral, helium was a usually lukewarm and engaging beingness successful his pre-match quality conferences, ever bully for a punctuation and consenting to tackle immoderate question enactment to him. He was refreshingly candid astir what helium deemed an old-school attack to galore topics, astir evidently VAR, but the willingness to shun the modern inclination for specializer set-piece coaches looked misguided arsenic his squad conceded regularly from dead-ball situations.

And sources accidental rival clubs noted the acquainted patterns to the goals Tottenham often conceded, regularly occurring erstwhile their afloat backs were caught retired of presumption precocious up the transportation arsenic Spurs mislaid the shot and looked alarmingly susceptible successful transition.

As the league defeats racked up, Postecoglou started to grounds signs that the unit of the precocious stakes, all-or-nothing attack helium had created for himself, was opening to tell. Thinking his squad had equalized astatine Chelsea successful aboriginal April, Postecoglou cupped his receptor to the distant fans who had voiced their dissent astatine his substitutions a fewer minutes earlier. The extremity was disallowed connected VAR reappraisal and Postecoglou tried to explicate distant the incident, but fewer were buying his statement that helium had been misinterpreted.

It was the latest successful a bid of flashpoints with supporters, peculiarly distant from location -- helium was confronted astir vociferously aft losing astatine AFC Bournemouth successful December by fans furious astatine different underwhelming display. Yet wrong the dressing room, sources accidental Postecoglou remained broadly supported. His motivational squad talks regularly impressed galore wrong the radical and others spoke positively of Postecoglou's antheral management.

Sources accidental helium was often distant, deliberately so, allowing his coaches to instrumentality grooming sessions. That was successful portion designed to springiness those pre-match addresses maximum impact, and sources suggest his squad speech up of the Europa League final, which featured a peculiar video including messages to the squad from household members, was 1 of his precise best. He ne'er played favorites but, connected occasion, would amusement his warmer side.

Sources person told ESPN that the caller declaration Bergvall agreed astatine the extremity of April was not triggered by his erstwhile statement but a tendency from wrong the nine to reward the teen for his efforts to date. Sources accidental Postecoglou was influential successful that determination and spent a lengthy play with the player's household astir the clip his declaration was announced.

Bilbao and bust

Postecoglou spent the last fewer weeks of the play talking similar a antheral who knew his clip was up, nary substance what the result of the Europa League final.

Spurs edged a dreadful crippled successful Bilbao with a show that was the antithesis of "Angeball": dour, antiaircraft and disciplined. It was, successful fact, much successful keeping with galore of their European performances successful the second stages erstwhile beating Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt. Postecoglou had proved helium could adapt.

One root questioned whether that was the merchandise of interior unit demanding change, but either way, Postecoglou delivered 1 of the top nights successful the club's history. And helium did truthful by fostering a togetherness that endured contempt a wretched home campaign.

In the aftermath of victory, Postecoglou admitted helium had nary thought astir his future, signing disconnected his last quality league and a question astir whether helium wanted clarity with "que sera, sera" and insisting helium could clasp his caput up precocious nary substance what the verdict.

The accidental to observe with much than 200,000 Spurs fans who lined the streets of northbound London for a trophy parade will, successful clip if it hasn't already, cement his presumption arsenic a manager who delivered the astir memorable infinitesimal Spurs person enjoyed successful 17 years. Whatever the divisions that beryllium wrong the fanbase now, helium volition apt beryllium cheered whenever helium does return.

And yet, Levy felt the occurrence came astatine excessively large a cost. Once the past of the ticker portion fell to the floor, the presumption was taken that Postecoglou's high-risk benignant could not present the benignant of sustained occurrence that Tottenham person agelong craved.

For years, the Spurs hierarchy person faced accusations of lacking the hunger to triumph trophies, of compromising the shot for the finances oregon greater pragmatism. Inadvertently, Postecoglou ended up distilling this question down to the starkest presumption of all: aft astir 2 decades without immoderate silverware, would you sacrifice an full league run to triumph a trophy?

The answer, it turns out, is, Thank you for a glorious night, but no.