Ange Postecoglou has slammed Arsene Wenger’s “crazy” claim that Tottenham shouldn’t be allowed to qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League.
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Postecoglou’s troubled side can seal a place in the Europa League final when they face Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final second leg in Norway on Thursday.
Tottenham won the first leg 3-1 as they look to set up a final showdown with Athletic Bilbao or Manchester United, who go into their second leg with a 3-0 advantage.
Despite languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, Europa League glory would earn them qualification for the Champions League due to a UEFA rule in place since the 2014-15 campaign.
United are one place above Tottenham in the English top-flight after an equally bad domestic campaign.
And former Arsenal boss Wenger, currently head of global football development at FIFA, this week told beIN Sport that Tottenham and United should not be able to get into Europe’s elite competition via the Europa League, urging UEFA to “review” their rule.
The under-fire Postecoglou responded to Wenger’s controversial comments in acerbic fashion.
“Well, I mean that’s a debate that’s been raging for years, like at least the last eight days,” Postecoglou told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve never heard that before. I’ve said it before, mate, Spurs does crazy things to people. It does, it does.
“You put that club into any sentence or any issue and invariably they all come out and try and diminish as much as they can.”
Although Tottenham’s troubled season hardly warrants a place in the Champions League, Postecoglou said victory in the Europa League would make it a worthy achievement.
The Australian cannot understand why Wenger raised the topic now, insisting the rules should be respected.
“Why wasn’t there an issue before and it’s an issue now? What’s the difference? I don’t understand what the difference is,” he said.
“Last year, fifth didn’t get you into the Champions League, this year it does. What does that mean?
“There are competition rules and the rules say that the winner goes into Champions League and it’s not the first year.
“And there isn’t an asterisk against it that you have to do something else as well, but it’s Spurs, mate, they love it. They love it.
“I’ve got a great respect for Arsene. He’s one of the legends of the game, but it does crazy things to people, mate. I love it, bring it on. It’s going to upset people, so that makes me happy.”
Asked if Tottenham had made him crazy as well during a season where he has faced constant speculation over his future, Postecoglou said: “It hasn’t made me crazy at all.
“I was talking about other people, I wasn’t talking about me. I was asked the question about apparently there is a massive raging debate about the legitimacy of us or Man U potentially being in the Champions League next year.”
MADDISON GONE FOR SEASON
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou confirmed James Maddison will miss the rest of the season ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa League semi-final showdown with Bodo/Glimt.
Maddison suffered a knee injury after scoring in last week’s 3-1 first-leg win against the Norwegian club.
After undergoing tests on the problem, the England international has discovered he will not feature again this term.
The 28-year-old’s absence is another setback in an injury-plagued campaign for the Premier League club.
Postecoglou is already without captain Son Heung-min due to a foot issue, although England striker Dominic Solanke has been declared fit for the second leg in Norway.
“Madders tweaked his knee in the first leg so he is out and will miss the rest of this season,” Postecoglou told reporters on Wednesday.
“Yeah, disappointing for him because he’s been a big part of this latter part of the season for us, particularly in Europe.
“He misses out but it has always been a constant of this season. Everyone else from the first leg travelled and is ready to go.
“Disappointing for Sonny as well. He has progressed and there’s a possibility of him getting some game time at the weekend but he hasn’t trained with the team yet.”
Tottenham are bidding to win their first European trophy since the 1984 UEFA Cup and their first silverware of any kind in 17 years.
Languishing in 16th place in the Premier League amid talk that Postecoglou faces the sack at the end of the season, Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario said his team have got used to dealing with injuries throughout their turbulent campaign.
“We have to always deal with it to be fair. We will not have Sonny and Madders tomorrow, but it is on us,” he said.
“The importance of the entire squad will be crucial.”
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