Spurs celebrate end to trophy drought | Postecoglou future? | 'Answers needed' for Amorim
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Welcome to Back Pages, bringing you everything you need to know about the biggest sports stories making the headlines in the morning's newspapers. I'm David Garrido and joining me are David Ornstein of The Athletic and Riaf Al-Samra of The Daily Mail. Welcome along to you both. As the old saying goes, there's only one story in town, there's only one place to start and that is in Bilbao. Welcome again to David and to Riaf. I just want, before we get into the papers guys, to get your immediate reaction to what you saw in the Basque Country tonight. David, you first.

Absolutely incredible for Tottenham Hotspur. It's an historic moment and they will celebrate long into the night and beyond. It doesn't take the questions away from the future of Ange Postakogloum. We'll come on to speak about that. By contrast, it's absolutely devastating for Manchester United as if their domestic season hadn't gone badly enough.

to finish runners-up in Europe and the financial ramifications, the footballing ramifications, it's extremely costly. And they were always the worse off if they lost this match than Tottenham, whose finances have been in a better way

and they're going to have to lick their wounds and that is a huge story at Old Trafford. It was a terrible game, truth be told. I think a few of us are relieved that it finished within 90 minutes or within the allotted time and no extra time. It's less about the actual action though and it's more about what this means to the respective clubs involved. Riyadh, let me just put a few stats to you. Tottenham Hotspur had three shots,

27.7% possession. They completed 115 passes tonight. They're all the lowest figures that Opta has on record by any team in a major European final since 2019. And on top of that, of course, 17th in the Premier League. So if they do finish 17th, 16th, 15th, then they will be the lowest ranked team to win a European trophy in terms of where they finished in the league. I suppose in a weird sort of way, that sums up Spurs this season, doesn't it?

I just saw a tweet on social media before coming on. It described it as the worst final since Game of Thrones. I take a small exception to that because I didn't actually think the finale of Game of Thrones was as bad as some people made out.

Tottenham, however, I think have sometimes been flattered this season with the occasional form. So I think they've been fairly diabolical, actually. But, you know, in these moments, you know, it's only right we look at bigger pictures. But before we do that, look, this is a beautiful moment.

for Tottenham. It's been 17 years. I think the post-Coglu aspect to all of this is absolutely incredible. The wisdom of the man that, you know, I always win in my second season. I think it's absolutely wonderful, first and foremost. But yeah, look, as a

As a match, it was absolutely horrendous. It was far worse than the Game of Thrones finale. And I think anyone who's honest should really accept that. But no, look, that was a superb moment. That's what we watch football for, those crowning moments. Look, it's not Barcelona versus Inter in terms of quality, in terms of drama. It is great.

comfortably the worst I've ever seen United play in a final. And unlike Tottenham, we've seen United play in a lot of finals. So, you know, but take into account what we talk about with football at the moment, whether it's PSR, Leicester City,

countless other scenarios we've got a handball rule that almost none of us understand anymore the game is moving and shaping in all sorts of ugly ways the same three teams that come up are always the three teams that go down but now we've got a scenario where newcastle palace tottenham have won trophies this season it's a fantastic thing i think people should enjoy it on that merit

Okay, yeah, that final point about it being the year to end the trophy wait, I guess, yes, I take your point on that. Back page of the eye features Brennan Johnson, of course, the match winner. Although, do you know what? The more and more I look at it, David, I...

You know, it's the thinnest of stud scrapes on a football, surely. And it is really all to do with Andre Nanna and Luke Shaw. And it sort of bundled itself in, really. But Brian Johnson runs off and wheels in celebration. And I wonder, I mean, you know, he is their top scorer in all competitions. If there's any element of consistency in Spurs, well, he has represented at least a modicum of that, perhaps.

Yeah, Teddy, good luck taking that goal away from Brendan Johnson. He's absolutely going to claim it and whatever bonuses come with it and adulation too, because he goes down in history as the man who delivered Tottenham their first trophy in 17 years and first European title.

silverware for a lot longer. Um, uh, the, the Manchester United defending left a huge amount to be desired. Um, and we'll come onto that in a, in a bit, uh, Patrick Dogu in particular. Uh, but in terms of your question on Brennan Johnson, he has been really consistent, uh, by the pretty low standards that Tottenham have set this season. Um, and, and since his transfer from Nottingham forest, I think he's done pretty well. However, you'll remember he was going through a period where he was getting a huge abuse, uh,

largely online and social media from so-called Tottenham fans. And it even permeated into the stadium somewhat. But Brennan Johnson has continued to do a really fine job. He attacks with purpose. He arrives, whether it's the back or front post, with really good timing. And that's why he's got a lot of tapping goals and where Tottenham would be without his goals in this already dire domestic season.

