Ange Postecoglou’s second-season silverware record is on the line (Picture: Getty Images) Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou made what sounded like a bold statement early this season when he declared he always wins trophies in his second year in a job, but to be fair to him, he’s right. ‘Usually in my second season I win things,’ the Australian said in August. ‘That’s the whole idea. The first year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully, the second year is going on to win things.’ Asked about the comments in September, he went further, telling Sky Sports: ‘I’ll correct myself – I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing’s changed. ‘I’ve said it now. I don’t say things unless I believe them.’ The 59-year-old put his reputation on the line to some extent with those comments, although he insists he is not a clown if he now fails to keep up that record. His opportunity to prove himself right comes on Wednesday night in the Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao, with silverware, a Champions League place, his record and maybe even his job on the line. But just how good is his second-season record and how far does it go back? South Melbourne and Young Socceroos Postecoglou spent six years with the Australia youth set-up (Picture: Getty Images) The second-season success began in Postecoglou’s first managerial job, winning the National Soccer League with South Melbourne in 1998 after taking over in 1996. He followed that up with another league title before leaving to coach Australia at Under-17 and Under-20 level. Measuring his second-season record at international youth level is a bit trickier, but Australia did land Oceania titles at Under-17 and Under-20 levels within his first two years in charge, so Postecoglou can certainly claim it. Following six years in this role he had short stints with Greek side Panachaiki and back to Australia with Whittlesea Zebras, but neither was long enough to judge a second season. Brisbane Roar Postecoglou celebrating after the 2012 A-League Grand Final (Picture: Getty Images) Postecoglou’s coaching career got back on track with Brisbane Roar, taking over in October 2009 and won the A-League Championship in 2011 and ’12. That made Roar the first time to win back-to-back A-League titles, in the division’s short history, and Postecoglou the most successful coach in domestic Australian football with four national titles. Australia landed a first Asia Cup under Postecoglou (Picture: Getty Images) A short-lived return to Melbourne Victory ended before Postecoglou’s second-season success could be tested as he was appointed manager of Australia in October 2013. In January 2015 Australia had won their first Asian Cup, beating South Korea in the final. Yokohama F. Marinos Yokohama F.Marinos won the J-League with Postecoglou in charge (Picture: Getty Images) Postecoglou left Australia for Japan in 2017, stepping down from the international role despite qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. After a patchy first season, Postecoglou worked his second season magic and his team won their first J-League title for 15 years in 2019. Celtic were dominant under Postecoglou (Picture: Getty Images) Swapping Japan for Scotland, Postecoglou didn’t need to wait for his second season with Celtic to win the league title in 2022. However, his second season in Glasgow was even better as he won the treble, landing the Scottish Premiership, Cup and League Cup in 2022/23. So Postecoglou’s claim does stand up and it now comes down to one match in northern Spain vs Man United for him to be able to keep saying that he always wins things in his second season. With his job likely on the line in Bilbao, he insists that he is not concerned about his future, although he believes he has plenty more work to do with Spurs. ‘My future is assured. I wouldn’t be the first person to change jobs. I’ve got a beautiful family, I’ve got a great life, I’ll keep on winning trophies until I finish wherever that is,’ he told a pre-match press conference. ‘So don’t worry about my future. My future is not entwined with anything. ‘I don’t think my job is done here. I think a trophy would accelerate that and I think there’s a lot still to be done. That’s obvious. ‘The challenges we’ve had this year are well chronicled but I think there’s been some growth in there that I would like to see through. Whether that happens or not isn’t really important right now.’ Tottenham vs Man Utd Europa League final What time does the game kick-off? The Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United will kick off at 8pm tonight. The match will be held at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. Is the Europa League final on YouTube for free? Unlike previous years, TNT Sports have confirmed that the Europa League final 2024 will not be shown on YouTube in the UK. Instead, fans can watch the Europa League final for free on discovery+. All you need to do is register a free account on discovery+ without signing up to a package and you’ll be able to tune in to the game. The live stream can be viewed across a range of devices from smartphones and tablets to laptops and smart TVs. As well as the Europa League final, the Champions League final (Saturday, 31 May) and the Conference League final (Wednesday, May 28) will also be shown live and for free on discovery+. How to watch on TV in the UK TNT Sports customers can still watch the Europa League final on TV. The game will be shown on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, with coverage getting underway from 6pm. Latest odds To win in 90 minutes 2/1 Tottenham7/4 Draw11/10 Man Utd Odds courtesy of Betfair