NafisaTottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has once again reflected on his stint at Celtic, as his team prepares for the Europa League final in Bilbao.
The 59-year-old’s squad overcame Bodo/Glimt in Norway last week to secure their spot in the prestigious clash, where they will face off against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United on Wednesday, May 21.
Although both teams have had inconsistent domestic campaigns this season, the magnitude of the upcoming showdown in Spain has not been overlooked by the former Celtic coach. “A lot of the success I have had has been stuff that’s pretty significant,” said Postecoglou to Football London.
“Yokohama hadn’t won a championship for 14 years. Australia had never won a continental championship. Brisbane had never won one. South Melbourne, my first job, we hadn’t won one in seven years. Celtic was one year. Trust me, that’s a long time in Scotland. But they had to wrestle back the dominance they had for so long.
“It’s the significance of them. You know what it does to the club and to the people. When you look at the historical backdrop of this club (Tottenham), and what it has sort of been on for the last 20-odd years.
“I feel like it could be a turning point in the way that the club is perceived, but more so, how it perceives itself, which I think is the biggest thing.”
On the final itself, Postecoglou added: “It takes a lot out of you emotionally, physically on the day, I know the players obviously need to try and prepare as they always would, but you can’t ignore the fact, I mean, we’re 10 days out and today already you’ve got to start talking about it.
“So there’s a different feeling and I guess I’ve had a lot of experience in it, so I kind of know, I try and navigate that sort of fine line between trying to keep it as normal as possible, but also understanding the players that, you know what, it is a special opportunity that we need to take.
“It takes sometimes something more than just the normal to get you there.”
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