- 24/05/2025
Postecoglou denied he was a clown ahead of Tottenham's Europa League final against Man Utd
20/05/2025
Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain
Uefa25 europa league final Tottenham - Manchester Utd
20/05/2025
Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain
Uefa25 europa league final Tottenham - Manchester Utd
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hi there Ange. Can we just start off first of all with Team Mews and if Lucas Bergvald is available to play?
00:11Team Mews is pretty much the same as last week. No, Lucas isn't available. So I'm pretty much the same as we were as of last week.
00:22Ian, please.
00:23Hello Ian Dennis, BBC 5 Live. I was struck by your story the other week about the Stonecutters creed and it's not quite 101 games but it is still a significant milestone for you.
00:40It's your 100th match in charge and I just wonder how would you assess the impact that you have made in the last two years?
00:48Yeah, hopefully that 101st blows tomorrow mate, not on Sunday.
00:52Anyway, it's hard to sort of kind of contextualise sort of the challenges of the last couple of years.
01:04I guess from my perspective, you know, I came into the club with some pretty clear objectives about what the priorities were for the club in terms of taking over.
01:15Try it as hard as I can to kind of stick to that process of getting the club to a position where, you know, they can challenge for trophies and at the same time rejuvenate a squad and change the playing style.
01:33Well, it's been a fair assignment and without its, you know, plenty of challenges along the way.
01:40But I guess with such a sort of big game tomorrow, there is an opportunity to kind of fulfil at least the main task I was sort of given and that is to bring trophies to the club.
01:55Just two quick ones actually. I want to check Pat Matassar then presumably.
02:02He's fine mate.
02:03He's fine. And secondly, just ask the players, Sonny and Poirot, about the barbecue they had.
02:08Apparently you were quite keen on the players taking part in this kind of little bonding thing together at the training ground.
02:13Just wanted to ask about that.
02:14No, it was player driven. Mate, I'm an Aussie. I'd never say no to a barbecue so they didn't have to twist my arm.
02:23But no, no, it was player driven. The boys felt it was a good time for them to sort of just have a kind of relaxing afternoon.
02:31We have the luxury at the training ground of a really nice sort of barbecue area.
02:38Unfortunately, I had to fulfil my commitments with you guys, so I missed the best of it.
02:44But they're the sacrifices I have to make, mate.
02:48Why play Norway?
02:50It's of course a big and huge occasion.
02:53Two things, Champions League qualification and the trophy.
02:57But what would be the biggest thing?
02:59Is it to win the trophy itself or to qualify for the next season in Champions League?
03:02As you said, I mean, great prize.
03:06You know the significance of Champions League qualification, what it means for every football club to get into the Champions League.
03:14It's, you know, there are the obvious benefits, but also you get the opportunity to play against the best in the continent.
03:21But the club's been in the Champions League before.
03:25Hasn't won a trophy for a long time, so that's the most important bit.
03:28Hi, Ange.
03:32If you win tomorrow night, this is going to be remembered as one of the best seasons in the club's modern history.
03:38But kind of conversely, if you lose, it might be remembered for one of the worst league seasons in the club's modern history.
03:44I just wondered if you're kind of conscious that you're walking a fine line between kind of two very different types of infamy in history, really.
03:54That depends on your outlook, Dan.
03:55But I'll tell you one thing, irrespective of tomorrow, I'm not a clown.
03:59I never will be, mate.
04:00And you're really disappointed that you would use such terminology about a person who, for 26 years, without any favours from anyone who's worked his way to be in a position where he's leading out a club in a European major competition,
04:13for you to suggest that somehow us not being successful means that I'm a clown, not really sure how to answer that question.
04:25Good evening, Mr. Postacollum, Simone Eterno, Eurosport.it.
04:29You played Manchester United three times this season and you defeated all the three times.
04:35I'm kind of curious to understand, do you feel more pressure about this because you already did that and now you feel that you have to do it again?
04:42Or is it something that makes you more confident because you actually did it so you can do it again?
04:47Which one is more confident or pressure?
04:50Neither because it's a final and you know that those kind of things aren't important.
04:54I mean, if we had have lost all three games, your question probably would be, do you feel the pressure because you can't beat them?
05:00So, what I do know is, and I've been in this situation a few times in my careers in the big games, even your form going into it, even if you've got terrible form and there's been plenty of competitions where you go into it, it doesn't matter.
05:12What matters is how the players cope with the occasion tomorrow, how they cope with understanding the importance of the game.
05:21So, from both clubs, you just don't know how players will react to such a big occasion and, you know, my role in that is to try and prepare the players in the best possible way and also to prepare the players for Manchester United to be at their best.
