Every word Ange Postecoglou said on Lucas Bergvall, his own Tottenham future and 'clown' anger

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Ange Postecoglou had plenty to say to the media out in Bilbao on Tuesday ahead of the Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United.

The two Premier League strugglers will do battle in Spain to decide who will left the trophy and capture Champions League qualification with it for next season. While United have more recent pedigree when it comes to silverware, Spurs are looking to win their first trophy in 17 years and first piece of European silverware in 41 years.

Postecoglou delivered the latest squad news on Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall and the Australian also addressed his future at Tottenham and showed his anger towards an article in the week that had referred to him potentially being remembered as a clown-like figure if there was no Europa League triumph.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Postecoglou. Here's a full transcript from the press conference in Bilbao.

What's the latest team news and is Lucas Bergvall available?

Pretty much the same as last week. No, Lucas isn’t available. Same as we were as of last week.

It's your 100th game tomorrow and you spoke about the stonecutters' creed and striking the 101st blow?

Hopefully that 101 st blow is tomorrow mate and not on Sunday. It’s hard to contextualise some of the challenges of the last couple of years. From my perspective I came into the club with some pretty clear objectives about what the priorities were for the club when taking over. I’ve tried as hard as I can to stick to that process of getting the club to a position where they can challenge for trophies while at the same time rejuvenating a squad and changing a playing style. It’s been a fair assignment, with plenty of challenges along the way. It’s such a big game tomorrow there is an opportunity to fulfil at least the main task which is to bring trophies to the club.

How is Pape Matar Sarr?

He's fine mate.

The players had a bonding barbecue ahead of coming out here and apparently you were quite keen on them doing it?

Mate I’m an Aussie, I’d never say no to a barbecue. You’d never have to twist my arm. But no, it was player driven, it was a good time for them to have a relaxing afternoon. We have the luxury of a training ground with a really nice barbecue area. Unfortunately I had to fulfil my commitments with you guys so I missed the best of it. Those are the sacrifices you have to make.

What's more important, the Champions League qualification or the trophy?

It’s a great prize, the significance of Champions League qualification and what it means for every football club. There are the obvious benefits but also you get the opportunity to play against the best in the continent. But the club has been in the Champions League before. It hasn’t won a trophy for a long time. So that’s the most important thing.

Are you conscious of the infamy v legendary status if you win or lose?

That depends on your outlook, but I’ll tell you one thing: irrespective of what happens tomorrow, I’m not a clown and I never will be, mate. I’m really disappointed that you would use such terminology about a person who for 26 years without any favours from anyone has worked his way to a position where he’s leading out a club in a European major competition (final). For you to suggest that somehow us not being successful means that I’m a clown, not really sure how to answer that question.

You've beaten Manchester United three times - does that put more pressure on or make you more confident?

Neither because it’s a final and you know that those kind of things aren’t important. If we had lost all three games your question would probably be ‘do you feel the pressure because you can’t beat them’, so… What I do know, and I’ve been in this situation a few times in my career in the big games, even your form going into it, even if you’ve got terrible form… it doesn’t matter.

What matters is how the players cope with the occasion tomorrow. How they cope with understanding the importance of the game. For both clubs, you just don’t know how players are going to react to such a big occasion.

My role in that is to try to prepare the players in the best possible way and also to prepare the players for Manchester United to be at their best, and that’s what you have to prepare for. If you prepare that way, and then you go out there and play to the potential that you can, you give yourself an opportunity.

But I don’t think it really matters what you’ve done before any opposition when it comes to big games. Maybe in the league it’s a bit different. But in a final, everything gets decided on the day.

People are saying this could be your penultimate game in charge - what do you think?

Does it matter? Really? It doesn’t matter because the reality of it is the opportunity is the same, for me and more importantly for the club. I’ve said before that whatever happens beyond tomorrow is kind of irrelevant when you think about the opportunity that exists right now.

That opportunity is to provide something special for the football club and for the supporters and for everyone who has worked so hard, not just this year but for the 15, 16 years, however long it has been without a trophy and also the 41 years without a European trophy.

If I was worried about my tenure at this football club, it’s fair to say we wouldn’t have been in this position because I would have been distracted long ago. I’m pretty good at just making sure all my focus is on giving this football club the best opportunity that it’s had for a while to do something special. Whatever happens after that, mate, I’m very, very comfortable that I’ll continue on trying to win trophies wherever I am.

