Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) and captain Hugo Lloris (39, LAFC) expressed their regret over the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou (60).
The British Guardian reported on the 16th (Korea time) that "Hugo Lloris stated at an official press conference held before the Club World Cup match against Chelsea that it is remarkable to change the coach even after winning."
Tottenham won 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League final for the 2024-2025 season held at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, on the 22nd.
With this, Tottenham successfully escaped a trophy drought of 17 years since winning the League Cup in the 2007-2008 season. At the same time, Son Heung-min achieved his first major trophy in his career, shaking off the disappointment of being runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in the 2018-2019 season after six years.
Despite Manchester United's attacks continuing until the end of the match, Tottenham held firm, preventing any goals during the 7 minutes of extra time, ultimately finishing the game 1-0. Tottenham secured their first Europa League victory in club history, marking their first trophy under coach Ange Postecoglou.
The significance was particularly special for coach Postecoglou. He finished his first season after taking the helm at Tottenham last summer without a trophy but had publicly stated, "In my second year as a coach, I will definitely bring in a trophy." And indeed, that statement became a reality.
However, Tottenham chose to part ways with Postecoglou. Given that he had suffered 22 losses out of 38 league matches, finishing in 17th place, continuing with the coach for another season was clearly a risky endeavor. Ultimately, Tottenham appointed Thomas Frank, who successfully settled Brentford in the Premier League, as the new manager.
On the 17th at 4 a.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Hugo Lloris, the goalkeeper for LAFC facing Chelsea, expressed his views on Postecoglou's dismissal at an official press conference, saying, "Coach Postecoglou clearly achieved great results, and everyone should be grateful to him."
Lloris commented, "It’s not surprising, but this time it was a bit shocking. The coach brought us a trophy. Especially for a team that had such a difficult season, this victory is even more valuable."
He continued, "Many injuries affected the overall performance of the team, and we struggled in the league. So it seems we focused on the Europa League. In the end, it bore fruit, and if we gained a Champions League qualifying spot through winning the European competition, it must have been a successful season."
Lloris knows better than anyone about Tottenham's trophyless years. After spending 12 seasons from 2012 to 2023, he said, "We aimed for the Champions League ticket every season and mostly succeeded. But in return, we had no trophies. This time, even though our league ranking has dropped, we have a trophy. That clearly means something."
However, Tottenham did not abandon their league in order to win the Europa League for the 2024-2025 season. They continued to lose in the league, whereas they won in the Europa League, which merely made it appear as if they had prioritized winning the Europa League over the league.
"Ultimately, it depends on what the club places importance on," Lloris noted. "Tottenham has long sought trophies. Finally, they achieved it, and I hope that this trophy can lighten the burden moving forward. I am no longer a Tottenham player, but I still follow the club's news and results."
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