Ange Postecoglou can end Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League final against Manchester United, but even victory in Bilbao on Wednesday might not be enough to save him from the sack.
Beating United to break the silverware curse and earn a place in next season’s Champions League would be a significant moment in Tottenham’s recent history.
The north London club hasn’t won a major trophy since beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final, while their last European silverware came in the 1984 UEFA Cup.
But Postecoglou has presided over such a miserable Premier League campaign that the Tottenham boss heads to the San Mames stadium with his future hanging in the balance regardless of the result.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has not been shy when it comes to managerial changes and has already been linked with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
As speculation mounts that Postecoglou will be gone after the final, his brash boasts in September that he “always wins things” in his second season has come to define the campaign.
The 59-year-old Australian can point to titles and cups won in his second year with Celtic, Yokohama F-Marinos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne.
But those successes came far from the high pressure environment of one of English football’s serial underachievers.
Tottenham’s last top-flight crown came in 1961 and since their most recent FA Cup final victory in 1991, the competition has been won by the likes of Crystal Palace, Leicester, Portsmouth and Wigan.
The derisive term ‘Spursy’ has entered the football lexicon to describe the kind of self-inflicted wounds that so often afflict the club.
Despite a promising start, stopping Tottenham shooting themselves in the foot has proved impossible for Postecoglou.
Spurs allowed a Champions League place to slip through their grasp in the final weeks of last season and Postecoglou has never recovered.
His penchant for ultra-attacking tactics initially earned praise but it wasn’t long before savvy opposition managers were exploiting the holes in his defence.
• ’Adversity’
Postecoglou was lampooned for his naive approach by fans so often that he finally cracked during a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea in April.
He celebrated Pape Sarr’s apparent equaliser by sarcastically cupping his ear towards the supporters who had been jeering him, only for his season from hell to hit a new low as VAR intervened to disallow the goal.
That was one of 21 defeats in the Premier League this term, surpassing their previous worst top-flight loss tally of 19 in 1993-94 and 2003-04.
Languishing in 17th place with one game left, Tottenham are set to endure their worst finish since being relegated in 1976-77.
Amid the wreckage of Tottenham’s dismal domestic form, Postecoglou has steered them to the brink of European glory.
Even Postecoglou admitted the “general sentiment” was he would be sacked regardless of a Europa run that included navigating knock-out ties against AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt.
In defence of his troubled season, Postecoglou has continually pointed to his trouble patching together an injury-ravaged squad.
James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall will all miss the final in the latest series of blows.
We’ve dealt with adversity all year, particularly around our injury situation, and player availability,” Postecoglou told UEFA.com.
I have a great admiration and respect for this group of players. And I’m really hoping they’ll get the reward for that come the final.”
Echoing Postecoglou’s verdict, Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma said: “He’s like a dad or uncle for us. He’s always protecting us. Every game when we lose or win.
He’s got a top mentality. He understands football. He knows it’s up and down. He never blames players.”
Whether that faith in Postecoglou will be enough to spare him from the axe is another matter entirely.
