MICKY HAZARD claims Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou will have enjoyed a better season than Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal with a win tonight.
The former White Hart Lane favourite, 65, knows a thing or two about claiming silverware in Europe having been part of the legendary 1984 Uefa Cup-winning side.
The club has only lifted silverware three times since but the 17-year wait for a trophy could be over.
And if Postecoglou delivers his promise of “always winning things in my second year” then he will emerge from this campaign with more credit Arteta down the road at the Emirates.
At least that is according to Hazard, who has no doubts when it was put to him, replying: “Ange. Not a question of doubt.
“It’s staggering that someone can actually predict that — ‘In my second season I always win a trophy’ — and then pull it off.
“I didn’t like what Arteta said after the PSG defeat. You’d lost over two legs and as a manager, you have to be magnanimous in defeat and congratulate the team going into the next round. He sort of left himself open a little bit.
“So did Ange – he left himself very open. If he had got knocked out in the semis it would have been ‘Where’s your cup?’ But here we are in the final and getting a chance of fulfilling his prediction.
If he achieves that then wow. Has there ever been a manager, at the start of a season, who said what he did and then did it? I don’t think it’s ever happened.”
Both the North London rivals suffered early FA Cup exits and Carabao Cup semi-final losses.
The Gunners also went out of the Champions League at the same stage to extend their wait for a cup to five years.
However, Arteta has led the Gunners to a top two finish for a third-straight year in the Premier League and they are 33 points better off than Spurs in the table.
Hazard, speaking exclusively to SunSport on behalf of Freebets.com, said: “Are we a better team than Arsenal? No. Not at this moment in time. If we win a trophy and qualify for the Champions League — have we had a better season than Arsenal? Yes. It’s not a question of doubt in my mind.
“The game is about glory. Would you rather celebrate finishing second and losing the semi-finals, or walking away with a trophy that’ll also get you the Champions League? I know which I’d prefer.”
Tottenham’s nightmare campaign suffered a new low on Friday as the 2-0 loss at Aston Villa confirmed they will end the season on their lowest points tally in the Premier League’s history.
However, Hazard urged those left fighting fit in Postecoglou’s depleted squad to forget all of that and become “immortal” by claiming victory over Manchester United.
“It’s an opportunity to become a legend and immortal. You’ll be in the history books of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The fans will revere you, want your autograph and a picture with you forevermore. And they’ll talk about the special occasion that they all celebrated together when you lifted the cup. They remember magical moments that retain immortality.
“That’s what these boys have to recognise. That’s what these boys have to understand — the game is about glory and there’s none bigger than winning a cup final, especially a European one.
“Our motto is ‘To dare is to do.’ Let’s go out there and dare. Let’s dare to dream. Let’s dream that we can win this. We are good enough to win this. Let’s go do it.”
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