Ange Postecoglou snapped at a question about Manchester United after Tottenham reached the Europa League final on Thursday night.
Postecoglou lost his cool after Spurs defeated Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt 2-0 in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final clash.
The result means the north London club will face Ruben Amorim’s United in the final – a side they have already beaten three times so far this season – with both teams massively struggling in the Premier League this term.
In his post-match press conference, a journalist asked the Australian head coach: ‘United have constantly said this competition won’t save their season… The manager has said it, the players have said it… Is it different for Tottenham? Would it save your season?’
Postecoglou replied: ‘I don’t care. Why should I care what Man United think? Wy is that relevant to me? Ask the United manager why he said that.
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‘Me, I’ve said all along that this is important. You should know better than me what a trophy would do for this club. The question answers itself.
‘What’s happening right now is people are fearing that it actually might happenAnd they’re already trying to tear it down somehow or diminish it somehow by talking about the league form.
‘Maybe if we had United’s success, maybe I’d have a different view. I could be sitting here in fifth position and the commentary would be, “that’s great Ange but the club needs to win something” – that’s exactly what everyone would be saying.
‘Of course it’s massive, of course it is. United have got their own journey to go on and maybe if they go 15 years without winning anything they’ll change their perspective on things as well.’
Spurs currently sit 16th in the Premier League table with just three games left, while United are one spot above them in 15th.
Tottenham’s last major trophy came in 2008 when they defeated Chelsea in the final of the League Cup, currently known as the Carabao Cup.
Quizzed further about the upcoming Europa League final against United, Postecoglou added: ‘It’s going to upset a lot of people isn’t it!
‘The debate’s now raging, the latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they’re just going to take a team photo because we’re not worthy.
‘I mean, who cares if we’re struggling in the league? Why is that important? If it’s so easy to get to a final, then why doesn’t everyone who finishes in the top three do it? It’s a separate thing.
‘It’s got nothing to do with league form. We understand our league form hasn’t been great. We understand the struggles we’ve had. A lot of them are because of the situation we’ve been in.
‘But how that diminishes the achievement of getting to a final. Like I said, this club and others have finished in first, second or third in the Premier League, and haven’t made finals. Why should that be diminished?
‘I couldn’t care less who’s struggling and who’s not. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there.
‘I think we’ve probably beaten teams who will be in the Champions League next year, on our road to getting there. So looking forward to it, should be a great game.’