Winners
I've been sitting here staring at the blinking cursor, wondering where to even begin. Perhaps the best thing to do is state the most important fact: we won the Europa League! The trophyless curse is over. Long-time servants of the club got their just reward for loyalty to the badge. And fans all across the globe got to breathe a massive sigh of relief when the final whistle blew. The lads did it!
We will always have this moment, no matter what happened in the lead-up to the final or what is yet to come in the off-season. And no one can take that away from us. The digits 1 and 7 don't change the reality of being winners in the second-most elite competition in club football.
Thankfully, we've avoided the timeline where the last league match at home against Brighton became a cauldron of toxicity, and instead get to appreciate it as one last chance to celebrate this history-making team.
In this issue: Europa League Final recap | Previewing Brighton | News from around the Lane
I really don't want to dwell too much on the implications of the Europa League title because there will be plenty of time for that in the season recap. Instead, this issue will mostly be focused on enjoying the memorable moments of the game and the victory parade. I know I won't remember too many specific actions from the game itself in the future, but the joy and pride I've felt over the past three days taking in all of the celebrations, even from afar, will live long in my heart.
On a personal note, this is the first time Spurs have won a trophy since I became a fan at the beginning of the 2018/19 season. Call me delusional, but every time this club has been in a final since then (the Men's team in the Champions League and League Cup finals, and then the Women's team in the FA Cup final last season), I held out genuine hope that we would get over the line. I know that for a club like ours that does things the right way, winning a title is far from a given, and so many people besides just the players and the manager put their heart and souls into this achievement. Hopefully, this win is just the first of many more in the years to come. I didn't have to wait as long to see the club win a trophy as many of you have, but I hope for all of us that it becomes a more regular occurrence. To dare is to do.
Europa League Final recap | Tottenham 1 - 0 Manchester United
Johnson 42'
The clean sheet scoreline is a testament to just how determined this Spurs team was to lift the trophy. They weren't going to give Manchester United even a flicker of hope. To a man, it was a spirited defensive effort that we can all be proud of.
Would it have been nice to see the team score another goal or two and play something closer to the attacking Tottenham football we always crave? Of course, but that shouldn't overshadow the clarity of purpose and commitment in the defensive performance. We don't win this final without it, playing as we were with an imperfect squad and missing several key players.
And as much as I love all-out, free-flowing football, I can appreciate a defensive moment just as much as a goal—in fact, I cheered Micky van de Ven's crucial goal-line clearance like it was a goal. The forwards and midfielders have received plenty of praise throughout the campaign, so it was only right that the defenders got to shine a little more in the final.
It also felt appropriate that one of the most unfairly (in my opinion, at least) doubted attackers produced the game-winning goal. Brennan Johnson has been on quite the journey this season, from deactivating his social media accounts because of persistent abuse to going on an incredible scoring streak that inspired the cheeky "Johnson again" chant. Perhaps the overarching message of this Europa League campaign has been to stay ready for the moment when it comes, and Johnson seized his opportunity at just the right time. Major kudos to Pape Sarr for the assist as well; he was an injury doubt leading up to the game and already under a lot of pressure to create goal-scoring chances in the absence of our actually-injured creative midfielders, and he delivered. It wasn't the prettiest goal, but as the age-old football saying goes, "they all count."
So many other players did their part in securing the narrow win, from Guglielmo Vicario's big save in the dying minutes to Richarlison's selfless work rate over 58 minutes (running until he could run no more). Destiny Udogie did his absolute best to set up a shot for Dominic Solanke after a daring run up the pitch, but the latter couldn't convert—and thank goodness we don't have to look back on that missed opportunity as a sliding doors moment. I joked about Harry Maguire's penchant for scoring in my preview, but Cristian Romero made sure to neutralize that threat, having some fun with taunting Maguire along the way.
I should probably rewind for a second and share the starting lineup, for posterity if nothing else.
Starting XI:
Ange Postecoglou's most pivotal decision with the lineup was to bench Son Heung-min, avoiding a potential repeat of Harry Kane's fate in the Champions League final in 2019. It wasn't an easy call to make, especially since Son had proven his fitness in the previous league game. But ultimately, it was the right decision; Richarlison more than justified his inclusion in the starting lineup with his box-to-box performance on the wing, and Son was able to see out the win as a substitute.
In Son's place, Romero wore the captain's armband to lead out the team. The responsibility of the captaincy has been shared capably by the members of the leadership group throughout the season, which is a testament to their value as a unit.
SAtP Player of the Match: Micky van de Ven
Although Romero got the official award from UEFA, I have to follow my gut and give my vote to Van de Ven. It wasn't just that his goal-line clearance likely saved the result and gave us fans the belief that it was finally our time; it was a stunning feat of athleticism that I won't soon forget.