05:35That's what you have to prepare for and if you prepare that way and then you go out there and sort of play to the potential that you can and you give yourself an opportunity.
05:44But I don't think it really matters what you've done before against any opposition when it comes to big games.
05:51Maybe in the league, it's a bit different.
05:53But I think in a big, important final, everything gets decided on the day.
05:59Here, in back, João, here, here.
06:04At the front first, please.
06:07I thought you were throwing your voice there for a second.
06:09Ange, a lot of people seem to think this might be your penultimate game in charge.
06:15What do you think?
06:17Does it matter?
06:18Does it matter, really?
06:20It doesn't matter because the reality of it is the opportunity is the same for me and, more importantly, for the club.
06:30You know, I've said before, whatever happens beyond tomorrow is kind of irrelevant when you think about the opportunity that exists right now
06:41and that is to provide something special for this football club and for the supporters and for, you know, everyone who's worked so hard,
06:52not just this year but for the last, you know, however years, you know, 15, 16 years has been for a trophy
06:59and 41 years for a European trophy.
07:01You know, I think that, you know, if I was worried about my tenure at this football club,
07:10I'd be fair to say we wouldn't be in this position because I would have been distracted long ago.
07:14I'm pretty good at just sort of making sure that all my focus is on, you know, giving this football club the best opportunity it has had for a while
07:24to do something special and whatever happens after that, mate, I'm very, very comfortable that I'll continue on trying to win trophies wherever I am.
07:42Now here.
07:43I'm João Barreto from Cazete V. We are from Brazil.
07:49I wanted to ask you about Richarlison.
07:53What is the difference when he plays and when he doesn't?
07:59What the team gains with him?
08:02And I heard that you came to Brazil, like years, and you became a Vasco fan.
08:11Is it true?
08:15Yeah, I have to be careful about, you know, who I support because maybe I'll coach in Brazil one day and they'll tell me
08:21and I end up, I don't know, at Corinthians or something and it'll cause me problems.
08:27Yeah, no, firstly, Richie, so pleased for him because he's had a tough time, Richie, not just this year but since he's been at Tottenham.
08:40You know, he's had some injury problems.
08:41He's never really had a stretch of games but, you know, and it's been very tough on him both physically but also emotionally but he's in a really good place now.
08:52Physically he's in, you know, he's worked really hard on his fitness and, you know, he plays with so much passion and determination, Richie.
09:04You know, every time he plays he just gives 100%.
09:07He has quality as well and it's great to have him in the team.
09:13I think, you know, for us he provides something different to our other attacking players.
09:19He's already made a big impact for us in the Europa Cup and particularly in the semi-final and just really pleased for him that through all the difficult times he's had,
09:31he's now in a place where he's fit, he's available and, you know, he's excited about contributing and, yeah, I've always loved Brazilian football.
09:40I actually played against Vasco da Gama in 1985.
09:42They came to Australia and Roberto Dinamit was playing at the time and I got his shirt and I still have it.
09:51So, every time I visited Brazil there's always an association with Vasco.
09:58Obrigado.
10:00Coach, good evening.
10:01Alexanus Xenikakis from the Antenna from the Antenna.
10:04Where are you?
10:04Here, in the Bath.
10:07I would like to ask you a more personal question.
10:09You're the first Australian, but you're the first Australian, who will propose a team in the end.
10:14What are your emotions in the last few days?
10:17You write the story about the Greek football game.
10:20If you want to ask us two questions in the Greek, I'll answer the question in the English.
10:23The question is about your personal thoughts.
10:26You are the first Australian and also Greek guy to coach a team in the European final.
10:34Yeah, I'm very proud of that because I think...
10:39You know, it's kind of what I was saying before, that just, to me, to be in this position where I've come from.
10:45You know, I was born in Greece.
10:46I'm very proud Greek.
10:49My father made sure that, you know, I understood where our roots were and what it means to be Greek.
10:58And I've carried that through my whole sort of life.
11:02And I grew up in Australia and, you know, in the other side of the world where football, unfortunately, you know, wasn't a prominent sport.
11:14But my father, he took his love of football from Greece to Australia and he worked really, really hard.
11:21As I've said before, many times, my mum and my dad, they left their home country, their family, everything they knew for their kids, you know, for me.
11:31And I hold that dear to my heart.
11:35And he's not with me today, but he is with me all the time.
11:40So I feel it very strongly, you know.
11:43I feel, you know, I love being Greek.
11:46I love that I was brought up in Greece.
11:48It's, I think, where I'll retire one day.
