Ange Postecoglou on the importance of Spurs winning Europa League, his second season comments and his future | OneFootball

Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham can keep winning trophies over the coming years, after guiding the club to their first silverware since 2008.

Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game in Bilbao as Tottenham beat Manchester United to win the Europa League, and a place in the Champions League.

And Postecoglou says winning a trophy was the most important thing he had to do in his role.

“I felt, being at the club the last couple of years, it seems because of what’s happened in the history, people are quick to take shots at the club and I felt at times the club hasn’t defended itself as strongly as it should,” he told TNT Sports.

“I understand that because people have been here a long time and haven’t got anything to sort of lean on to but I’m hoping this does.

“There’s no reason now why they can’t go into next year believing they can win another trophy and build a team that consistently strives to win things.

“I think if you see yourself in that way, irrespective of the noise from the outside, that’s what great clubs do. They expect success because they’ve had it. Hopefully this takes the club forward.”

Earlier this season, Postecoglou said he “always wins things in his second season” at a club and having now done so, reflected on those comments.

“I think people misinterpreted it,” he said. “It wasn’t me boasting, it was me just making a declaration and I believed it. At the time I said it we were still in the Carabao Cup.

“I just had something inside me. More than anything else, and I know our league form has been terrible and nowhere near good enough, but us finishing third wasn’t going to change this football club. The only thing that was going to change this football club is us winning something.

“When I said that, that was my intent. I’m not afraid to declare it. If I fell short, I was ready to cop it but I believed in this side.

“That was my ambition. I could say that and I was ready to wear it if it didn’t happen.

“The reason people keep reminding me of it is because there was still a chance to do it. I was comfortable with that.”

Despite the victory, speculation persists over Postecoglou’s future with the club currently 17th in the Premier League but the Spurs boss says he wants to keep building the team.

“Whatever happens, happens.

“I said yesterday, we’re still building this team. It’s still a very young team. We need to add some experience to it, we’re in the Champions League.

“My thought process of what I’ve been trying to do this year is build a team that can be successful for four, five or six years.

“I’m the manager of the football club. That decision is not in my hands. It doesn’t affect me though. If it was going to affect me you would have seen it.

“All I cared about was this, having this around my neck, because if I di that meant this football club has won a trophy.

“I don’t feel like I’ve completed the job yet. We’re still building.

“But the moment I accepted the role, I had one thing in my head and that was to win something more than anything else and we’ve done that now.

“I want to build on that.”