Ange Postecoglou continues to fight on at Tottenham Hotspur.
It has been nearly two years since Postecoglou left Celtic for Tottenham, and his ride has been rather interesting in the English capital.
For weeks and weeks, the noises have suggested that Spurs will sack Postecoglou, especially with the team sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
But, in typical Postecoglou style, he is fighting until the very end and showing that winning fight he displayed on so many occasions in Celtic colours.
On Thursday evening, Spurs beat Eintracht Frankfurt to book their ticket into the semi-final of the Europa League by securing a 2-1 win on aggregate.
Tottenham now face an opponent that Postecoglou, for the wrong reasons and going back to his days at Celtic, knows very well.
Ange Postecoglou recalls Celtic nightmare as Tottenham to face Bodo Glimt in Europa League semi-final
Celtic’s progression in the Champions League this season has been a joy to watch, but their play-off exit to Bayern Munich is a far cry from what happened in 2022.
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With Postecoglou in the Celtic Park dugout, the Hoops crashed out of the Europa Conference League playoff phase by losing 5-1 on aggregate to Bodo/Glimt.
It was a nightmare of all nightmares and a pretty big blot on Celtic’s European credentials, at the time, as Postecoglou will now look to put those previous wrongs right in the colours of Tottenham.
“I don’t think it’s surprising,” said Postecoglou on Bodo Glimt’s rise. “I, obviously, have history with Bodo. We played them when I was at Celtic.
“I scouted them pretty extensively for that game. I remember they beat Roma at home, with Jose (as the opposing manager), and Jose speaking about how difficult it was playing there, and I followed them closely.
“You have seen their growth. They are very difficult. Got a good talent ID. Players who have moved on and done really well. Very consistent. Same manager, which always helps.
“Then built a real belief in their club. I think they have earned the right to be in the semi-final. It’s not like they have had an easy ride through it. They are a very, very difficult opponent away from home. Absolutely. You just have to look at their record.
“I certainly won’t underestimate them. I know them really well and I know the challenge we have to overcome them.”
The 11 Celtic players who remain from that Bodo/Glimt nightmare
Going back to the second leg, which was played in Norway, Celtic lost 2-0 and were knocked out, with some interesting names playing that are still on the books today.
On the one hand, given that quite a number of them have been part of this season’s Champions League campaign, it shows their progression.
At the end of the day, it’s not about how you get knocked down, but how you get back up.