From Ashraf Abdullah
Tottenham Hotspur have won the Europa League. On paper, that appears to mark a successful season. In reality, however, the same squad — under the management of Ange Postecoglou — finished 17th in the Premier League, just one spot above relegation.
That is not progress. That is a crisis.
Let us be clear: the Europa League is no second-rate competition. It features high-calibre opposition and requires consistency, resilience, and quality to win. Spurs earned that trophy by defeating tough European sides, and that achievement deserves respect.
But it should not serve as a smokescreen for what was, domestically, a season of unmitigated failure.
Winning in Europe is commendable, but finishing one step above the drop zone in the most prestigious league in the world is inexcusable. One cannot celebrate the former while ignoring the latter.
Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham with a promise: an identity built on “the way we play”. Fast-paced attacking football. Relentless pressing. Bravery in possession.
At first, it was refreshing. But when the system began to crack — when Spurs were caught out on the counterattack, overwhelmed in midfield, and defensively exposed week after week — Postecoglou refused to adapt. He did not adjust. He did not evolve. He simply persisted with the same script.
That is not bravery. That is recklessness.
Premier League managers cannot survive on philosophy alone. Tactics must work on the pitch, not just in theory. Look at Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta. Each of them has a distinct style, but they are pragmatic enough to modify their approach depending on the opposition, the context, and the stakes.
Postecoglou does not do this. He sets his system and sticks with it — regardless of the outcome. And this season, that approach dragged Tottenham to the edge of disaster.
Let us not mince words: Spurs were fortunate to survive. They did not climb out of danger; they barely held on. In some seasons, losing 22 Premier League matches will result in relegation.
Based on their performances — disorganised, naive, and tactically vulnerable — relegation would not have been a surprise. That is how low the club sank.
This is precisely why retaining Postecoglou is not a viable option. If he stays, nothing will change. The same tactical rigidity, the same vulnerabilities, the same downward spiral.
In fact, next season could be even worse. Other teams will improve. They will strengthen their squads. Tottenham, meanwhile, would remain shackled to a system that has already failed. If Spurs endure another full season of this, relegation will not be a distant threat — it will be a looming reality.
Postecoglou is not a Premier League-level manager. He may have enjoyed success in Australia, Japan, and Scotland, but the demands of the English top flight have exposed his limitations.
The Premier League is too fast, too competitive, too unforgiving. It brings together the world’s best players. It requires a manager who can react in real time, who can change a match with a substitution or a shift in shape, who can steady the ship mid-storm. Postecoglou has shown he cannot do any of that.
Even during Tottenham’s Europa League run, the cracks were visible. Victories often came not through tactical superiority but through individual brilliance. It was Pape Matar Sarr conjuring something out of nothing. Brennan Johnson producing a moment of magic. Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario performing heroics at the back.
That is not a sustainable blueprint. That is not strategy. It is improvisation dressed up as identity.
Tottenham cannot continue to run on good vibes. They need a proper plan, and that plan should start with the return of Mauricio Pochettino, at least in my opinion.
Pochettino understands this club. He transformed it from perennial underachievers into Champions League finalists. He developed talents like Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min.
He constructed a cohesive, fearless side capable of taking on Europe’s best. And he did so on a limited budget, all while navigating the pressures of moving into a new stadium.
Bringing Pochettino back is not regression. It is a necessary reset. It is placing the right man at the centre of the rebuild this club urgently requires.
He knows how to develop players. He knows how to unify a fractured dressing room and, crucially, he knows how to adapt.
Tottenham are at a crossroads. Stay with Postecoglou and risk slipping into the Championship, or make the tough decision now and bring in someone with the capacity to restore stability and ambition.
The Europa League trophy is a nice headline. But it does not erase what happened over 38 league matches: a manager out of his depth, a team drifting without purpose, and a club staring down the barrel of disaster.
Spurs also cannot afford to repeat the classic mistake of giving Postecoglou five or 10 matches next season to prove himself. By the time the club realises it is not working, it will already be too late.
Another campaign will be lost. Any new manager brought in mid-season will be firefighting, with no chance to properly implement his vision. This is not the time to take chances. Tottenham must act decisively and act now.
If Daniel Levy and the Spurs board truly care about the future of this football club, they must act. Sentiment must not cloud judgment.
The Postecoglou experiment has failed. There is no shame in admitting that. But there would be immense shame in doubling down and allowing this once-proud club to sink further into mediocrity.
Tottenham Hotspur are not a 17th-place team. But under Postecoglou, that is exactly what they are and what they will remain, if not worse.
Pull the plug. Bring Pochettino home. Rebuild from the ruins. If Postecoglou remains at the helm, my money is on Spurs going down next season.
Ashraf Abdullah has been a Spurs supporter since he was a schoolboy, watching on a black-and-white television the likes of Glenn Hoddle, Gary Lineker and Ossie Ardiles weave magic at White Hart Lane.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.