Ange Postecoglou 'really hard' on Tottenham players as he makes Premier League claim amid European priority | OneFootball

Spurs boss insisted he was angry with his players after heavy defeat to Liverpool last weekend

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However, they have one foot in this month’s Europa League final after a 3-1 first-leg lead over Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final, and winning silverware for the first time in 2008 would go a long way to repaying supporters for their shoddy performances in domestic competitions.

That has made for a unique end to the season for Spurs, with a succession of season-defining knockout matches in Europe.

Spurs knocked out AZ Alkmaar 3-2 over two legs in the round of 16, Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-final, and hold a two-goal lead over Bodo/Glimt ahead of Thursday’s away second leg.

It is likely to be an all-English final on May 2021 in Bilbao if they get there, with Manchester United having won 3-0 away from home in the first leg of their own semi-final, against Athletic Bilbao.

Tottenham have taken a big step towards reaching the Europa League final

REUTERS

Asked about the experience of Spurs having known for so long that their season will come down to their Europa League exploits, Postecoglou said: “I think we’ve understood that that’s the space we’re in now, for a little while. If you look at the players’ performances, if it was affecting them you would have seen that in the big games. I think they have performed really well in Europe.

“Our league form has obviously been nowhere near where it should be, and there’s a narrative around that, but I think the players have been really good at making sure this opportunity [doesn’t go to waste].

“We could have been having a great season and be third or fourth in the table and the opportunity is still the same. Whether you’re third or 16th, it’s still the semi-final of the Europa League.”

“I’d hate to think people don’t think I’ve been preparing the same I always have for these games and want to win these games. We were hugely disappointed with Liverpool, notwithstanding the fact they were outstanding all year and it was always going to be a difficult day whichever way we went.

“I was really hard on the players the day after the game. I wasn’t really sure how they would react to it, but I just felt we need to feel that pain. We’ve got an opportunity to do something special and I don’t want to let that slip because of us losing focus on what is important.”