Tottenham Hotspur hopes to end a seventeen-year trophy drought on Wednesday by winning the Europa League at the expense of Manchester United. Captain Son Heung-min and coach Ange Postecoglou of the Londoners are confident for the final in Bilbao.
Spurs won the League Cup in 2008, but have not been able to add a trophy to the trophy cabinet since. The club has been close to a prize several times in recent years. Including in 2019, when the club was in the final of the Champions League. That was lost against Liverpool (0-2).
Current Tottenham captain Son was in the starting line-up at Spurs at the time. He hopes that his team will be on the right side of the score in a European final on Wednesday against Manchester United (kick-off at 9 p.m.).
“Ben Davies and I are still left from that team. This is a great moment for us. We are going to do everything we can to win this time,” Son said on Tuesday at the press conference towards the final in San Mamés in Bilbao.
The 32-year-old Son thinks that Spurs can break down a barrier by winning the first prize in seventeen years and the first European prize since 1984 on Wednesday. “They always say that the first step is the most difficult. If we take this trophy, I think our mentality can change and we can start fighting for more prizes.”
Coach Postecoglou would also like to give Spurs and in particular Son a prize. “Not many guys from Asia have lasted so long in the Premier League and have maintained their class all these years. For him it would be great to crown that with a prize.”
Final Important for Postecoglou’s Future
The trophy is not only important for Spurs for the trophy cabinet. With Europa League victory, the London club can also make up for the dramatic Premier League season.
Spurs are only seventeenth and are therefore in principle missing out on European football. But if they win the Europa League, the team will still qualify for the Champions League main tournament.
“It is unacceptable where we are in the Premier League, but this is not the time to think about that,” said Son. “Our entire season can be made up for if we win tomorrow. Spurs are not used to winning prizes, so it would be great.”
According to various English media, the Europa League final may be one of Postecoglou’s last matches as coach of Spurs. The Australian is on the verge due to the poor results.
But Postecoglou is not concerned with his future, he said with some irritation. “I don’t care. If I had been concerned with that in recent months, we would not have reached the final. Whatever happens after tomorrow: it is about the club, with which we want to do something special.”