JAKARTA - Micky van de Ven said Tottenham Hotspur players wanted to win the Europa League for the manager who was being criticized, Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian manager faces growing demands to be sacked after a disappointing season -- Spurs slumped in 15th place in the Premier League.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' 2-4 defeat on the weekend was their 17th defeat this season.
The Europa League emerged as Spurs' best hope to save their season and of course for Postecoglou seats. Leading Spurs to win their first trophy in 17 years will be very helpful to keep it.
In order for that to happen, Spurs need to beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals. They will travel to the German side on Friday, April 18, 2025, early in the morning WIB, with a 1-1 draw in the first leg of last week.
"This is not our best season. Fans want us to play better, and perform better in the game."
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"When the whole team is strong, we can achieve some beautiful things - hopefully we can show it to everyone who doubts us."
"We trust the coach and the way he wants us to play. We want to win for him, but also for us, the clubs and supporters."
"We want to achieve something this season. This (the Europa League champion) is the best way to do it," Van de Ven told a news conference on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, local time.
Meanwhile, Postecoglou said he was not paying too much attention to chats about his future. He remains focused on the match against Frankfurt.
"I don't define my career based on what people think about me."
"I don't think that way. I'm not a better manager if we win this game."
"I'm not a worse manager if we lose. There's no burden on me. All I think about is that we have a big chance."
"I will not waste it without fighting desperately, regardless of my position," said Postecoglou.
Spurs will play without captain Son Heung-Min in the second leg, with Postecoglou confirming that the forward did not participate in the squad due to a leg injury.
"Sonny didn't participate. He was struggling with the leg problem. The injury was very painful. So, we decided to leave him at home."
"Sonny tried really hard. We left her on the weekend to give her time to recover, but she couldn't do it. We face challenges like this all year long, it's just a normal problem," said the manager again.
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