Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak will play a key role, alongside Ange Postecoglou, if Tottenham Hotspur is to upset European giants Manchester United to win its first trophy in over 17 years.
And Jedinak’s Spurs feature appears to be inextricably linked to Postecoglou’s, leading into Thursday morning’s (AEST) high-stakes, blockbuster Europa League final against United in Bilbao.
Postecoglou, who started his coaching journey with NSL club South Melbourne in 1996, has been under intense pressure from the British media, dating back to the end of last season.
Pressure has intensified this season, with Spurs’ horrific injury record seeing them plummet in the Premier League, with the focus on breaking their 41-year European trophy drought.
Jedinak has assumed more responsibility after Spurs assistant Chris Davies joined Birmingham this season, becoming the latest Postecoglou protege to taste individual success.
While Davies secured League One promotion with barnstorming Birmingham City – 19 points ahead of second-place Wrexham – Jedinak has quietly stepped up as an assistant, and is playing a key role in plotting United’s downfall.
Joining Posteoglou as an assistant manager at Spurs in 2023, Jedinak has ridden shotgun with his ex-Socceroos boss, in experiencing the tumult of life at a Premier League club with grand ambitions.
Although the club has experienced a historically bad 2024/25 Premier League campaign, currently sitting 17th in the league, Spurs find themselves just one win away from ending their notorious silverware drought.
Before exploring what could be an iconic moment for the Australian coaching duo that will go into the history books, Jedinak’s meteoric rise in the coaching sphere is worth exploring.
Rising through the Sydney United 58 ranks and reaching heights of the Premier League as captain of Crystal Palace, Jedinak ended his playing career on a high after helping Aston Villa to promotion back to England’s top flight in 2019.
Following retirement, Jedinak jumped into coaching in Villa’s ranks and quickly became a Loan Development Coach, monitoring and managing the club’s young talents out on loan.
Excelling in this role for two years, the opportunity to join Ange Postecoglou as an assistant coach at Spurs was a big step in Jedinak’s coaching journey.
Jedinak became yet another aspiring Aussie coach to be allowed to work alongside Postecoglou, joining a list alongside the likes of Rado Vidošić, Kevin Muscat, Peter Cklamovski, Ante Miličić, Arthur Papas, John Hutchinson and Harry Kewell.
“Enjoying it, absolutely. I’ve been welcomed into the Tottenham family as they say and it’s been tremendous,” Jedinak told Optus Sport in an interview last year.
Since taking the position in 2023, Jedinak’s responsibilities and involvement have evolved, noting that he has picked up a role in defensive set-pieces.
Working alongside former Central Coast Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery, improvements in denying their opponents successful set-piece deliveries have been noted.
Despite success in this aspect, the Lilywhites’ league struggles this season have rightly taken the headlines, breaking all the wrong records.
Spurs are set to have their worst ever finish in the Premier League table in over three decades, and have recorded their lowest ever points tally.
However, Spurs’ positive goal difference, vast expected points differential, and surpassing the Premier League record for most losses by one goal in a season all point to an unlucky campaign.
Winless in the league since a 3-1 win over Southampton in early April, a Europa League-focused approach has been updated by the club in the pursuit of a long-awaited title, largely disregarding domestic performances.
Navigating through two-legged ties against AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and finally Norwegian underdogs Bodø/Glimt in the semifinals, Spurs are set to face fellow league-underachieving Manchester United on the big stage in Bilbao.
Despite Postecoglou’s exemplary record against United, the Reds Devils have been tipped as the favourites by many in what is set to be an all-time classic Final.
Although breaking the Trophy drought is of high priority for the Spurs faithful, the historically bad Premier League finish has certainly created discontent in the fan base.
While a Europa League triumph would be just Spurs’ first European honour in over 40 years and just the second piece of silverware in the 21st century, a future at the club for Postecoglou and Jedinak alongside him still appears up in the air.