11:50And I love that I grew up in a country in Australia where even though football wasn't, you know, a big sport, when you grow up in Australia, you also have the attitude that when it comes to sport, you'll take on anyone, doesn't matter how big or small they are.
12:14And I'm proud of my roots in both.
12:17So, for this, I'm a part of my roots in the world.
12:21We made it.
12:23Hi, Ang.
12:25I want to ask how important Captain Sonny has come back from injury.
12:29Like, how much do you trust him and how his experience can motivate to the younger players in squad?
12:36Yeah, massive to get Sonny back.
12:38You know, we were a little bit worried when he picked up the injury because we just weren't sure, you know, how long he was going to be out for.
12:45But he worked so hard to make sure he was back.
12:49And really pleased the other night to see him, you know, play 60, 70 minutes.
12:55And you can see his sharpness is coming back.
12:59But he's so important to the group.
13:02He's so important as a leader.
13:05He's such an important figure at this football club.
13:07And, you know, it's a big motivation and driver for all of us, including me, to give him a trophy that his career deserves.
13:18You know, because, again, he's a guy who's come from the other side of the world.
13:21Not many players have come from Asia.
13:22And it's stayed in the Premier League, the top league in the world, for so long, maintaining that excellence.
13:31And it would be great to kind of, you know, cap that off with a trophy for him.
13:37But he knows and we all know that we've still got to do the work.
13:42He's been in this position before, obviously, with the Champions League final.
13:44So he has that experience.
13:45I'm sure he'll pass that on to the players.
13:47We've only got time for two more.
13:48So we'll go Dave and then finish with Alex, please.
13:51Hi, Ange.
13:51Over here.
13:52Over here, Ange.
13:53Oh, sorry.
13:54Just following on from what you said to Matt, we've spoken to quite a lot of the players in the build-up to the final.
13:59And they're all very conscious about, you know, the subject of your future.
14:03I just wondered, have you had to address that with them as a group?
14:08No.
14:08No, because I think, again, that would be not really helpful in what is before us right now.
14:21Now, I've said to the lads from day one, you know, it's – nothing is guaranteed in life.
14:29Nothing is guaranteed in sport.
14:31So you've just got to try and make sure you take every opportunity before you, and that's what I've done my whole career.
14:38I've been in this position before where, you know, the big game was the last game I managed.
14:45It's not unusual territory for me, and I've always navigated that pretty well because, you know, for me, nothing is more important than my responsibility to this football club to –
14:59and it's fans that tomorrow, me and the players' minds are only on one thing, and that is trying to create something special.
15:09Well, I mean, I qualified for a World Cup.
15:12I left.
15:13Won the treble with Celtic and left, so.
15:17Alex, to finish, please.
15:18Won at Brisbane.
15:19I left.
15:20It's actually more common, you think, so.
15:24That sort of leads on to my question, actually, Ange, because I think the assumption is that your future will be decided
15:28purely by the hierarchy in the football club.
15:31My future is assured, mate.
15:33Don't – like, I'm not – wouldn't be the first person who changes jobs, mate.
15:38We all change jobs.
15:39I'm sure you've had more than one job.
15:40My future's assured.
15:41I've got a beautiful family.
15:43I've got a great life.
15:44I'll keep on winning trophies till I finish, wherever that is.
15:48So don't worry about my future, mate.
15:49My future is not entwined with anything.
15:54Right?
15:54My future is assured, you know.
15:56Provided, God willing, my health remains and my beautiful family is beside me and my friends.
16:01There's nothing wrong with my future, mate.
16:03Don't stress, mate.
16:05Sleep easy at night.
16:07I'll make it.
16:07I will try.
16:08I'll be okay.
16:09I will try.
16:09But I meant specifically at Tottenham.
16:11Is there a scenario where you win the trophy and you think, actually, my job is done here?
16:16No, because I don't think my job is done here.
16:19I really feel like we're building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerates that.
16:28So I still think there's a lot of work to be done.
16:30That's quite obvious with the way we've sort of, you know, the challenges we've had this year,
16:35which I think are well chronicled.
16:37But, you know, I think there's some reasoning in the context of that.
16:42But also there's been some growth that I'd like to see through.
16:45But, you know, whether that happens or not is not that important right now.
16:50But I don't think, you know, far from think this job's finished.
16:54And I certainly feel like, you know, there's some growth there that we can take this club to where it needs to be.
17:03Thank you very much.
17:04Thank you very much, everyone.
17:05That concludes Tottenham Hotspur's pre-match press conference for the UEFA Europa League final.
17:10There'll be an open training session starting at 5.30 on the pitch.
17:14Then their opponents, Manchester United, will do a walk-around at 7pm and their press conference will start at 7.30.
17:20Thank you very much.
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