Ange Postecoglou prolongs Tottenham tenure with chance to silence critics | OneFootball

Under-fire Spurs boss will hope vital victory in Frankfurt proves a real turning point, rather than another merely fleeting glimpse of success

Ange Postecoglou could not resist a final word before he left the subterranean press conference room at Deutsche Bank Park late on Thursday night.

"Unfortunately for a lot of you, you’re going to have to put up with me for a little bit longer, mate, so let’s see how that goes," Postecoglou said, in a reminder to his critics that Tottenham's seismic 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt had surely prolonged his tenure as head coach.

There is suddenly a genuine chance, too, that the 59-year-old can earn a third season at Spurs by making good on his promise to win something in his second year in charge and delivering the trophy that he has acknowledged may be the only way to unite a fractured club.

Postecoglou's claim ahead of the first leg that most people think he could be sacked even if Spurs go all the way in Bilbao on May 21 was striking, but that scenario is increasingly hard to imagine.

The cases of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and David Moyes at West Ham suggest a trophy should not always be considered a panacea for a struggling coach but, equally, Spurs can hardly afford to get ideas above their station.

Match-winner: Dominic Solanke scored the only goal of the game for Tottenham in Frankfurt from the penalty spot

Bradley Collyer/PA Wire

They are not a club with a rich history of recent success, like, say, Chelsea, who dismissed Antonio Conte after he guided them to the FA Cup or United, where Louis van Gaal suffered the same fate.

So the optics of chairman Daniel Levy sacking a coach who had delivered the club's first trophy in 17 years would be awful, and the pressure on the next appointment overwhelming.

Postecoglou is, therefore, back on the front foot after a sustained period in which he appeared increasingly besieged by a slew of rough results in the Premier League and the swirling speculation about his future at the club.

The question for the manager, though, is whether the Frankfurt tie can be a turning point in his tenure, helping to draw a line over the wretched spell preceding it or if it simply goes down as another fleeting glimpse of the sun in an otherwise gloomy season.

Certainly, there was plenty to build on over the two legs, suggesting Spurs have the quality to put their grim domestic form to one side in the Europa League.

They were technically superior to the Bundesliga team over both legs, carving out much the better chances in the tie, which might have been more comfortable were it not for a string of sharp saves by goalkeeper Kaua Santos in London.

The Brazilian was the fall guy on Thursday, however, clattering James Maddison for a stonewall penalty late in the first half, with Solanke coolly converting for his first goal in 12 matches.

More importantly, however, Postecoglou's side suggested they are made of sterner stuff than expected over the two legs.

At home, they responded to Hugo Ekitike's sixth-minute goal, which might have dented already low confidence, to dominate the rest of the game, while in Germany they dealt with the ferocious atmosphere in a defiant and committed display.

To a man, Spurs scrapped and fought to preserve their 1-0 lead, putting bodies on the line in the final 10 minutes to keep out an inevitable Frankfurt onslaught.

Postecoglou has the chance to deliver the ultimate riposte to his critics by ending the season with silverware

There was also an uncharacteristic display of pragmatism from Postecoglou, who introduced a third centre-back in Kevin Danso for forward Brennan Johnson, as Spurs saw out the final five minutes plus stoppage time camped on the edge of their own penalty box.

In Bodo in the semi-final decider on May 8, Postecoglou's side will not have to deal with another deafening atmosphere because Aspmyra Stadion only holds 8,200 spectators (less than half the capacity of Spurs' single-tier South Stand), but they will have to cope with the unfamiliar conditions of playing on a plastic pitch in the Arctic circle, as Lazio found to their cost in a 2-0 defeat there in the quarter-finals.

United or Athletic Bilbao, who would have home advantage, will await the winners in the final.

As Spurs celebrated the result in Frankfurt in front of their travelling fans, wearing a green kit, it was impossible not to be reminded of their greatest European night in modern history, their win at Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals, which is firmly part of the club's folklore.

Less than six months later, Mauricio Pochettino had been sacked as Spurs manager, a reminder to Postecoglou that these moments of release can be fleeting when the trajectory of domestic results is poor.

Still, the 59-year-old has earned more time to right the ship, and will now sense the chance to deliver the ultimate riposte to his critics by ending the season with silverware.