Ange Postecoglou has responded to criticism of his management style, asserting: "I'm not a pilot." He vowed to continue to win trophies wherever he went amid speculation about Tottenhams future.
Spurs will aim to end a 17-year wait for a major title in the Europa League final against Manchester United. This title will help save Tottenham from a disappointing season. They have lost a record 21 Premier League games and are currently 17th.
Sources told ESPN that Postecoglou is facing a tough battle to keep his job. The match against Man United could define the 59-year-old captain as a "hero or a player", depending on the result in Bilbao.
"I will tell you one thing: no matter what happens tomorrow, I am not a pilot and I will never be like that. I am really disappointed that you have used such a term for a person who has not received any favor for the past 26 years.
I have worked hard to get a position to lead a club in a major European tournament," Postecoglou said at a press conference ahead of the Man United match.
With speculation about his future despite having two years left on his current contract, Postecoglou said: "Is that important? It really doesn't matter because the chances are the same, for me and more importantly for the club.
I have said that everything that happens after tomorrow is no longer relevant when you think about the opportunities that exist right now. That opportunity is to bring something special to the club, to the fans and to all those who have worked hard, not only this year but for the past 15 or 16 years."
In addition, Postecoglou affirmed that ending Tottenham's title drought will not be a great enough achievement for him to feel satisfied when leaving this role.
"No, because I didn't think my job was done here. I really feel like we are building something and hope a trophy will promote that.
I think there is still a lot of work to do. The challenges we have encountered this year have been fully documented, but there are also some reasons and there is also progress that I want to see. Whether that happens or not is not a big deal at the moment," the Australian added.
