Aston Villa players were sprayed with champagne and received a congratulatory message from Prince William as they celebrated Champions League qualification, capping the club’s remarkable turnaround in fortunes in five years.
At Tottenham, the mood was much more pessimistic.
“I think the last 48 hours have revealed to me that the foundations are quite fragile,” said Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou after a dramatic night in which the Premier League’s fourth and final representative for next season’s Champions League was confirmed. .
The Villa team gathered for the end-of-season awards ceremony on Tuesday night and watched Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on TV, a result that had more ramifications than simply the title race. Premier League.
It also meant that Villa, who were in the second tier in 2019 and battling relegation from the Premier League a year later, were guaranteed to finish fourth – above Tottenham – with a game to spare and would be top of Europe. competition for the first time since 1983. The previous year, Villa were European champions.
“We are the Champions League!” the Prince of Wales, one of Villa’s famous fans, posted on the account he shares with his wife, Katherine, on X, formerly Twitter. “A historic season and an incredible achievement.”
At Villa’s awards ceremony, Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez was seen spraying champagne and club captain John McGinn took to the stage to remind everyone present of the team’s journey.
Alongside Tyrone Mings, McGinn said: “We were at the championship – the two of us, baby Jacob (Ramsey) and Kortney (Hause) – there are four of us here tonight who were part of that championship journey.
“We got promoted, we got to the Premier League, we were seven points behind with four (games) to play, we managed to stay in the league. We’ve continued to build and achieved something we haven’t done in 40 years, so on behalf of the players and staff we’re over the moon.”
Unai Emery, the Spanish coach who has resurrected Villa since his appointment in October 2022 with his tactical acumen and human management skills, was applauded on stage.
“It’s our dream. We started the season to be here,” said Emery with a smile.
“We already knew that our responsibility was to try to increase our level, be demanding, dream to achieve it and, of course, win the Champions League like Villa did in 1982. If we are there, if we are in it, it is easier than if we weren’t!”
Postecoglou cut a very different picture when summing up a bizarre few days in which the big debate revolved around whether Tottenham – in particular, their fans – really wanted their team to beat City. After all, Arsenal – Tottenham’s fierce north London rivals – would benefit if City lost, as it would leave Mikel Arteta’s side in first place ahead of Sunday’s final round of games.
The atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was flatter than at many other home games, with many songs aimed at Arsenal.
This left Postecoglou perplexed and apparently concerned about the culture of a club that has not won a major trophy since 2008.
In a post-match press conference, the Australian said: “I think the last 48 hours have revealed a lot to me. All good. It just means I have to go back to the drawing board with some things.”
Asked to explain what he meant, Postecoglou added: “Outside, inside, everywhere. It’s been an interesting exercise. Just my observations, mate. I’m not going to tell you, because it’s for me. I’m the one who has to do this.
“You can make your own assessments about what happened. I understand. I probably misread the situation as to what I consider important in their effort to become a winning team, but that’s okay. That’s why I’m here.”
Postecoglou said “I just don’t care” when asked about Tottenham fans singing about Arsenal.
“Maybe I’m out of step, but I don’t care, I just want to win. I want to be successful at this club, that’s why I was hired,” he said.
“So what other people, how they want to feel and what their priorities are, is of no interest to me. I know what’s important to build a winning team, that’s what I need to focus on.”
Tottenham will have secured fifth place and a place in the Europa League by avoiding defeat to Sheffield United on Sunday.
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