Would Europa League Glory Be Enough For Spurs Boss To Keep His Job?

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2024/25 season will be defined by what happens in the Europa League. With the North London outfit struggling so badly in the Premier League, it’s been this way for months and now the situation is culminating in a semi-final meeting with Bodo/Glimt before a potential final against Athletic Club or Manchester United.

While Tottenham is on course for its worst-ever Premier League finish, it has produced its best form in continental competition this season. Many predicted Spurs would exit the Europa League to high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt. Instead, they controlled the second leg away from home to emerge 1-0 winners (2-1 on aggregate).

Ange Postecoglou has rested his best players in several recent Premier League matches to give his team the best possible chance of going all the way in the Europa League, but would winning European soccer’s second tier competition be enough to keep the Australian coach in a job for the start of next season?

Reports have already surfaced linking Tottenham Hotspur with another managers. Indeed, Thomas Frank, Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva are all believed to be on the radar of the North London club. Postecoglou’s project has fallen apart over the course of the 2024/25 campaign, as highlighted by Spurs’ unprecedented league position.

Most damning for Postecoglou is that Tottenham currently looks nothing like a Postecoglou team. Initially, the former Celtic manager instilled a set of values and principles in his Spurs players that saw them play with intensity and energy at all times. Now, Tottenham is listless in the majority of its performances – see Sunday’s heavy 5-1 defeat to Liverpool.

“We are behind the manager 100%,” said James Maddison when asked about Postecoglou. “I think he’s a great man. We have had a poor season, especially in the league. We’ve been very good in Europe, but the league season has been unacceptable. He’s my manager, he’s my gaffer and I respect him an awful amount.”

What was once a promising project now looks like a team, and a manager, going through the motions until they can part ways in the summer. Europa League glory would give Tottenham supporters something to remember Postecoglou fondly by, but very few would see it as proof that he should continue in his position.

Of course, Tottenham’s problems predate Postecoglou. The issues he has experienced were also suffered by Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino before him. Spurs need an institutional overhaul before the club can reach the elite level of English and European soccer. Nonetheless, Tottenham might take its chances on a new manager being able to deliver something better.