I want to ask you about Richarlison, what is the difference when he plays and what does the team gain? Also I heard you came to Brazil and that you became a Vasco fan?

I have to be careful about who I support because I might go and coach in Brazil one day and I might end up at, I don't know, Corinthians or something and it will cause me problems.

Richy, so pleased for him because he's had a tough time, Richy, not just this year, but since he's been at Tottenham. He's had some injury problems, he's never really had a stretch of games and it's been very tough on him, both physically but also emotionally, but he's in a really good place now. Physically he's worked really hard on his fitness and he plays with so much passion and determination.

Every time he plays, he just gives 100%, he has quality as well, and it's great to have him in the team. I think for us, he provides something different to our other attacking players.

He's already made a big impact for us in the Europa League and particularly in the semi-final, and I'm just really pleased for him that through all the difficult times he's had he's now in a place where he's fit, he's available, and he's excited about contributing.

And yeah, I've always loved Brazilian football. I actually played against Vasco da Gama in 1985 so every time I visited Brazil there's always an association with us.

You are the first Australian and also Greek to coach a team in a European final, how does that feel?

Yeah, I'm very proud of that because I think it's kind of what I was saying before, but just to me to be in this position where I've come from. I was born in Greece, I'm a very proud Greek. My father made sure that I understood where our roots were and what it means to be Greek, and I've carried that through my whole life.

I grew up in Australia on the other side of the world where football, unfortunately it wasn't a prominent sport, but my father, he took his love of football from Greece to Australia and he worked really, really hard, as I've said before many times, my mum and my dad, they left their home country, their family, everything they knew for their kids, you know, for me.

And I hold that dear to my heart and he's not with me today but he is with me all the time, so I feel very strongly, you know, I love being Greek, I love being in Greece, it's I think where I'll retire one day, and I love that I grew up in a country in Australia where even though football wasn't a big sport, when you grow up in Australia, you also have the attitude when it comes to sport, you'll take on anyone, it doesn't matter how big or small they are and I'm proud of my roots in both.

How big is to get Sonny back?

Yeah massive to get Sonny back. We were a little bit worried when he picked up the injury because we just weren’t sure how long he would be out for, but he worked so hard to make sure he was back. Really pleased the other night to see him play 60 to 70 minutes and you could see his sharpness coming back. He’s just so important to the group and he is so important as a leader. He is such an important figure at this football club and it’s a big motivation and driver for all of us, including me, to give him a trophy that his career deserves. Again, he is a guy who has come from the other side of the world. Not many players have come from Asian and stayed in the Premier League, the top league in the world, for so long and maintained that excellence. It would be great to cap that off with a trophy for him. He knows and we all know that we have still got to do the work. He’s been in this position before obviously in the Champions League final so he has that experience. I am sure he will pass that onto the players.

Have you had to address your future with the players as a group?

No, because I think again that would not be really help with what is before us right now. I’ve said to the lads from day one, nothing is guaranteed in life, nothing is guaranteed in sport. You just need to try and make sure you take every opportunity before you. That’s what I have done my whole career. I’ve been in this position before where the big game was the last game I managed. It’s not unusual territory for me. I have always navigated it pretty well because for me nothing is more important than my responsibility for this football club and its fans that tomorrow me, the players, our mind is only on one thing and that is to create something special.

Can you give us examples?

I qualified for a World Cup and left. Won the treble with Celtic and left. Won at Brisbane and left. It’s actually more common than you think.

The assumption is your future will be decided by the hierarchy and football club?

My future is assured, mate. I wouldn’t be the first person who changes job. We all change jobs. I am sure you’ve had more than one job. My future is assured, I have got a beautiful family, I’ve got a great life, I’ll keep on winning trophies until I finish – wherever that is. Don’t worry about my future, mate. My future is not intertwined with anything. My future is assured provided god-willing my health remains, my beautiful family is beside me, my friends, there is nothing wrong with my future, mate. Don’t stress. Sleep easy tonight. I’ll be OK.

I meant specifically at Tottenham, is there a scenario where you win the trophy and it’s job done and you walk away?

No, because I don’t think my job is done here. I really feel like we are building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerate that. So, I still think there is work to be done. It is quite obvious with the challenges we’ve had this year, which I think are well chronicled but there is some reasoning in the context of that, but also there has been some growth and I would like to see through. Whether that happens or not is not that important right now, but I don’t think far from it is this job finished. I certainly feel there is some growth there that we can take this club to where it needs to be.

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