Goodness knows. And he's one of the standout performers. It will be really interesting to see what happens with him because there have been suggestions that he could be on his way. But I think the folklore that he takes from tonight may sort of prolong his stay at Tottenham. There weren't a great deal of standout performances in the Tottenham side. I thought Yves Bissouma played well, despite Ange Postakoglu saying a few weeks ago that he sort of drifts through matches. I thought he stayed very much inactive.

in the zone tonight. Mickey van der Ven, um, who was rested in preparation for this match. And that looks like a good move from Ange Postakoglu. Uh, when he plays, he is colossal. The problem is he's been injured so much. And that goal line clearance was immense. Uh, Vicario came up trumps late on, especially with the save from Luke Shaw. Uh, Andre Anana, uh, covered himself in far less glory for the opening. Well, for the only goal at the other end. Um, uh,

But I do think this is the night for Ange-Poster Coglou to take the credit he deserves. Saying that he always wins a trophy in his second season is going to be one of the main themes that comes out of this, so too his future. But I just want to pick up on the criticism that's been levelled at him, is that he won't waver from his system of all-out attack that sort of earned him the plaudits at the start with Tottenham when things were going OK. They were top of the Premier League for a period after his appointment.

But tonight, it was a really impressive rearguard action. They were very resilient at the back as Manchester United sort of poured forward in desperation for that goal. And we've seen how potent Harry Maguire can be from set pieces. It's a bit of an indictment that Manchester United have been relying on him, you know, the quarterfinal against Lyon when they should have been knocked out, really. And again, it was him tonight who was looking perhaps Manchester United's biggest threat in that final third.

but Tottenham stood up to it all. And I think it's fair to say in a poor match, a pretty dire spectacle that they were worthy winners.

Yeah, when you think about the tactics in this match, Riyadh, and given that this was not Angeball at all, you know, you had a midfield of Basuma Bentancur and Pat Mattsar, all had very, you know, laudable defensive qualities. How do you feel that that all sort of played out compared to the types that we're used to, you know, with United and with Spurs? I think the kind of part of the frustration was

if you follow Spurs closely, is going to be that variation between what they do at their worst and what they do, I'm not going to say at their best because they weren't at their best, but they can be more functional. And we saw it against Frankfurt in the second leg of the semi, of the quarter, sorry, and to a lesser extent against Bodo Glimt as well. They do have that gear in them to play defensively, which kind of,

has you asking sort of why, oh, why have they persisted so relentlessly with a style of play that hasn't worked? It's been exposed for over a year now, the high line, particularly when they have the injury situation. And you might even argue that,

Postakoglu himself contributed to that injury situation by maintaining that high intensity style when they were already down to the bare bones of the squad. But you saw it tonight. I thought first half, I wouldn't say I was overly impressed defensively, but second half when they needed to,

I thought that was actually really impressive on the defensive side of things. Now, doing that without Bergvall, who's probably their best sort of transitions player, he's their ball winner. Doing it without him, you know, I think that's a really impressive thing to be able to pull that off in a final, going in with all that pressure. But

All of that has been enabled by United. We know it's an appalling side in relation to other Manchester United sides, but there was no creativity. There was no speed. There was nothing unpredictable about them. It was almost like they were moving in straight lines.

We'll probably talk about Amram in greater detail shortly, but the decision to wait until 70 minutes to make any changes as well. I was absolutely astounded by that. I could understand the theory of starting with Mason Mount, but it was very clear early on in that game that,

He was isolated. They weren't getting him on the ball. They needed someone who could perhaps be a little bit more dynamic in possession. I thought Garnaccio, when he came on, brought about a near enough instant improvement. Why does a decision like that take 70 minutes? I've long been of the view that

that Amarim gets off criticism very lightly for a Manchester United manager with all the scrutiny that goes around Manchester United and their every cough and splutter. I think Amarim has underperformed massively. And you could always make the argument that this was a cup final that was going to define a narrative. It was going to define Poster Coglu's time at Tottenham and it was going to define Amarim's season.

Amrim has lost and they've lost in such a pathetic manner really. I think a huge lens has to go on him and clearly he deserves a summer to bring in the players who he wants to put a proper imprint on this team. But across the past six months, I've seen absolutely nothing from that team and from his management that tells me that this is moving in any way in a better direction than it was under Eric Ten Hag.

Gents, we've got to get to Ange Postakoklu. He has been speaking after the game. And the quote that I have for you is, I don't feel I have completed the job yet. I am still building. I wanted to win something. I've done that now and win to build on it, David. So it seems that he's making a clear call there to the Tottenham Hire. I could say, I still want in here. But he also said that any decision on his future is out of his hands. How do you see it now, David?