As my Tottenham Depot co-host Dakota remarked, it was a moment worthy of a Nike ad. It's also a classic in the "looks like the Bundesliga logo" genre of football photography, which I feel like Micky would appreciate as an alum of the league.
And honestly, he was an instant favorite of mine from the moment I first saw him play for Spurs last season. As a former striker/winger, it's rare that I consider a defender as one of my favorite players, but the likes of Micky and Naomi Girma (forgive me for mentioning a Ch*lsea player) have changed my outlook in recent years. So I was just thrilled to see him have this standout moment in massive circumstances. I also want to manifest my sincere hope that he will be pulling off these kinds of heroics at Tottenham for many seasons to come.
Notable & quotable:
• 33 players were involved over the course of the Europa League campaign for Spurs.
• This trophy was Spurs' first title in 17 years and first in 41 years in European competition.
• The win earns us a first-ever inclusion in the UEFA Super Cup, where we will take on the winner of the Champions League (either PSG or Inter Milan) on August 13. Most excitingly, the match will be in Guglielmo Vicario's hometown of Udine!
• Cristian Romero was named Europa League Player of the Season by the UEFA Technical Observer Group. He also made the Europa League Team of the Season alongside Pedro Porro, Dominic Solanke, and Vicario.
• Solanke and Brennan Johnson tied for most goals in the competition for Spurs.
• This was Ange Postecoglou's 100th game in charge of Spurs. Poetic.
• Let's hear from the man:
I remember Daniel said, 'We've gone for winners, it hasn't worked, we've got Ange.' Mate, I'm a winner, I've won everywhere I've been. All I've done my whole career is win things.
But, whatever happens, I push on to do what I do.
• Game-winner Johnson reflected on the brotherhood in the squad that bolstered their final performance:
There are different characters, everyone from different places but what brings us together is this shirt and the manager has made it clear since we started doing that you have your family, you're related to by blood, but when we put on this shirt, that's our bond. Tonight, any player, any member of staff, any fan would have genuinely run through a brick wall to win. I know I would have. I'm so proud of everyone, it means the world.
And another Ange quote, building on what Johnson said about the togetherness of the squad:
They are forever connected now, irrespective of what their futures hold. They’re always going to be connected, they will always have the night in Bilbao, they will always have always be the ones that broke the drought and hopefully there isn’t another drought like it. They’ll always be remembered for that. I think it does bring them closer, which again as I was saying before, that’s how you create a winning culture because I am sure they want to experience it again together as a group. They want to have another moment, they want another night like Bilbao, they want to lift another trophy...
Final thoughts:
When I think about the impact of this trophy, I think about legacy and tradition. The win means so much to so many significant figures amongst the players and staff (quotes are either from the club's post-game interviews or the interviews at the bus parade):
- The young players who came up through the club's academy and contributed goals, including Mikey Moore, Dane Scarlett, Will Lankshear, and Damola Ajayi
- Brandon Austin, another Academy graduate, who stepped up when the injury crisis hit the goalkeeping ranks
- Ryan Mason, who previously managed the team in a final during a difficult season and has been a rare source of stability in the coaching staff
You could smell it, you could feel it, we were ready. I've been involved in finals before but it just felt different... Ultimately the players believed... It came down to mentality... It felt like a superiority.
- Matt Wells, grandson of Spurs legend Cliff Jones, continuing his family's legacy at the club
- Ben Davies, the longest-tenured player in the squad
It’s special. It was a really emotional moment when the final whistle went. I know I didn’t play, but it still meant everything to win for this club. It’s my club now, I feel part of the family and I was delighted to be involved... I’ve given this club 11 years of my life... The years of effort, the dedication, the sacrifices with your life, your family, it’s worth it for moments like this.
- Son Heung-min, club captain and honorary "one of our own"
I have to zero in on Sonny for a moment. A lot has been made of how he and Harry Kane both earned their first major club trophies within a couple of weeks of each other. And even though I support Bayern Munich and was happy to see them reclaim the Meisterschale, to compare that achievement with the Europa League title is laughable. But that's on a general level; on a personal level, there also can be no comparison between Kane winning the domestic league title of a club he just joined two seasons ago (expressly with the purpose of breaking his own trophy drought) and Son winning a European title with the club he's adopted as his own and stayed loyal to for ten years now. Son may not have come up through Tottenham like Kane did, but to paraphrase a Texan saying, he got there as soon as he could. And when the persistent lack of a trophy at club level tempted Kane to depart for "guaranteed" titles at Bayern (clearly not guaranteed, as evidenced by his first season in Munich), Sonny was the one who stayed, who believed that he could help Spurs win something at last. He fully earned the right to lift the trophy on Wednesday as club captain. It will have meant everything.
I will never forget this. I scored the first goal in the stadium, captain of this club, win the Europa League... what can I say. These memories. In 10 years, I've done special things that I will never, ever forget. I'm so happy.
