“If it’s so easy to get to a final, then why doesn’t everyone who finishes in the top three do it?”
In Norway, boss Ange Postecoglou took aim at Tottenham’s critics after they reached the Europa League final as he remained on course to continue his record of winning a trophy in his second season.
Spurs eased past Bodo/Glimt 2-0 in the second leg of their semi-final in the Arctic Circle to complete a 5-1 aggregate victory on Thursday.
Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro sent Spurs to the final, where they will face Manchester United in Bilbao on 21 May.
Tottenham are 16th in the Premier League after a poor domestic season and are chasing their first major trophy since 2008.
Postecoglou has come under huge criticism for Tottenham’s form, despite losing a number of senior players to injury. They won in Norway without James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall – both out for the season – with Son Heung-min also missing.
At times he has been mocked after stating, accurately, he wins trophies during his second season at a club.
In the Aspmyra Stadion, minutes after seeing his team reach the final, he came out fighting again.
“It’s going to upset a lot of people isn’t it,” Postecoglou said. “The debate’s now raging. The latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they’re just going to take a team photo because we’re not worthy.
“I mean, who cares if we’re struggling in the league? It’s a separate thing. It’s got nothing to do with league form.
“I couldn’t care less who’s struggling and who’s not. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there.”
It is Tottenham’s sixth European final – their last was in 2019 when they lost to Liverpool in the Champions League.
Since winning the 2008 Carabao Cup Spurs have lost three finals and been beaten in three semi-finals. They have also reached four FA Cup semi finals without progressing.
The club has not lifted the Europa League in 41 years, since beating Anderlecht to win what was the Uefa Cup at the time.
“I’ve said all along that this is important,” Postecoglou continued. “What’s happening now is people are fearing that – that it actually might happen, and let’s see how we can tear it down somehow and diminish it somehow by saying it’s been a poor season and we don’t deserve this or we don’t deserve that, or somehow comparing us to Man United.
“Maybe if we had Man United’s success then maybe I’d have a different view. So, of course it’s massive. Of course it is, because you have to frame it against what this club has been through over the last 15 or 20 years and what the supporters have been through.
“We’ve given them some real hope and something to dream about that we can do something special this year.”