Well, he's a proud man. He's a very good football manager and the level of ridicule that he's been exposed to is quite frankly a disgrace. And yeah, he's had his duels with us in the media. So fair play. There's a bit of give and take and he's made mistakes. He's not done everything perfectly by any means. Just look at the Premier League table. Well,

but he's entitled to feel that way about what he would like to do going forward. However, the clear direction of travel, as far as Tottenham's hierarchy goes, has been to make a change this summer. And it will be fascinating to see if they follow through with that. I think it is most likely they will from an outside perspective, but they've got a bit more food for thought now. I think if they look at the evidence and that isn't just results, but sort of performances and injuries,

there's enormous room for improvement. And they feel there's a very good squad there. They've invested pretty heavily. It still needs some more work on it and they need a bit of good fortune with injuries. But yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if there's still a change there. And I don't think it would surprise Ange Postacoglu either, given some of his recent comments have kind of hinted towards or more than hinted towards

a change coming and he seems to be at peace with that. But I would expect these sorts of comments in the aftermath of such a wonderful moment for him and the club. And whatever happens now, his legacy is preserved as the history maker for Tottenham. But there are some very sort of important conversations that need to take place. And it would be an about turn if they were to stick with him because I think Tottenham

the feeling was that a change would be made this summer. Riyadh, in terms of those conversations, can you see any other outcome than, well, a parting of the ways? Does Daniel Levy, you know, we know he's a tough negotiator. We know that he doesn't suffer fools, you know, that he's got his mind set. But is there any way that Ange Postacoglu can change it? I think perhaps the worry for Ange Postacoglu right now is that if ever there was...

a chairman executive figure who could detach emotion from a situation and look at cold hard numbers it's probably Daniel Levy and they've lost 21 games this season and I think going to what we were saying in the first part

That difference between their ceiling and the floor is a problem. You know, you'd think with good coaching, you'd be able to bring those two levels closer together. And for a year now, we've seen that Postakoglu hasn't been able to find a solution for that. I think it's a tricky one. Yes, I can see them staying because they've just won their first trophy in 17 years. You know, if you are going to...

If you are going to give in to warm and fuzzy feelings, it's going to be a moment after that. And again, I wouldn't personalise this too much, but I've been getting messages from my 11-year-old nephew, Ben, who is as trenchant, as Spurs fan as they come. And he was very much Anjin for a long time. And even after the final, he says it's only a maybe. So, look, it's going to be a very emotive issue for Tottenham because you can't just ignore the fact that so many managers and good managers are

great managers have come and gone. Conte, Mourinho, they weren't able to bring a trophy. Postacoglu has. That doesn't count for nothing. But if you're Daniel Levy, and I'd argue as well, if you're most rational people, you look at a pattern over a very long period of time and Tottenham haven't significantly improved. And in the league season, they have got worse. So I would worry for Ange in this scenario. Yeah.

Gents, we're very short on time, but David, we're now for United. How much of a setback is this for the rebuild under Amram going forward? Huge blow for their financial situation, their football side as well. Only the second time in recent history outside of Europe. I guess there's a couple of upsides. They don't have to pay Champions League or European qualification bonuses to their players, so their wage bill should not rise. They get some training time during the weeks.

and they've got an opportunity, I guess, to rebuild, but let's not disguise that this is a crushing blow for them and for Ruben Amorim. If you thought it couldn't get worse at Manchester United, well, it just has tonight, and so big questions and answers needed from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Glazers, and the hierarchy at the club. This is a massive job for Amorim to turn around. I think he will continue, but...

if they thought their summer was going to be hard, it just got a whole lot harder in terms of recruitment and turning this struggling juggernaut around. And Riyath, yeah, maybe you can speak to that point about the just continuing malaise around the club. This was the opportunity for at least a small reset, wasn't it? And they missed that chance. Absolutely. Nothing like a trophy to go and change the narrative, change the mood.

at our club and this summer now is absolutely it's huge for United I look at that side I think they need a striker I think we can all you know we can we we we can all see that Hoyland's struggling up there maybe he needs someone to take the burden off him and he can grow into it he's a young player is Inanna up to the job of being a Manchester United goalkeeper I think he

You know, that's a debate we've been having for a very long time. They've got holes to fill in midfield. That entire club, both metaphorically and on the pitch, it needs a spine. Amorim's job now is he's got to go out there. He's got to put a mark on recruitment. They're going to stand by him. They've made a big fight to get him. They got him in ahead of the schedule that he wanted to set for himself. Now they've got to back him in the summer.

And from there, he's got to show what he can do. Like I was, as I was sort of, sort of,

sermonizing in part one. I don't think he's performed well at all. I think he's under enormous pressure to deliver in the early part of next season. But you're absolutely right with United. It's just this permanent fog around the club. I don't think any of us could objectively believe that it's lasted for this long for all of the amount of money they've spent on it. And the blame for this is far wider than the Glazers.

Really, really quickly David, Spurs back in the Champions League, where do they need to strengthen and what form could that take?

I think they need more firepower to sort of support Dominic Solanke to weigh in with goals from wide areas. Son is now into his 30s, so let's see what the future holds for him. But this is maybe an unexpected opportunity to be back at the top table of European football. £100 million, the estimates are, at least, that this will bring in terms of a windfall. And so suddenly there's positivity around them and Ange Postakoglu for the time being.

Fantastic. Gents, thank you very much indeed for your company this evening.