But back to tradition. It certainly hasn't been the case in the recent past, but Tottenham Hotspur has a storied history of success. Why couldn't it be the case that we're about to embark on another such fruitful era? As Ange said on the CBS post-game show:
You’ve won one now, there’s nothing to stop you from going again.
It's doubly true with such a young squad that is nowhere near its full potential yet. Many of those young players will be feeling vindicated for choosing to join Spurs, like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and maybe even Mathys Tel if he decides to go from loan player to a permanent member. There were also older players whose experience was invaluable on the path to the trophy, some of whom were derided by rival fans and the media alike for giving up on the chance to win a trophy by joining Spurs. James Maddison made no qualms about clapping back after the final whistle, but even more circumspect players like Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski must have enjoyed being rewarded for their decision to take a chance on signing with Spurs rather than one of the perennial winners.
Even after managing the team to a title, Postecoglou's future at the club is apparently still up in the air. But the hope is that even if there is a new manager in charge next season, the players will have learned from the experience of scrapping their way to a trophy and be eager to repeat that feat again. Apologies for referencing Bayern once again, but I loved the tifo that Bayern Frauen displayed after winning the inaugural World Sevens Football title and think it would be a great rallying cry for Spurs Men as well:
Der Zug hat keine Bremse.
"The train has no brakes" (well, brake in a literal translation, but that doesn't mesh with my grammatical sensibilities). Why slow down when we are just getting started?
Like I mentioned earlier, there's going to be a lot to get into regarding the implications of winning the Europa League. Beyond granting qualification to the Champions League next season, it also affects the kind of transfer business we can engage in this summer—in a positive way. Some current players who were considering leaving before may yet decide to leave on a high note, but others may stay and recommit to the club. I'll touch on all of this in my Spurs Men season recap issue, but until then, suffice it to say that the next few seasons are looking a lot rosier with this influx of funding and enticement for prospective players.
And a quick note on the victory bus parade: I am so thankful to the club for putting as much effort and care into the live stream of the parade as they did. It would have been very easy for those of us stateside to have unbearable FOMO, but thanks to the likes of Ben Haines, Matt Tarr, and Rob Daly, we still had plenty of access to enjoy the event through the player interviews and poignant footage of the fans who were there in the streets and in front of the stadium. I couldn't get the smile off my face.
If you didn't get a chance to watch the parade live (I missed the beginning because I got the start time wrong!), it's available here on YouTube.
I'm sure there are many more things I wanted to include in this recap that I've now forgotten to mention, but the good news is that we never have to stop talking about this trophy. The win is forever!
Previewing PL Matchday 38 — Brighton & Hove Albion
No, I'm not going to do a super serious preview of this match because we all know that we'll be lucky to field a team of fully sober players, judging by the scenes from the bus parade.
Regarding player availability, Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero have both been ruled out for legitimate fitness reasons, in addition to the longstanding injuries to Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, and Radu Drăgușin. Son's foot is still not fully healed, and Romero is allegedly suffering from a toe issue (I only say allegedly because the transfer rumor mill is still turning...). Yves Bissouma may also miss out with a knock.
Brighton also have a fairly lengthy injury report, but have more motivation to field a competitive team since they still have an outside chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference League. A draw would be enough for Brighton to hold onto the 8th spot ahead of Brentford, but they still need help from other results and a Chelsea win in this season's Conference League final. This article from the BBC explains the different permutations for qualification.
So while this is a glorified victory lap for Spurs (regarding our Europa League win—certainly not our league table finish!), Brighton will be taking it seriously. As for Spurs' final placement in the standings, we could go as high as 14th with a win if Wolves lose against Brentford and West Ham United and Manchester United either lose or draw against Ipswich Town and Aston Villa, respectively. No, this is not a likely combination of scenarios.
On a pleasant note, Brighton will be giving Spurs a guard of honor before the match. Manager Fabian Hürzeler had some kind words about our EL win:
I think both teams felt a lot of pressure and in the end, Tottenham won. They played very mature, they scored one goal, and that’s why they deserved to win. Congrats to them.
I also heard that there will be former Spurs players in attendance to give another guard of honor to the current team, so I can't wait to see who that entails...
News from around the Lane
• Alfie Dorrington has won the Scottish Cup with his loan team, Aberdeen. Unfortunately, he scored an own goal, but then an own goal from Celtic's keeper Kasper Schmeichel evened the scoreline. It ended up going to penalties, which Aberdeen won 4-3. Congrats to Alfie!
• Both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen have retired from football. Vertonghen had a few old Spurs teammates at his final game to send him off:
All right, I have amassed a huge collection of photos from the trophy celebrations and bus parade, so I have no choice but to include them all here in gallery form to close out the issue.
But wait, there's more!
Plus, the hottest new meme:
Sending all my heartfelt thanks and love to the players who left it all on the pitch...
...and as always,
COYS
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